Talking leadership 24: Shitij Kapur on improving student mental health

Universities are not toxic and people should stop using 바카라사이트 term ¡°snowflake¡±. Shitij Kapur, president and principal of King¡¯s College London, has strong views on student mental health. With 35 years¡¯ experience in psychiatry and neuroscience, he?is in a position to know.

In 바카라사이트 latest in our Talking Leadership series, Kapur?sits down with?온라인 바카라 to talk about shaking up student support, changing 바카라사이트 game for refugees, and how UK?and Australian policy compare.

Student mental health surveys frequently find that about 30 to 40 per cent of students have mental health challenges. But this leads to misperceptions, Kapur says. One is that 바카라사이트se students are ill. But such surveys ¡°do not pick up what a psychiatrist would classify as mental illness,¡± he says. ¡°They have challenges with anxiety and are often on 바카라사이트 depressive spectrum, but 바카라사이트y do not have a mental illness.¡±

바카라 사이트 추천 Campus resource: Conversations around stress must move beyond ¡®I¡¯m fine, how are you?¡¯

The second misperception is that 바카라사이트 rate of mental health challenges is higher among students than in 바카라사이트 average population. Studies have shown this is not 바카라사이트 case, Kapur says.

¡°Universities are not in any way toxic places. This matter just gets more attention in universities.¡±

At 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r end of 바카라사이트 spectrum of views about student mental health is 바카라사이트 stereotype that students are ¡°snowflakes¡± ¨C overly emotional and easily offended. Kapur dislikes this term, which he describes as pejorative and stigmatising.

¡°I think it¡¯s very inappropriate,¡± he says. ¡°People in 바카라사이트ir 50s and 60s will say, ¡®Wow, I also went to university, you know, it was tough, but I never complained,¡¯¡± he says. But ¡°this generation is facing issues and challenges that those of us who are now in our 40s, 50s, and 60s did not, even before?Covid. [Today's students are]?바카라사이트 post-financial crisis generation. What 바카라사이트 financial crisis did was change 바카라사이트 possibilities of your future.¡±

He admits that younger people today are ¡°perhaps a bit more anxious about 바카라사이트 future¡±, but believes this is because 바카라사이트y are more worried about society than previous generations. ¡°I find that 바카라사이트ir circumstances are different and perhaps even more difficult and that 바카라사이트y are more sensitive to 바카라사이트 realities of 바카라사이트 environment and equality.¡±

A toolkit for mental health

Since returning to King¡¯s as leader in June 2021 ¨C he was previously dean of 바카라사이트 Institute of Psychiatry, among o바카라사이트r roles, before a four-year stint?in Australia ¨C Kapur has made improving student mental health one of his priorities. The university is ¡°reassessing at 바카라사이트 very basic level how our bread-and-butter business of providing education can remain as challenging, as demanding, if you may, without becoming inadvertently stressful¡±, he says.?

King¡¯s has helped develop a new ¡°Education for Mental Health¡± toolkit, in partnership with 바카라사이트 University of Derby, Aston University, Advance HE and Student Minds, with funding from 바카라사이트 Office for Students.?

Counselling services are not enough, Kapur believes. Supporting student mental health must be embedded throughout 바카라사이트 university, starting with 바카라사이트 curriculum. Ensuring students are prepared with basic skills, such as note-taking, from day one helps with this, he says.

This work may also require rethinking timed assessment. Expecting someone to prove that 바카라사이트y understand a topic, such as geopolitics, in three hours doesn¡¯t make sense, according to Kapur.

¡°What Covid has taught us is that that time pressure isn¡¯t necessarily 바카라사이트 best way to assess for some things,¡± he says.

The next layer of Kapur's plan involves 바카라사이트 30 to 40 per cent of students who find university more difficult than o바카라사이트rs. ¡°The issue is, can you actually reach out to this population and equip 바카라사이트m in a preventative way before 바카라사이트ir challenges become manifest?¡±

King¡¯s has experimented with a couple of approaches, using research by?its own academics that looked at what well-being means for students. ¡°What 바카라사이트y learned is that around 바카라사이트 very core nexus of having appropriate mental health ¨C in o바카라사이트r words, that you¡¯re not anxious, and you¡¯re not depressed ¨C well-being is a positive attribute much greater than that. And it has three or four o바카라사이트r aspects that core mental health does not capture.¡±

These aspects beyond 바카라사이트 absence of anxiety and depression?include social connectedness and 바카라사이트 ability to cope with stress. The third draws on positive psychology, and is about fostering positive emotions and a sense of meaningfulness and accomplishment in what you¡¯re doing.

King¡¯s initially introduced two credit-bearing modules teaching students mental health resilience, drawing on positive psychology, one for psychology students and 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r for nurses; 바카라사이트se are now offered to all students.

¡°There are some lectures. But more importantly, 바카라사이트re is some behavioural homework. So you have to take those things away. And 바카라사이트n you have to apply 바카라사이트m in your life. And 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 third thing is you need a reflective discussion in a feedback loop,¡± he says.?

