Supporting students with mental health difficulties

The number of students with mental health issues is rising, yet many HE staff are uncertain about their role in supporting them. As institutions take a whole university approach to mental health, supporting students becomes a collective effort where everyone's contribution matters.

Aims of training
This workshop equips university staff with practical tools and understanding for fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for students whilst maintaining appropriate professional boundaries. Participants will develop confidence in recognising mental health issues, responding effectively, and knowing when and how to refer students to specialist support.

For whom
Student-facing staff including personal tutors, academics, programme directors, senior tutors, and student advisors working in universities.

Duration
3.5 hours, online (with comfort breaks)

Course materials
Each training will include a pack with relevant articles and resources.

Facilitator
Géraldine Dufour developed these sessions bringing over 20 years’ experience of working in university services, most recently as head of counselling at the University of Cambridge. Chair of national executive committees and founding member of national research groups in student mental health and counselling, she brings an expert understanding of the sector to her work.

She has delivered workshops and trainings for diverse staff groups at all levels of the institution, including early career researchers and post-docs, security and accommodation staff, tutors and directors of study, professional and specialist student support staff, heads of department, senior tutors, and pro-VCs.

Participant’s feedback about Géraldine’s training

- Very informative and worked well with small group interactions

- Highly engaging and informative

- I liked the informative nature of the slides and the engaging way Geraldine delivered the information.

• 100% of past participants found this training helpful and recommend the training to colleagues.

Booking information

This session is open to IHE Members and non-members. Tickets for this session are available at an exclusive discounted rate: £45 for micro/small provider IHE Members, £90 for large provider IHE Members, and £120 for non-members. Please register for your place by clicking 'BUY TICKETS'. If you are unsure of which ticket category you are eligible for, please contact us on events@ihe.ac.uk

Once you have booked, you will be sent further information and a link to the session as the date approaches. If you need any further support, please email events@ihe.ac.uk

Please note, this session will run on Zoom. The facilitator suggests that you update to the latest version of Zoom prior to the event and to log in from your web browser if you experience any issues.