Supporting students’ mental health
I often get asked, “so how does your clinical background prepare you for the role you’re in?”
I’m an Occupational Therapist and currently manage the Counselling and Mental Health service for students at Middlesex University; a role I never knew existed, within an area of practice I knew little about.
I have worked across the UK and abroad within a variety of mental health setting, including community and inpatient settings. My passion for Forensic Mental Health was ignited during my training, and some years after qualifying I returned to this speciality, spending the next 10 years working within medium and high secure hospitals. So how, you might ask, did I arrive at a Higher Education Institute?
A big turning point in my career was completing a Darzi Fellowship, a leadership development programme funded by Health Education England in collaboration with London South Bank University.
This programme expanded my knowledge and experience of system change, quality improvement and understanding of the bigger themes and challenges within the NHS. My project during this year was to improve the experience of Allied Health Professional (AHP) students coming to our trust on placement, looking at their wider learning and supporting their wellbeing as well as their clinical development.
After completing my Darzi year, and with great sadness, I left the NHS looking for a new challenge. My current role appeared, and the opportunity to shape a service, support students in reaching their potential and raise awareness for mental health and my own profession was too tempting to resist. So in August last year, I moved to Middlesex University, which I identified as a “widening participation” university, which accepts and supports students from diverse social backgrounds.
Within our service, we offer counselling and mental health support to students with a wide variety of challenges.
We see students struggling with transitions (coming or leaving University), anxiety, stress, depression, enduring mental health conditions and/or drug and alcohol misuse.
We also support students who are or have experienced sexual or domestic violence, harassment and assault. We have a large cohort of international students, as well as care leavers, commuter students and first generation students. I am proud to work within such a diverse university that is leading the way in reducing health and social inequalities.
As an Occupational Therapist, I use an asset-based approach, analysing and utilising the strengths of the individual, the environment, and the community in which a person lives and functions and identifying solutions to enhance their ability to engage in the occupations they want, need, or are expected to do.
Since starting within Middlesex University, my greatest challenge has been to change the culture around the term ‘therapy’, increasing awareness of the therapeutic benefits of other mediums that support.
I do this by promoting the wellbeing of students and focusing on the environment we create for students that study with us. Our students bring with them a whole host of skills, talents and strengths that can be used to overcome challenges.
Working alongside our student population in collaboration with our local NHS services and other community organisations, we are able to offer a variety of opportunities and a safe, effective, high quality service.
Student mental health and in particular student suicide rates has been a hot topic in the press and within local and national government strategies.
Suicide is the number one leading cause of death in young people under the age of 35 and is PREVENTABLE.
At Middlesex University, we have taken a ‘whole University approach’, ensuring the specialist clinical skills within our team exist, but also by offering training and awareness sessions (in partnership with Papyrus) to ensure that all members of staff across the university know how to respond to students in crisis.
University Mental Health Day 2019 is encouraging individuals to use their voice in shaping student mental health services for the future. Every voice is important, every view should be counted. Only by listening and working together can we ensure that we are providing what our students need to succeed and stay healthy. I invite you to join me in this conversation on Twitter!
