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16 October 2023 | Story Michelle Nöthling | Photo iStock
Commemorating World Mental Health Month 2023
The mental health of university students is of growing global concern.

One of the largest student mental health surveys in the world – initiated by Universities South Africa (USAf) in 2020 – found that up to 20% of university students in South Africa need mental health support. The research results also show that up to 77% of students with mental health disorders are not getting help. Contributing reasons include reluctance to seek help due to lingering stigma surrounding mental health, but also limited access. With growing demand and limited capacity, one-on-one therapy does not seem to be a sustainable solution. Some of the recommendations that stem from the report are to introduce a range of digitally based self-help interventions, to provide psychoeducation about when to access help, and to offer peer-to-peer support. This is precisely what the University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Student Counselling and Development (SCD) is now implementing. 

Coinciding with World Mental Health Awareness Month, SCD’s Road Map embodies a paradigm shift in student mental health support. “We want to capacitate students on their mental health journey. Following the Road Map, our students are now able to be active agents in their mental well-being,” says Dr Munita Dunn-Coetzee, SCD Director.

What exactly is this Road Map?

The SCD Road Map guides students to multiple sources of support. On the SCD website, students can delve into a wealth of self-help guides and toolkits that range from academic, emotional, and social well-being to personal challenges and psychological distress. In a commitment to expand the SCD reach beyond one-on-one sessions, the department is offering both in-person and online workshops and development programmes that can be accessed through Blackboard. Additionally, podcasts have been integrated into the SCD offerings to accommodate students' varying schedules and data constraints.

SCD has also partnered with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) to provide a 24/7 toll-free UFS Student Careline. The Careline can be reached in three ways: by calling 0800 00 6363, SMSing 43302, or emailing helpline@sadag.org. In a crisis, help is immediately activated, and assistance is sent to the student.

Another exciting aspect of SCD's Road Map¬ – which further integrates recommendations from the research report – is the shift from individual-centric interventions to group-based support. “We want to expand beyond individual therapy,” Dr Dunn-Coetzee says. “Although one-on-one therapy has an important place in mental health support, we are currently expanding to offer various support groups.” Through these circles of support, SCD aims to foster a culture of mutual learning, peer-to-peer connection, and collective well-being.

The Road Map therefore enables SCD to pivot toward a capacitating approach, equipping students to navigate their mental health journey in a truly collaborative model.

News Archive

Kovsies keep it green and clean
2012-09-10

Learners from surrounding schools do their bit for the environment taking part in the first ever Green Festival hosted on the Bloemfontein Campus.
10 September 2012

Celebrating all things green, the University of the Free State (UFS)’s first Green Festival started with a bang with the initiative being nominated for a national Eco-Logic Award.

The festival, hosted on Saturday 8 September 2012, drew the attention of a panel of highly respected environmentally aware individuals who selected the green initiative as one of five finalists in the recycling category of the Eco-logic awards. The awards are hosted in association with SABC3 and the university was selected out of nearly three hundred entries. The university will now compete with other finalists at a gala dinner at the Cradle of Humankind on 27 September 2012.

With learners from surrounding high schools who were invited to help clean parts of the city, the Bloemfontein Campus was abuzz with activity on Saturday. Staff and students from the university joined learners in taking part in activities such as the Green Film Festival where documentary movies on environmental issues were screened. Stalls and exhibitions displayed sustainable green materials and organic food. Residences took part in a body-painting competition to raise awareness about going green.

Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, delivered a Green Festival address and praised Kovsie students for taking the lead in going green.“Our country’s future depends on us caring for the environment,” he told learners and students. “If we don’t take care of the environment, we will all be gone. It is about the next generation, about what we leave for the children.”
 

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