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Capacitating students to navigate their mental health journey

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

Expansion to Physics building officially opened on Bloemfontein Campus

2016-05-06

The newly-opened addition to the Physics Building on the Bloemfontein Campus.
Photo: Charl Devenish

An extension to the Department of Physics at the University of the Free State (UFS) was officially opened on the Bloemfontein Campus on 20 April 2016.

“This started off about five years ago when we were talking about not having enough room for large classes. Prof Matie Hoffman suggested that we build a large lecture room on our parking space,” said Prof Hendrik Swart, Professor in the Department of Physics as he addressed guests at the official opening ceremony.

“A year later, we received a Sarchi Research Chair [South African Research Chairs Initiative] on Advanced and Luminescent Materials. We needed more office and laboratory space. The two ideas were combined and presented to the university’s senior management,” he added.

When the university was founded in 1904, Prof James Lyle was appointed to head up the Physics and Chemistry departments. Five years later, a single room was allocated for the Physics laboratory in the main building upon its completion. In 1947, the old Physics building was designed and constructed. Fast forward 69 years, the department has reached another milestone. Facilities accommodated by the expansion include a new telescope for astrophysics experiments, a basement for storing old equipment, as well as a sliding trap door which allows heavy goods to be elevated into the building from the ground floor. The telescope is one of the many unique features of the building given its capacity to expose graduate students to the basic techniques of radio astronomy, especially in light of the fact that the SKA (Square Kilometre Array) project which is in progress.

“Our department is extremely strong at this stage, and a bright future lies ahead,” said Prof Koos Terblans, the Head of Department. The opening also served to celebrate the 103 publications achieved by the department last year.

Dr Lis Lange, Vice-Rector: Academic is proud of the heights reached by the department to date. “The Department of Physics is undoubtedly one of the jewels in the crown of our university, and we are very proud of its developments. Universities are built on legacies, and they are also about change, which is what this department has been demonstrating.”

The expansions to the building with its top-class facilities, was constructed at a cost of R25 million – an infrastructure grant courtesy of the Department of Higher Education and Training.

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