Matt Dionne | Sports and Health Editor
Featured illustration: Six post-secondary institutions on the East Coast will receive external funding for a new initiative to combat mental health concerns, while students at York feel the lack of support. | Jasmine Wiradharma
As many as 65 per cent of students reported feeling overwhelming anxiety, with 46 per cent feeling so depressed, it was difficult to function, according to the latest Ontario University and College Health Association survey. It has been well documented that more and more university students are feeling overwhelmed and seeking counselling services. To address the growing concerns, two initiatives dedicated to improving mental health on university campuses are expanding in 2017.
Pathway Through Mental Health Care for Post-secondary Settings is a program dedicated to improving mental health literacy and mental health care on campuses. It was launched in November at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and is led by Dr. Stan Kutcher, an expert in adolescent mental health.
“This new initiative is aimed at ensuring students receive the right support at the right time, from building resiliency to manage their everyday mental health on campus to providing access to care for those with a mental illness,” said Bernard Lord, CEO of Medavie Health Foundation.
The project is a three-year initiative funded by the Medavie Health Foundation, and will be tested on campuses across the East Coast, including Holland College, Mount Saint Vincent University, Saint Mary’s University, St. Francis Xavier University and Nova Scotia Community College.
“Mental health-related interventions on many campuses are often driven by enthusiasm and hope. Some of them may work, some may not and some may have unintended consequences,” said Dr. Kutcher in an interview with the Medavie Health Foundation.
“We wish to build on this energy of change and hope for better futures, and underpin it with evidence for what works so we can have comfort that what is being done is achieving the outcomes needed. This project will help us in that quest.”
Closer to home, Jack.org, an organization dedicated to encouraging students to talk about their mental health, is expanding to six schools in Toronto.
Jack.org recently helped York launch the new Mental Health Strategy in October.
“A very important piece of the mental health strategy is really about creating greater awareness and really a greater understanding, these are absolutely essential for a success approach and to properly support our community,” said Vice-President Academic and Provost Rhonda Lenton.
Jack.org, which is predominantly led by students, intends to de-stigmatize mental health by creating and fostering an environment where people feel safe to open up about their mental health without being judged.
Fourth-year psychology student Sandra Fornier feels these projects are necessary because York’s counselling system has many flaws that need to be dealt with.
“Our current mental health services are fragmented and not easily accessible. Our counselling services are professionally run, yet have limited space. We advocate for mental health awareness yet do not provide proficient services or advertise their existence,” she says.
“If I felt overwhelmed with stress and wanted to seek out help, as I know many other students struggle with the same problem, I have no idea what services are available at school. All university students should have general access to counselling services without fighting a school bureaucracy to obtain them,” she adds.
York’s Personal Counselling Services are available at 416-736-5297, or in person at N110 Bennett Center.
