EDMONTON – The University of Alberta is introducing some new measures intended to help students maintain good mental health.
Recent statistics show Canadians in the 15 to 24 age range are the most likely to face mental health challenges. And in a 2011 survey of U of A students, 87 percent said they felt “overwhelmed” and “exhausted.” Seven percent had seriously considered suicide.
To help expand health health services on campus, the province announced a funding boost to three Alberta universities this past January. The U of A has now implemented some changes and has released a new report.
The report offers 54 recommendations on how to best provide students with the support they need to succeed.
One of the top recommendations is to make support more accessible.
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Until recently, counselling services were confined to the Students Union Building; but the U of A is in the process of adding four satellite offices in various faculties.
“They’re more visible when they’re placed into a faculty, rather than expecting the students to always come to a central service,” says registered psychologist and Associate Dean of Students, Dr. Robin Everall, who spent a year putting together the report.
Another new initiative at the U of A is the creation of a team of community social workers.
“They’ll go into the residences and be involved with programming and just be a face that students can tap into,” Everall explains. “Many students don’t even know they’re social workers – they’re just people who are around to talk to.”
She adds that between the ages of 18 and 25, people start to struggle with issues in their lives, which may have been pre-existing. Everall believes it’s important to identify and deal with those issues before they become too severe.
The VP of Student Life at the U of A, William Lau, recognizes the stresses that some students face when they get out of high school – including pressure from family, figuring out what you want to do, and competing with other students. He says he’s glad to see this attention being placed on mental health.
“Really happy to see that the university is interested in not only taking an institutional perspective, but also empowering students to take care and take charge of their own mental health.”
The report also recommends more mental health training for U of A staff, and more help for international students. It can be read in its entirety here.
With files from Su-Ling Goh, Global News
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