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Making mental health conversations trend

20 October 2022 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Valentino Ndaba

The UFS community, in partnership with various stakeholders, commemorated World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2022.

About 400 million people globally suffer from mental or neurological disorders and psychosocial problems. Mental disorders, much like physical ones, differ in severity. The Department of Health distinguishes between transient (such as an acute stress disorder), periodic (such as bipolar disorder, characterised by periods of exaggerated elation followed by periods of depression), and long-lasting and progressive (such as Alzheimer’s disease) disorders.

Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and job stress are the most common conditions. It is not only the individuals suffering from these problems who are affected, but also their families, co-workers, and the broader community. An interplay between biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors results in mental health conditions.

Mobilising efforts in support of mental health
Internationally, the month of October has been declared Mental Health Awareness Month, with 10 October being the day on which Mental Health Day is observed. The objective is to educate the public about mental health and to reduce the stigma that people with mental illness are often subjected to. To mark the day, the University of the Free State (UFS) Student Counselling and Development (SCD) Office, KovsieHealth, and the student mental health advocacy organisation, Next Chapter, held an activation at the Thakaneng Bridge on the Bloemfontein Campus. This followed a silent walk from the campus’ main gate to the bridge.

Chairperson of Next Chapter, Lehlogonolo Sebjetseba, emphasised the significance of commemorating Mental Health Day. “The importance of observing this day is to continue raising awareness about mental health and to further reduce the stigma around mental health. We did this by introducing students to different psychosocial support organisations such as Alnisa Continua, Panda, the Befrienders, and more. These organisations cater specifically for students’ mental well-being,” said the second-year Industrial Psychology student.

Raise awareness of mental health issues
On 12 October 2022, the Division of Organisational Development and Employee Well-Being, together with the Department of Human Resources (HR), presented a Mental Health talk by award-winning journalist and author, Marion Scher, on the Bloemfontein Campus. The talk touched on preventive mental health interventions, breaking the silence around mental health issues, and guidelines on how to provide support to those affected by mental health problems.

Scher further explained bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, as well as the difference between a bad day and clinical depression. Guidance was provided on avenues to explore when seeking mental health assistance, and advice was offered on what to do if you think someone is having suicidal ideation. In addition, the division has made available the Mental Health Awareness Month Toolkit, which employees can access for free online.

Mental health is a global priority
The overall objective of World Mental Health Day is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world. This year’s national theme is ‘Mental Health and Well-being for All: Promoting Mental Health in Physical and Virtual Spaces’, which is based on the global theme: ‘Making Mental Health and Well-Being for All a Global Priority’. This is in line with Sustainable Development Goal number three, which focuses on good health and well-being.

SCD and HR will continue to host events throughout the year that encourage students and staff to protect and improve their mental health. These are some of the upcoming events:

Health Survival Guide webinar (students):
Date: 21 October 2022
Time: 10:00
Venue: Blackboard

Self-care webinar (students):
Date: 1 November 2022
Time: 12:00-14:00
Venue: Blackboard

News Archive

Qwaqwa Campus’s Teaching and Learning Champs scoop up award

2014-10-24

Dr Elize Smuts (right) proudly displaying the UFS Vice-Chancellor’s Team Award. Equally ecstatic, is Qwaqwa Campus’s CTL Manager, Fred Mudavanhu.
Photo: Thabo Kessah

Action research to improve classroom practice and student success rates, recently received a boost when the Qwaqwa Campus’s Teaching and Learning (TL) Champions were honoured with the prestigious UFS Vice-Chancellor’s Team Award. The award was in recognition of the team’s efforts to enhance professional development and was accompanied by a R50 000 prize that will be utilised to further encourage and develop a scholarly culture on the Qwaqwa Campus.

“An active learning community has developed over the past four years, which led to the creation of a scholarly forum for sharing problems, experiences and new knowledge”, revealed Dr Elize Smuts, who has been the pillar of strength in the development of TL Champs.

“This”, Dr Smuts said, “has continuously motivated the group to persevere in challenging and often under-resourced circumstances.”

“Over a four-year period, 44 projects were undertaken, many with great success. Thirteen scholars participated in a pilot of CLASSE (Classroom Assessment of Student Engagement) in 2013. This survey, contextualised by staff from the Centre for Teaching and Learning, was a first in South Africa,” said Dr Smuts.

“The team undertook extensive literature reviews and attended numerous workshops on principles and practices of good teaching, research and writing. The two summarising booklets they prepared from two publications (How Learning Works: 7 Research-based Principles for Smart Teaching and Student Engagement Techniques) in 2013, will serve as guides and inspiration for the larger academic community of the UFS for many years.”

Since the formation of this team, TL scholars have presented 25 papers at 12 national and two international conferences.

“Taking into consideration that it is not easy to get an abstract accepted for presentation, these are impressive achievements,” Dr Smuts said.

“Some of the immediate results of scholars engaged in this project, include improved student success rates averaging 20% compared to only 8% improvement by academics who are not part of the project.”

“In 2013, one TL scholar reported student success rates that increased by 29%; another reported 80% on average; and another reported an increase from 65% to 95% in a class bigger than previous years.”

In congratulating the team, Centre for Teaching and Learning’s (CTL) Prof Annette Wilkinson said that she was very proud of the team.

“The team’s dedication and growth in scholarly practice – amidst challenging circumstances – are in my mind, the outstanding features of the project. I am very proud of the entire team”, said Prof Wilkinson.

The two presentations at international conferences were delivered by Ms Lea Koenig at the 32nd Annual Conference on the First-Year-Experience in Orlando, Florida and by Dr Elize Smuts in North Carolina. Both of these were presented in 2013.

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