Talking therapy skills to support students and own mental well-being

Session Outline

In the UK one in four students experience a mental health difficulty, with 71% reporting that academic work from university is their main sources of stress (Brown, 2016). Often academic advisers are students’ first point of contact when they experience mental health concerns. Baik et al (2017), in their Framework for Promoting Student Mental Wellbeing in Universities, outline the importance of a ‘whole-of-institution’ inclusive approach to student mental wellbeing. Therefore, it is essential that all student-facing staff are equipped with the skills required to support students’ mental wellbeing (Hughes et al, 2018).

This skills development session will introduce delegates to the Five Areas Model for psychological well-being (Williams & Garland, 2002) and demonstrate how it can be used to support self and others within academic advising/ personal tutoring settings. Within this session delegates will be introduced to a selection of talking therapy skills and tools to address own and others’ unhelpful thinking in order to facilitate behavioural change.