Questions about the services available for students with mental health issues and preventative solutions were raised during the June 24 University of Western Ontario Board of Governors meeting.
The release of an independent review into the arrest of a student in October 2009 in the Social Sciences Building conducted by lawyer and former OPP commissioner Gwen Boniface prompted the discussion.
The university-commissioned report, released a day earlier, makes eight recommendations about services and supports for individuals with mental health problems, campus police training, building security and emergency warning systems.
“There is an increasing incidence of mental health issues among our students and an increase in the acuity of those issues,” says Gitta Kulczycki, Vice-President (Resources & Operations). “It’s important for all of us to do what we can to help students. The best thing we can do is intervene as early as possible.”
The university is working with the student involved in the October incident, and his family, to help him return to school, she says.
“I thought the report was pretty good,” says board member and Alumni Association appointee Hanny Hassan, noting the report did not raise questions about systemic issues that could trigger or exacerbate a situation involving a person with mental health issues that need to be addressed.
“There could be some preventative measures. If we could deal with it preemptively, that may be better than to deal with an issue as it arises.”
“I know a number of initiatives are underway,” says Western President Amit Chakma, adding the keynote speaker for the Fall Perspectives on Teaching on Sept. 1 is Dr. Richard Kadison, chief of the Mental Health Service at Harvard University Health Services. He will be speaking on the mental health crisis on university and college campuses.
Kulczycki presented a reference guide to the board, which outlines how to assist a student in difficulty, contacts for referral, and available resources. This document is being distributed across campus and is one of the tools the university has implemented to promote a safe campus community.
With many students working as frontline workers in residences and in other areas of campus, board member Kelly Meighen says it is a big responsibility on their shoulders. She also questioned whether the training and information included discussions about the stigma of mental illness.
Along with Susan Grindrod, AVP, Housing & Ancillary Services, Kulczycki outlined the mental health support services available on campus, such as psychological services, qualified general practitioners, a social worker in residences, and special training for residence staff.
In response to the demand for support, there will be an increase to the student ancillary fee to support the position of a psychological services outreach counsellor in the Student Development Centre. This counsellor will design, market and present a program for crisis prevention and early-intervention strategies.
At Western, eight people have been trained to provide the Mental Health First Aid course, which provides explanations of mental health, signs and symptoms of common health problems and crisis situations, information about effective interventions and treatments, and ways to access professional help. Many members of the campus community have completed the course.
The purpose of the program is to train non-health-care workers how to speak with a person with mental health issues.
“We are hoping to do more outreach and make this stays on our radar,” says Grindrod, noting this includes reducing the stigma of mental illness.
The complete report from the independent review by Boniface is available at https://uwo.ca/local_files/downloads/boniface-report-final.pdf