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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.

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Kovsies proud of a gold PRISM Award for safety campaign
2015-05-05

Stefan Lotter, Leonie Bolleurs and Lacea Loader. All three are from the Departement of Communication and Brand Management at the UFS.
Photo: Hannes Pieterse

The University of the Free State, takes pride in the gold PRISM Award (from the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa) for the B Safe Take Action safety campaign that has been rolled out on the campus since 2013 by the Department of Communication and Brand Management.

The campaign earned the Von H Brand Provocateur gold award in the internal communication category.

“The UFS is the only tertiary institution to receive a gold award. The award is a great honour for the department, considering the cream of South African public relations took part in the competition, and the standard was naturally very high. It was also a feather in the cap for us that the uniqueness of the campaign received national recognition from our peers in this manner, said Ms Lacea Loader, Director: Communication and Brand Management at the UFS.

The university is responsible for about 32 000 students and 4 000 members of staff on its three campuses: the Bloemfontein and South Campuses in Bloemfontein and the Qwaqwa Campus in the Eastern Free State. It is of cardinal importance for the university that its students, staff, and assets are safe.

Apart from safety measures that have been implemented by the UFS Protection Services, the B Safe Take Action campaign has also been rolled out on the three campuses of the UFS. The campaign supports the safety strategy of the university. It is aimed at developing a culture of safety awareness in students and staff alike. The purpose of the campaign is for staff and students to take ownership of their own safety. In addition, it creates awareness of the safety measures that are in place at the UFS.

The campaign has been rolled out on various communication platforms. These include placards, pamphlets, lamp-post advertisements, an advertisement board, emails, and messages on student communication portals such as Blackboard, the UFS web and intranet, social media, information boards in the campus parking areas and on the pedestrian walkways as well as messages on refuse bins around the campus. “The fact that a variety of communication platforms has been deployed, the striking design and character of the messages, and the number of target audiences that have been reached further contributed to the success of the campaign,” said Ms Loader,

The campaign also received a merit award from the International Association for Business Communication (IABC). The award will be presented on 15 June 2015 in San Francisco, USA.

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