World Mental Health Day, celebrated every year on 10 October, aims to raise awareness of mental health and driving positive change for everyone’s mental wellbeing. We caught up with Lorna Ferguson, UHI’s Regional Mental Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator, who explained the support available to students.
World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to talk about mental health and the importance of looking after it. We also use it as a chance to remind people of the importance of seeking help if they are struggling.
Our mental health and counselling team have put together a guide of support options available to you.
This year’s theme is ‘mental health is a universal human right’. Here at UHI, we want to ensure that our mental health services are available to all by developing and offering a range of support options, that will help guide you during what can be one of the most challenging periods of your lives.
Whether you are a returning student or starting your first year with us, it is important that you are aware of the support available to you, right here at UHI, as mental health can affect us all, and knowing where to turn for support can seem daunting.
What support does UHI offer?
There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to mental health; what works for one person may not work for others, so there are a range of options that you can access, based on your needs and preferences including:
Counselling:
A safe and confidential space to discuss issues with a supportive and qualified professional. Sessions can take place online, face to face, via email or webchat.
Student assistance programme (Spectrum.Life):
24/7, 365 days a year support for mental health, ranging from crisis support telephone lines to online resources for all aspects of health and wellbeing.
Student mental health support webpages:
Our dedicated mental health support webpages offer advice, guidance, and links to external support for those who require more specialised support.
Student support contacts:
Information on local support at your campus can also be found using the student support contact links and selecting your institution.
This World Mental Health Day, let’s start conversations about mental health and the support that is available at UHI.
More information on the work of the mental health and counselling team can be found on the Student Mental Health Support webpages.
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