With poor mental health now rife across higher education, what can be done to create a supportive campus environment that strengthens well-being and resilience among students and staff?
Higher education globally is facing a growing mental health crisis. While statistics vary, they all point to the same conclusion – that each year more students are suffering from poor mental health. In a survey by Student Minds, more than half of UK students – 57 per cent – reported a mental health issue, with 27 per cent saying they had been diagnosed. And yet these psychological struggles are not confined to students, with academics and university staff also under unprecedented strain, leading to stress, loneliness and depression. Academics repeatedly report that the demands of their job mean they neglect personal needs. Universities must take action to support their academic communities, but how?
This spotlight guide brings together practical advice, research-informed strategies and lived experiences to support better mental health across higher education – from effective student support and teaching with compassion to personal strategies for academics and ways to create a culture of care across a whole institution.
More than three-quarters of US university faculty report having had one-to-one conversations with students regarding mental health in the previous 12 months, surveys show. So academics need to be equipped to support students in need – whether through small supportive actions of their own or by directing students to other relevant services. But first, they need to recognise what level of help or guidance is required. These resources offer insight into providing the right student mental health support at the right time.
Too often, when prioritising the needs of students, lecturers’ own mental health takes a back seat. Couple this with heavy workloads, research and teaching pressures and, for many, job precarity and it is unsurprising that stress and burnout are ever present in higher education. While root causes may be hard to address, there are ways for institutions and individuals to reduce the risk of spiralling anxiety and help academics set boundaries to protect their own and their colleagues’ well-being.
Embedding compassion into a university’s culture requires a human-centred approach. Discover ways to rethink communication and curricula and manage workloads in order to put people and their needs first.
The extent of mental health challenges in higher education calls for collective action; institutions must take the lead in providing compassionate and inclusive support systems. Learn how to design and scale up services that cultivate well-being, how to train staff to offer the right support, and how to build resilience throughout your campus community’s.
Institutional culture starts at the top so university leaders must model compassion if they want to create a happy working environment. Here, learn about leading with empathy and care from two senior administrators.
When teachers recognise students as individuals with unique experiences, they demonstrate empathy. Discover how else empathy manifests itself in the classroom and how educators can ensure students feel valued and heard, giving them the confidence to learn.
