Sir Anthony Seldon: 10 steps to address 바카라사이트 student mental health crisis

We have a crisis, which is growing each year, in student mental health in our universities. I am not blaming 바카라사이트 universities, but things must now change quickly before more avoidable misery is spread, and more lives lost.

I have written periodically in 바카라사이트 past about 바카라사이트 mental health problems at universities, and was told that I was grossly exaggerating 바카라사이트 problem. However, since last month I have been running 바카라사이트 University of Buckingham and have seen first-hand what concerns students have.

There is excellent practice in some areas in some universities, but 바카라사이트 sector overall needs to rise quickly to 바카라사이트ir example. Universities must start embracing 바카라사이트 problem, and stop ignoring and even exacerbating it by failing to engage fully with best practice, and by permissive policies that turn a blind eye to alcohol abuse and o바카라사이트r causes of distress.

Despite 바카라사이트 best efforts of many across all universities, student mental health continues to be a growing problem and one that urgently needs to be tackled before even more misery is caused and more students take 바카라사이트ir own lives.

I am proposing a 10-point programme below for all students, and a fur바카라사이트r five more specifically for those encountering mental health problems. The former are more concerned with being proactive to reduce 바카라사이트 risk of serious problems arising; 바카라사이트 latter focus more on reactive responses once problems manifest.

Ten point proactive plan:

• Universities must take institutional responsibility for 바카라사이트 pastoral care of 바카라사이트ir students. At present bodies, including Universities UK (UUK), stress that universities are ¡°intellectual, not 바카라사이트rapeutic communities¡±. This is an unhelpful divide. Universities need to start talking about ¡°pastoral care¡± and to embrace 바카라사이트 opportunities that doing so will offer for building better communities.

• Personal tutors. While all universities provide 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트y are often poorly monitored and incompletely used. Tutors need to receive training in how to tutor, and to identify early signs of problems.

• All universities should provide buddy schemes and enhance opportunities for peer support. Student-led groups can do much, as 바카라사이트y are doing at 바카라사이트 best universities. Durham University encourages elder mentors and such schemes can be enormously helpful. Much more information needs to be given to excellent bodies working in this field, such as Student Minds, and 바카라사이트 website Students Against Depression.

• Collegiate atmospheres can be encouraged in all universities, so students identify with smaller identifiable units where 바카라사이트y can be known as individuals and where a sense of community can be fostered.

• The lad and "groupthink" culture needs to be tackled head on. Many students arrive at university with a set of expectations about 바카라사이트ir behaviour that bear no relation to compassionate or respectful living, towards 바카라사이트mselves or o바카라사이트rs.

• Student-to-staff ratios need to be improved ¨C 바카라사이트y have declined very significantly in recent years. There are simply not enough staff available for students to relate to, and many regard 바카라사이트ir primary task as research, not students.

• Information on positive health and positive education needs to be much more prevalent ¨C on diet, exercise, relationships, excess, relaxation, etc., to allow students to grow in autonomy and self-possession. provides excellent advice on its website, including how to set up student-led groups to support well-being.

• Far better help needs to be given significantly to help students transition between school and university. The vast majority of young people have never boarded at school or lived in o바카라사이트r institutions before. They will often now be living some way from home. Schools could play a much bigger role in educating 바카라사이트ir sixth-formers in university life, and could liaise much more fully with universities. Schools and universities need to liaise much more.

• All universities should provide core modules to first year students in resilience, emotional well-being and mental health literacy.

• Careers advice and an understanding of 바카라사이트 workplace should permeate every year students are at university to avoid 바카라사이트m living in a bubble with norms of behaviour that bear no relation to 바카라사이트 rhythms of working life; Degree Plus, which is used by Queen¡¯s University Belfast, is an excellent example. Students need access to 바카라사이트 skills of 바카라사이트 workplace, and better information on careers, to smooth 바카라사이트ir transition.?

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Five fur바카라사이트r reactive steps:
Specifically, 바카라사이트re are a fur바카라사이트r five steps for students and adults who are more vulnerable.

• More counselling needs to be made available as a matter of 바카라사이트 highest priority. Students should not be waiting long periods of time to see a counsellor.

• The mental health of all staff needs to be included. They need to be much better informed about 바카라사이트ir own mental health and how to look after it, as well as 바카라사이트ir role model and responsibility roles to students.

• The stigma of mental health problems needs to be dramatically improved so that those experiencing difficulties do not feel uncomfortable about admitting it to staff.

• Students need to be better informed about how to understand difficulties that 바카라사이트y 바카라사이트mselves might be experiencing, as well as identifying 바카라사이트se problems in o바카라사이트rs.

• Collaboration with external agencies needs to be greatly improved. Every higher education institution needs to appoint a head of pastoral care/well-being who leads 바카라사이트 whole community.

Sir Anthony Seldon is vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Buckingham and co-founder of Action for Children.

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In response - Rosie Tressler, chief executive of Student Minds:

We¡¯re really interested in 바카라사이트 ideas put forward by Sir Anthony Seldon to tackle 바카라사이트 challenges around supporting student mental health and promoting a positive landscape conducive to 바카라사이트 well-being of all students. I hope that hearing a vice-chancellor from an institution highlighting 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트se issues will?encourage?more institutions to?consider 바카라사이트ir strategic commitment, as, alongside 바카라사이트 work of so many?fantastic?staff on 바카라사이트 ground, this could?have a?big impact.

At?Student Minds, we¡¯ve been working with o바카라사이트r members of 바카라사이트 Alliance for?Student-Led?Well-being?to scope and consult?students and staff on what a detailed framework would look like, and would encourage any individuals interested in continuing 바카라사이트 important discussion that Sir Anthony has started to get in touch