It’s mid-term time on the University of Guelph campus and that means more stress for students.
The start of school, mid-terms and exam season are times that the U of G is well aware the demand for help goes up.
“We’re into that big mid-term crunch and this is the next place when we start to see students struggling,” said Brenda Whiteside, the U of G’s associate vice-president Student Affairs.
“It’s near the drop (courses) deadline as well and there’s a lot of anxiety.”
This week is Mental Well-Being Awareness Week on campus, with a variety of events planned to help relieve stress for students and to raise awareness of the type of assistance available to them on campus.
The U of G has held the week for the past several years.
“We used to hold it in the winter and by moving it to the fall was trying to recognize ‘when are the stressors for students?’”
Whiteside said the U of G sees a spike in demand for its counselling services at mid-term times, as it does during the first couple of weeks of school and during exams.
“We bring in extra staff during peak times,” Whiteside said, adding that trained professionals from the community are brought in to assist U of G staff during busy times.
“One of our struggles with counselling is that it’s not a uniform kind of piece. So we often bring in extra staff during those peak times to try and deal with that,” she said.
Increased efforts to offer different kinds of assistance, increased awareness and reduction of stigma have all contributed to more students reaching out for help, either through what is offered by the university or through peer or community avenues.
“Our approach is ‘try enough different doors,’ so depending on the comfort level of the individual, that’s where you would go,” Whiteside said.
“We’re seeing all the work around destigmatizing are working,” Whiteside said, “and that’s such positive news.”
One of this week’s awareness campaign efforts is the giving out and wearing of T-shirts with the “1-in-5” slogan on them, highlighting that one in five Canadians suffers from mental health issue during the year.
“In September, there is a big push of resource information. But as term papers start to come due and exams approach, students can use a reminder of what’s available and how we can help,” said Jean Thompson, a wellness educator in the university’s Department of Student Wellness in a news release.
Campus activities this week include a mental health resource fair, stress-busting physical and creative activities throughout the week and workshops on practical steps for improving mental health.
For three nights in early October, about 85 faculty and staff volunteers visited student residences during House Calls to check in with students and offer practical information on mental health support. They spoke with about 2,050 students.
Workshop topics during 1-in-5 Week will include stress and sleep management, supporting others’ mental health, and feeling good about successes and guarding against perfectionism.
