University Mental Health Day 2021

This year on Thursday 4th March we see the return of University Mental Health Day, an annual event bringing together the higher education community with the sole purpose of making student mental health a sector-wide priority.  

After a tumultuous year, which for most of us has been devoid of the usual person-to-person interactions to which we’re accustomed, we understand that student mental health is currently sitting at heightened levels of vulnerability.  

So, what is University Mental Health Day?  

A joint venture by Student Minds and the University Mental Health Advisers Network (UMHAN), University Mental Health Day is the most important day of the year when it comes to student mental health. Its primary aim is to unite the university community and highlight the importance of mental health as well as promoting the need for a perpetual change to the future of student mental health.  

Now, as we look to be heading into what we hope are the end stages of this third lockdown, we realise that now more than ever we need to catalyse the conversation surrounding student mental health. Being together in person is still a challenging feat but that doesn’t mean we can’t all work together to ‘inspire conversations, take action and create change’.  

What mental health support services does Newcastle University offer?  

In addition to supporting University Mental Health Day, here at Newcastle we offer continual wellbeing support for our student body, with a strong focus on mental health support via the following services:  

• The Mental Health Team support students with ongoing mental health disabilities and significant vulnerabilities to study in a safe and effective way by providing advice and practical support. 
  
• The Newcastle University Counselling team provide counselling for students who may be struggling with life concerns which cause unmanageable emotional or psychological distress. 
  
• The Wellbeing Consultancy Service is available during normal office hours to support anyone with concerns about the physical or mental wellbeing of a Newcastle University student. You can email them at: wellbeingconsultancy@newcastle.ac.uk 

Ongoing Newcastle University resources that students might find useful: 

Led by our Assistant Buddhist Chaplain, students may find it useful explore some samples of our guided meditation activities at Newcastle University. 

If University Mental Health Day inspires a conversation you're part of why not sign up to one of the workshops following it. We have "Coping with Change" on 9th March and "Attending to Stress and Anxiety" on 10th March. 

• TalkCampus is a new mental health support network which is free to use. Students can download the app and then from there they can talk with other students from around the world if they’re struggling and worried about their mental health. 
  
• SilverCloud is available to all Newcastle University students, free of charge. SilverCloud is a suite of online CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) programmes, which can be tailored to a student’s specific needs. 
  
• iNCLude is a self help app designed to help students take small steps to improve and maintain their wellbeing. The app has been designed with specialists, using evidence-based methodology and looks at how to maximise experience at University by creating positive habits to ensure students are focussing on more than just their academic studies. 

Are there any external resources that students might find useful when dealing with mental health?  

There are many external support resources to choose from but the following are focused primarily on student mental health:  

• Student Space - Wellbeing resources, advice and expert information to help students through the challenges of coronavirus. 
  
• Student Minds – An organisation that empowers students and members of the university community to look after their own mental health, support others and create change. 
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Urgent Wellbeing Support 

If you or someone that you know requires emotional wellbeing support, please contact us on 0191 208 3333 or go to our Mental Wellbeing pages for further information about what support we can offer. 

If you think you are in need of urgent support please click here for further information. 

You can also call the above number (9am to 5pm Mon-Fri) or email our Wellbeing Consultancy team at wellbeingconsultancy@newcastle.ac.uk 

You can find out more about University Mental Health Day here