RGU explores mental health self-help tool

Universities UK’s Stepchange Framework looks at student mental health and wellbeing through four ‘domains’ of Learn, Support, Work and Live. Universities currently resource a wide range of services to support those experiencing mental illness, as the following example shows.

Robert Gordon University (RGU) has embarked on a collaborative project with students from its schools of Engineering, Computing and Architecture. The project aim is to with students on a bespoke problem-solving framework to increase help-seeking and self -solving. This follows national research with Swansea University, Glasgow, and Heriot Watt universities funded by RGU to understand the impact of Covid-19 on the mental health of Engineering students and undertaken by the Academic Strategic Lead in the School of Engineering.

With the support of a Research Assistant, a working group including Student Life, Student Counsellors, and the Schools of Computing, Engineering, and Architecture and Built Environment are developing a pilot of tailored support for students who demonstrate delayed or no help-seeking in relation to their mental health and wellbeing.

This is in the form of a website that is structured in a way to allow students to access information in a way that is typical and comfortable for them, to offer evidence-based short duration interventions that have been trialled on students from their disciplines, and to support earlier help-seeking. The website will be made available in January 2022 will be iteratively developed with feedback from users. It is intended to run the pilot for a full year, with periodic review on user engagement and feedback. In addition, should the pilot be proving successful, RGU would look to embed it further and share the knowledge gained within the sector.