5 Ways to Support Mental Health in Higher Education

According to a 2019 report by UK mental health charity Education Support, 72% of education professionals considered themselves to be stressed last year. But since the COVID-19 outbreak, teaching has become even more demanding. 

The unexpected abrupt shift to distance learning and social isolation has taken a huge toll on instructors’ wellbeing. Education Support now reports that with the global pandemic, 59% of primary instructors and 49% of secondary instructors are feeling more stressed than usual. And in the post-secondary category, a US-based Inside Higher Ed survey found 88% of university and college presidents are now worried about employee mental health.

Mental health issues that may rise out of these situations can have a large impact on teaching performance and student learning. These also affect relationships with colleagues, friends and family - and most importantly, on the overall wellbeing of instructors. So how can schools work best to support their instructors’ mental health - especially during uncertain times?

We have collated the top five tips below to help you prioritise your mental health during these uncertain times:

Since the global pandemic began, instructors everywhere have been forced to rapidly change the way they teach and relate to students.

“People are being asked to let go of things which matter to them,” said Carole Pemberton, a UK-based resilience expert and career coach. “You’re much more likely to do that...if it’s connected to a sense of purpose.”

For institutions, this means not seeing changes to education as a loss - which can be stressful and cause people to be resistant - but rather framing these changes as a chance to grow and further everyone’s mission. “If the organisation is able to give a picture of what this is moving towards...then it becomes much easier for people to connect to it,’ said Carole. 

The same thing is true on an individual level; team members might want to ask themselves ‘what might I learn from this?’ and ‘how might this actually add to how I’ve been working or open up new possibilities for me’, she said. “All of those things make it much easier for people to stay resourced whilst they’re going through change.”

In a recent online video, Education Support CEO Sinéad Mc Brearty said that one way schools can support staff during the pandemic is through encouraging them to set up a work routine. This might include asking instructors to set weekly or biweekly goals for them to meet, she noted. It’s also important to organise a time for teams to debrief; this means opening up a set virtual space for instructors to speak about the issues they’re facing, and how these issues make them feel. 

Living - and working - in lock down can feel isolating and stagnant, leading to many psychological implications. However, these habits make it less likely for instructors to internalise their emotions. Simply sticking to a work and wellbeing routine, which encourages instructors to reflect on the health of themselves and their colleagues in a designated space, can help everyone feel more supported. It’s also an opportunity for leaders to take note of the extra work instructors are doing and share some praise. 

The line between our work and personal life has become blurred during the global pandemic. According to Nick Wrycraft, a senior lecturer in mental health nursing at Anglia Ruskin University in the U.K., one of the best ways organisations can care for mental health is to also protect their employees’ work-life balance. 

This might include reducing staff meeting times, or encouraging instructors to set strict boundaries for when they reply to student emails (such as only during office hours). 

With the right support, these steps shouldn’t require too much implementation on the part of the instructor, said Nick - just some facilitated thought.

“Log on and off at a certain time to your work. When not logged on, think about how you are feeling. And if you know you are a negative thinker, try and balance up those negative thoughts with positive ones,” he said. “You can be forgiven for not feeling great all of the time. In fact, when you feel low or down, accept it, and it will pass.”

Education research and consultancy firm EAB has created an insightful guide for schools wanting to audit employee mental health support during COVID-19. The guide includes ideas on how to refine communication, administration and high impact support strategies; it also lists examples of how other higher ed institutions have put them into action. 

One high impact mental health practice EAB recommends, is institutions that make conscious efforts to offer virtual events that build community and encourage healthy habits - like exercise classes or webinars on how to cope during COVID-19. They also recommend offering mindfulness workshops - something that’s been shown to reduce burnout, anxiety and depression in teachers.  

Take what Cornell University in the U.S. has done, for example. They have put together a list of virtual wellness events for their community members to take part in, including virtual fitness classes, a mindfulness meditation series, as well as a list of hiking trails for staff and students to enjoy in the area. These ideas may sound simple, but they can be an important way to support instructors feeling overwhelmed or being impacted by mental health issues.

A 2017 survey published in Disabilities Studies Quarterly, nearly 70% of faculty with mental illness, mental disabilities or mental-health history at U.S. higher education institutions said they had limited or no familiarity with resources available to support or accommodate them.   

It’s important for institutions, especially now, to direct instructors to the mental health resources available to them. Be sure to suggest employee counselling services or free telephone counselling options - such as the support line for UK teachers available through Education Support. It’s also an excellent idea to organise mental health first aid training to help faculty identify and better understand mental illness. 

There are of course, several ways to identify if you are receiving the right support at your institution, do not hesitate to reach out to the correct team if you need help. When institutions invest in resources that help build your mental health, they take part of the onus off the individual to complete this picture themselves.  

If you’re looking for COVID-19 education support for the upcoming Spring term, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us

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