Student mental health is an issue that is close to my heart. During my graduate studies, I co-founded Stand Up to Stigma, a student-led mental health initiative on campus partnered with Counselling Services and Health Services. I also created a CTE workshop regarding how instructors and TAs can support student mental health. I wrote a similar post to this one more than two years ago, but given the recent creation of the University of Waterloo’s President’s Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health and Mental Health Wellness Day this week, I think it’s time to revisit it. Student mental health has been on the minds of many instructors and TAs; this blog post provides some of the resources available to help students in distress and promote mental well-being in the classroom.
A recent survey conducted by the American College Health Association (2016) highlights the current issues University of Waterloo (n=1,955) and Ontario post-secondary students (n=25,168) are facing with respect to mental health.
| Within the past year, percentage of post-secondary students who had… |
University of Waterloo | Ontario |
| Felt academics were traumatic or very difficult to handle | 58% | 59.3% |
| Felt overwhelming anxiety | 60.8% | 65.4% |
| Felt so depressed that it was difficult to function | 44.5% | 46.1% |
| Been diagnosed or treated by a professional for anxiety | 14.2% | 18.3% |
| Been diagnosed or treated by a professional for depression | 11.4% | 14.7% |
| Seriously considered suicide | 5.0% | 4.4% |
Continue reading Supporting Student Mental Health in the Classroom – Kristin Brown