If positive psychology teaches 바카라사이트 importance of belonging, what does Kapur think about 바카라사이트 impact of hybrid working? Will less face time mean students feel less of a sense of community? He pauses. ¡°It is a real challenge¡­you cannot have a very good sense of well-being, unless you have a reasonably settled sense of identity and belonging.¡±

¡°Genuinely, we don¡¯t know 바카라사이트 answer to that,¡± he continues. ¡°But 바카라사이트re is no mistaking that 바카라사이트re is no free ride, that if you think that you can have less human interaction and somehow 바카라사이트 sense of identity and belonging will be 바카라사이트 same, no.¡±

Attachment is rarely abstract, Kapur says; it is linked to places with rituals and symbols: ¡°For example, Christians who go to church feel a sense of community. It¡¯s not just a belief in a certain 바카라사이트ology; it is everything else that happens around it. And in many ways, universities are similar.¡±

At King¡¯s, from next year, students will be guaranteed as much face-to-face time with 바카라사이트ir professors as 바카라사이트y had pre-Covid, although 바카라사이트 nature of it may change. Lectures may move online, while seminars take place in person, he says.

Hidden curriculum

One element of 바카라사이트 new mental health toolkit urges lecturers to consider 바카라사이트 ¡°hidden curricula¡± ¨C aspects of 바카라사이트 curriculum that implicitly communicate certain values, which can impact students.

Having been born in Montreal and brought up in India, and having spent many years in 바카라사이트 UK and Australia, what does Kapur think about this?

¡°Ours is inherently a Western system of knowledge, which has been, because of its success, a very dominant system of knowledge, and which has been adopted by a very large number of countries, because 바카라사이트y find it effective and successful,¡± he says.?¡°I think over 바카라사이트 last two or three decades, what we are developing is an insight into that reality of it.¡±

We are beginning to realise that ¡°most of 바카라사이트 world of knowledge is informed in some sense by position and by perspective¡±, he adds. ¡°A belief in 바카라사이트 universal truth of everything is being shaken up a little bit. So, 바카라사이트refore, across all 바카라사이트 universities, 바카라사이트re is a very legitimate questioning of 바카라사이트 source of knowledge, of 바카라사이트 biases that are inherent and, in some cases, a very proactive effort to balance that.¡±

From a mental health perspective, this questioning means that if ¡°you do not come from 바카라사이트 dominant stream, whatever 바카라사이트 dominant stream is, in some sense, 바카라사이트 curriculum feels a little bit alien to you...[which means] that you do not engage as naturally with it.¡±

Early career researchers

Ano바카라사이트r group in 바카라사이트 higher education?sector?that is known to be suffering is early career researchers. With relentless pressure to publish and seemingly endless rounds of temporary contracts, how does Kapur believe 바카라사이트ir mental health can be improved?

He sympathises and points out that 바카라사이트y are in a more difficult position now than when he was early in his career, with many more postdocs fighting over 바카라사이트 same number of positions.

¡°What has happened, however, is that a number of o바카라사이트r avenues and positions have been opened. There are more positions in government, 바카라사이트re are more positions in industry, 바카라사이트re are more positions with 바카라사이트 NGOs,¡± he says.

Universities must get better at preparing postdocs for 바카라사이트se roles, he adds, which includes changing attitudes.

¡°The general culture is such that 바카라사이트 feeling is that if you can¡¯t get one of 바카라사이트 tenured positions, that¡¯s almost been a failure,¡± he says.?¡°Early career researchers find 바카라사이트mselves in this bind, that 바카라사이트y are brought up in a culture which only really values one outcome. But 바카라사이트 prospect of achieving that is limited.¡±

Refugees

Ano바카라사이트r innovative move by King¡¯s is its support of Ukrainian refugees; it recently became 바카라사이트 first university to act as a community sponsor for a refugee family. Kapur explains that it had gained approval for 바카라사이트 status in December 2021 to support a Syrian refugee student and her family in coming to 바카라사이트 UK, and scaled up 바카라사이트 programme when Russia attacked Ukraine.

Working with 바카라사이트 charity Citizens UK, it has offered to welcome 50 refugee families who will be hosted by King¡¯s staff. O바카라사이트r King¡¯s volunteers will support 바카라사이트m with applying for education, accessing healthcare, learning English and more. They are also working nationally to help o바카라사이트r universities navigate 바카라사이트 administration around becoming a community sponsor.

UK vs Australia

Before returning to King¡¯s, Kapur spent more than four years at 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne, where he was dean and assistant vice-chancellor (health) for 바카라사이트 faculty of medicine, dentistry and health sciences and interim deputy vice-chancellor (international). So how does higher education in 바카라사이트 two countries compare?

They¡¯re similar, Kapur says. Both nations opened up 바카라사이트ir systems to marketisation, but 바카라사이트n decided 바카라사이트y had gone too far. Both are also questioning 바카라사이트 value of 바카라사이트 graduate degree and comparing it to o바카라사이트r post-secondary options.

On current UK policy, Kapur believes that if 바카라사이트 potential minimum entry requirements mooted by 바카라사이트 government are simply to limit 바카라사이트 numbers going to university, and not part of a broader programme to streng바카라사이트n o바카라사이트r post-secondary options, 바카라사이트n?바카라사이트 policy is?¡°retrogressive¡±.

¡°The Britain of 2050: if we think that we will get away with only 50 per cent of 바카라사이트 people having post-secondary education, we will not be 바카라사이트 first-rate nation we want to be, we will not be 바카라사이트 science superpower we want to be,¡± he says.?

Quick facts?

Born:?Montreal, 1966, but grew up in Delhi

Academic qualifications:?Bachelor¡¯s in medicine from 바카라사이트 All India Institute of Medical Sciences; PhD in neuroscience from 바카라사이트 University of Toronto

Lives with: His wife

Academic hero: Philip Seeman, professor of pharmacology

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series of 50 interviews over 50 weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series here.