Support for University Student Mental Health - Training for Teaching Staff

Enhancing Mental Well-being for College Students

What We Do

Developing an holistic, university-wide approach for Student Mental Health at Universities and Colleges

Programme

Erasmus+ KA2

Sector

Higher Education

Topic

Support for University Student Mental Health

Regarding SUNMENTORS

University and college students experiencing mental health problems is a growing challenge throughout Europe, especially since the Covid-19-pandemic. Teaching staff of higher education institutions are often not yet sufficiently sensitized to this issue or are simply overwhelmed by it in their demanding day-to-day work.

This project aims to support higher education institutions in training teaching staff and building a holistic approach in order to support student mental health concerns beyond counseling /student wellbeing services, emphasizing inclusivity, combating stigma, and expanding resources to improve the academic community.

Click!

Work Package 2 Good Practice-Exchange and Demand Analysis

This work package focuses on exchanging good practices and conducting a demand analysis to address student mental health at universities. The primary goal is to foster a comprehensive understanding of mental health needs and strategies across diverse university settings. By leveraging the expertise of university partners, this work package supports universities in developing tailored strategies to improve student well-being. Key objectives include sharing successful practices, such as case studies and frameworks, and identifying the specific mental health needs of students and teaching staff. Workshops involving students and educators will gather critical data, ensuring the development of effective curriculum modules and e-learning resources. These initiatives aim to empower teaching staff with skills to create more inclusive and supportive learning environments. The expected outcomes include a documented collection of ideas and a detailed demand analysis report, which will inform future work packages. The work package emphasizes inclusivity, collaboration, and cost-effectiveness, ensuring impactful results while maintaining budget efficiency. Ultimately, it seeks to enhance mental health support frameworks across higher education institutions, benefiting both students and staff.

Work Package 3 Development of the Curriculum

Work Package 3 focuses on creating a structured framework for training university teaching staff to better support students with mental health challenges. The curriculum aims to enhance educators' understanding of mental health issues, particularly depression and anxiety, and equip them with the skills and confidence to address these concerns effectively in their teaching environments. The ultimate goal is to foster inclusive learning environments and contribute to building university systems that prioritize student mental health. Activities include a transnational project meeting to define the curriculum’s structure and topics, with contributions from all partner universities. The curriculum will cover recognizing symptoms, handling crises, maintaining boundaries, and providing guidance to students. The final curriculum will be compiled into a handbook, serving as a guide for universities and forming the foundation for virtual training modules in the next work package. The expected outcomes include a comprehensive and adaptable curriculum, widely accessible as a handbook, that supports sustainable implementation in universities. By aligning the curriculum with institutional structures and leveraging existing expertise, this work package ensures impactful and cost-effective results that promote mental health awareness and support across higher education institutions.

Work Package 4 Development of the E-learning Platform

Translating the curriculum developed in WP3 into a digital platform designed to enhance university teaching staff's ability to support student mental health is the primary focus of this work package. This platform will offer interactive and enriched training modules covering critical topics such as recognizing symptoms of depression and anxiety, managing crises, and confidently engaging with students about mental health. The platform will be accessible in English and the national languages of partner countries, ensuring broad usability. A piloting phase of the platform will take place at partner universities with diverse teaching staff, including those previously uninvolved, and evaluating its effectiveness through pre- and post-surveys. Feedback from these pilots will refine the platform’s content and usability, ensuring it meets educators’ needs and fosters improved skills in supporting student well-being. The expected outcomes are a robust e-learning platform that supports inclusive learning environments, aligns with university-wide mental health strategies, and raises awareness among educators, policymakers, and non-profit organizations. This initiative promotes sustainable mental health practices in higher education and empowers institutions across Europe to address student mental health challenges effectively.

Work Package 5 Student Mental Health: University Strategy-Development and Exploitation

Work Package 5, "Student Mental Health: University Strategy-Development and Exploitation," focuses on developing sustainable, university-wide strategies to support student mental health and well-being. Inspired by partner’s activities, the work package seeks to embed training modules and tools, such as the e-learning platform, into broader institutional frameworks to ensure lasting impact. The objectives include creating comprehensive strategies, developing a policy recommendation paper on student mental health, and disseminating results through national multiplier events. Each partner university will design tailored strategies by engaging stakeholders and decision-makers and adapting the UK approach to their specific institutional and cultural contexts. These strategies aim to promote inclusive learning environments and ensure the sustainable application of teaching staff training. This work package ensures the project’s results are effectively disseminated, fostering collaboration and driving improvements in student mental health support across Europe.

For any inquiries
please send us a message

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. 2023-1-DE01-KA220-HED-000161199

Privacy Policy

by Innovation Hive