Parents, do you worry about how your child is coping at university?

With their first term over, many new university students will return home for the holidays full of stories of forged friendships and exciting adventures. But for others, the experience will have been a challenging one. They may have struggled with feelings of homesickness, isolation, anxiety and stress.

A survey in November 2014 found that those aged between 18 and 24 are four times as likely to feel lonely most of the time as those over 70. And that poses a problem for parents how can they help? Now the answers can be found in a free guide.

Produced by mental health experts, A Parents Guide To Depression aims to answer  the  questions families ask most often.

Download the guide here

http://www.cwmt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/parents-guide-to-depression.pdf

How academics can help ensure students’ wellbeing

Academic staff can play a central role in identifying struggling students and encouraging them to access support. The following article suggests 10 things to consider.

http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2014/oct/01/university-academic-support-student-welfare-wellbeing#start-of-comments

Mindfulness for Students

Stresses and pressures of university at times be overwhelming for students. Mindfulness training gives you tools to help you reduce your anxiety, improve your concentration and stay focused. Take a look at the site and activities that can help.

http://mindfulnessforstudents.co.uk/students/

Hip-hop therapy is new route to mental wellbeing, say psychiatrists

With the success of Pharrell Williams million-selling British No 1, Happy psychiatrists are looking at how Hip-hop can help people with mental illness. See the link below to find out more.
 
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/11/hip-hop-rap-therapy-mental-health-psychiatrists-pharrell-happy

Make Time for your Friends!

Friends are important to our mental health. Check out the Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzs57qNYg08&feature=youtu.be

Looking out for your mates is not as hard as you think.

Meet the Wolfpack

http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/wolfpack

How do you help your mates if they are feeling low?

Student Minds Petition

Today, 49% of young people (17 to 30) enter higher education. According to the National Union of Students, 20% of these individuals are experiencing a mental health problem. That’s a lot of students.

Students need support between home and university to be joined up. Without careful planning, students who have only recently been discharged from a service move to university and do not have access to support for the crucial first months at university. Early and continuous support is the best way to ensure that a student’s condition does not deteriorate, which might otherwise require them to drop out of university.

Sign the petition to ensure all UK students have access to consistent care pathways catering to their needs.

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/doh-address-the-gap-in-student-mental-health-support?utm_source=Student+Minds&utm_campaign=62aa529a9a-Win+for+Student+Mental+Health!&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_30936ac40b-62aa529a9a-63879009

Smile

It was Student Mental Health Day on Wednesday 19th February. The Mental Health Support Team have

been getting students to think about the benefits of smiling, asked them what makes them smile and talked about how they can manage their mental wellbeing.