Mental Well-being in the Curriculum

Dr Margaret Sills

29th April 2008Wolverhampton

With acknowledgment to Hilary Burgess and Jill Anderson

mhhe (mental health in higher education)

http://www.mhhe.heacademy.ac.uk/

Collaboration between

4 Higher Education Academy Subject Centres

Health Sciences and Practice

Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine (MEDEV)

Psychology

Social Policy and Social Work (SWAP)

Terminology

Mental Health

Mental Well-being

Mental Health distress / difficulties / problems

Mental Illness

Relationship between mental well-being and mental ill-health

WELL BEING High

A person who experiences a high level A person who has a high level ofof mental well-being despite being mental well-being and health who

has diagnosed as mentally ill e.g. having no mental illnessmanic depressive episodes

ILL-HEALTH High LowA person with a mental disorder, A person who has no diagnosableprobably enduring and/or with psychotic mental illness or disorder and who

episodes and a low level of mental has a low level of mental well-being well-being e.g. self-esteem represented by a low level of self care.

Low

10 Elements of Mental HealthGlenn MacDonald and Kate O’Hara

http://www.hcc.uce.ac.uk/Schools/healthdev/docs/ten%20element%20map.doc

Macro

Meso

Micro

EmotionalProcessing Self

ManagementSkills

SocialParticipation

EnvironmentalDeprivation

EmotionalAbuseEmotional

Negligence

Stress

SocialAlienation

EnvironmentalQuality

SelfEsteem

A Map ofElements of

Mental Health,its Promotion

and Demotion.

Vulnerability in student population

18 – 25 yr old age group

Mature students

General risk in terms of mental distress and ill health

May bring previous experience of mental distress

Major life transitions bring stresses

Vulnerability in student population

Anxiety levels may rise as academic, social and or financial hurdles are encountered

Social anxiety

Fear of situations requiring public speaking

Stress of the transition

Widening Participation

Whist enabling access to Higher Education for all those who will benefit from it is welcomed

More entrants

may have greater struggles

in terms of their personal histories

Higher Education entails being challenged

Intellectual Challenges:

Learning new concepts

new knowledge

new skills

And may be new values

Social challenges

Moving to a new town or City

Away from home

Making new friendships

Financial Challenges

Better or worse?

Constructive stress

Destructive stress

Individual differences

Organisational and Individual responsibilities

to create conditions conducive to learning

Implications for Curricula

Students will not perform at their best

if they are unduly stressed or anxious.

So

to promote mental well-being,

protect those who may be vulnerable to mental illness or distress

and of course to enhance learning

curricula have to take account of mental well-being

Curriculum planning

Content

Management

Rooms

Staff availability

Finance

The student centred perspective is often last!

Student experience?

Factors relate to

Retention

Decision to withdraw

A good learning experience

Manz Yorke and Bernard Longden

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/research/surveys/fye

Enhancing the student experience

1. Avoid undue destructive stress in the design of the curriculum

2. Provide plenty of information in different formats

3. Provide opportunities to rehearse assessed work before it is formally assessed

4. Build small group work in from the beginning

5. Ensure that the programme has a human face

6. Arrange staff training in mental health awareness and mental health promotion

Avoid undue destructive stress in the design of the curriculum

Are the learning opportunities balanced through the day and across the week?

Are the assignments spaced or are they bunched at the end of semesters?

Is timely feedback given about progress, especially in the first term?

Provide plenty of information in different formats

Information available before the course/programme starts: Handbook, On-line

Face 2 face so an opportunity to ask questions

Induction week overload so don’t assume read and understood

How the curriculum works

What the expectations are – particularly re the assessment methods, criteria, feedback

Information about ‘out-of-routine learning opportunities (e.g. Practical work, field visits, practice / clinical learning)

Provide opportunities to rehearse assessed work

Assessment is likely to cause the greatest destructive stress

Helpful to practice different ways of demonstrating knowledge and skills before formal assessment (particularly public forms of assessment such as presentations and role-play)

Build confidence and skills

Internalise the criteria for assessment

Build small group work in from the beginning

Need skilled facilitators to enable students to develop confidence in speaking and learning together

Learn and build social networks

Maximise opportunities in large groups too

Ensure programme has a human face

Tutorials are central

Build expertise so students have early link with someone who knows them, who can help build confidence and

provide appropriate support

A trusting relationship needed for disclosure of previous or current mental health problems

Access to appropriate help / support services

Arrange staff training

Mental health awareness and mental health promotion

Mental Health Adviser

or

Disability adviser with specific brief for mental health

or student health or counselling services

A reminder

Learning and Teaching that respects the mental health and well-being of students is good practice for everyone

Don’t forget the staff!

UUK / Guild HE Committee for the promotion of mental well-being

Members from:

Higher Education Academy (Margaret Sills, previously Hilary Burgess)

Ass. For University and College Counselling (AUCC)

Ass of Managers of student services in HE (AMOSSHE)

British Association for Health Services in HE (BASHE)

UUK and Guild HE

Heads of University Counselling Services (HUCS)

Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP)

National Union of Students (NUS)

University Mental Health Advisers Network (UMHAN)

Contact details:

mhhe (mental health in higher education)http://www.mhhe.heacademy.ac.uk

Health Sciences and Practice Subject Centrehttp://www.health.heacademy.ac.ukEmail: margaret.sills@kcl.ac.uk

Higher Education Academyhttp://www.heacademy.ac.uk

Thank you