Supporting Students’ Mental Health and Financial Wellness

CASFAA Conference 2011Presented by Kaycie Hebert, Advisor

I find that students tell me things… they feel comfortable sitting in my office, often gazing at the paper cranes that gently sway from the ceiling, and they share their stories with me.

I am not a therapist or a psychologist, but I do practice active listening. And I want to help.

But sometimes It’s hard to know what to do and how to respond. That’s why I’m here with you.

Mission:

1.Share our thoughts about why mental health and wellbeing are so important to financial wellness and student success.

2. Share best practices that different institutions have implemented to prepare financial aid staff to better help our students.

3. Share ideas about how to establish appropriate boundaries within the advising setting while also ensuring that we provide the best service possible.

Please stand up if…

You have referred a student to Counselling Services in the last 12 months.

You have wondered if a student may be suicidal in the last 12 months.

You have consulted other units on campus regarding a troubled student in the last 12 months.

You have worried about a student’s mental wellbeing in the last 12 months.

You have felt stressed out, overwhelmed, or worn down in the last 12 months.

What we are seeing…

• More students coming dealing with mental health problems.

• Mental Health issues impacting students’ scholarship eligibility (increase in appeals - 1 out of 3).

• Increase in appointments seen by Counselling Services.

• Many students dealing with mental health issues have difficulty progressing academically.

According to the CMHA, one in five people in Canada will suffer a mental illness of some kind.

Top Health and Wellness-Related

Reasons for Academic Difficulties*

*Received an incomplete, dropped a course, received a low grade in a class or on an exam/project – UBC NCHA 2008 Data

Concern Undergraduate % Graduate %

Stress 44% 23.1%

Cold/flu/sore throat 33% 13.9%

Internet use/computer games (non academic)

30.9% 8.4%

Sleep difficulties 30.8% 16%

Concern for troubled family member or friend

23.7% 10.7%

Depression/anxiety disorder/ SAD 21.3% 13%

Relationship difficulty 17.8% 9.8%

Research Shows…

Social support and overall mental health are significant predictors of academic achievement (DeBerard, Spielmans, and Julka, 2004)

Healthy diet, overall health and good sleep practices contribute to academic and personal success for students (George, et al., 2008)

Depressed mood is negatively correlated with academic performance (Haines, Kashy, and Morris, 1996)

Mental health concerns have a significant impact on students’ academic performance (UBC NCHA survey 2009).

Research Shows…

Brain Functioning

Images provided by Keeling and Associates, 2009

What we are doing…

As a University

Healthy Minds at UBC

UBC Thrive

Early Alert System 

Mental Health First Aid Certification Workshops

As an office

Establishing referral systems that work.

Using self care techniques to de-escalate after difficult appointments.

Participating in the Mental Health First Aid Training course.

Healthy Minds at UBC

Campus-wide initiative designed to:

Increase students’ capacity to maintain mental health through awareness.

Enable student engagement and academic success.

Promote a culture shift at UBC that favours personal wellness and balance of all community members.

Reduce the stigma of mental health concerns.

We incorporated Healthy Minds messaging into our communication around financial literacy and wellness!

UBC Thrive

One week of mental health and wellbeing programming including events, projects, and initiatives organized by units and groups across campus, designed to:

Encourage dialogue about healthy lifestyle choices and increase awareness of resources

Enable community members to commit to healthy choices

Help to make UBC a healthier community

We sit on the UBC Thrive Committee, actively participating in workshops and events promoting mental health and overall wellbeing to students, staff and faculty.

Self Care Techniques (demonstration)

How have mental health issues impacted the students

on your campus and your interactions with them?

What have been your challenges in providing the best possible services to struggling students? How have to worked to address

these challenges?

How has your institution addressed mental health concerns regarding students? What would you like to see your institution do

to help you and your students deal with these concerns?

My recommendation:

Mental Health First Aid Training

This training reminds us that we are not mental health professionals, but empowers us to serve as first aid responders by doing the following:

1.Assess the risk of suicide and/or harm2.Listen non-judgmentally3.Give reassurance and information4.Encourage the person to get appropriate professional help5.Encourage other supports

www.mentalhealthfirstaid.ca

A healthy mind is one that is primed for

LEARNING and SUCCESS. A healthy mind can MANAGE stress. A healthy mind is about BALANCE

and knowing who you are and what you BELIEVE. Having a healthy mind will help you to have healthy RELATIONSHIPS and get CONNECTED to the UBC campus. A healthy mind is about taking care of

your BODY, knowing your personal LIMITS, and being RESILIENT. A student with a healthy mind has FUN

and keeps long-term GOALS in mind to help stay MOTIVATED.