All of Us

Raising Mental Health Awareness in Higher Education
Latest News & Events

Campaign Update November 2019

We are pleased to say that we have now completed our planned programme of Mental Health First Aid in Higher Education training days.

Between May 2019 and October 2019, Louise Ansell of Sky Bounders Ltd, facilitated 8 Higher Education Mental Health Champion courses for Amano Student Support colleagues and associates.

Although the end of this round of MHFA HE training, it is not the end of our focus on student mental health which we will continue in to 2020.

With the University Mental Health Charter due to be published on December 9th 2019, it has never been more timely to show our support for making student mental health a priority across the sector.

This November we will donate a further £500 to Student Minds who are leading the development of this charter and we plan further CPD for our consultants around the topic of mental health in 2020 helping to further embed mental health awareness and support into the Amano company culture.

#stepchange

As part of Universities UK wider programme of work to improve the mental health of students and staff in higher education, the Stepchange Framework was introduced in September 2017. The Stepchange in mental health in higher education includes a vision that:

This year,  in support of the Stepchange Framework, we launch our ‘All of Us’ initiative – a programme for providing mental health training for all our staff and Learning Support Consultants.

We aim to:

  • Play our part in supporting University UK’s Stepchange Framework by adopting mental health as an organisational priority.
  • Increase the awareness that it is the responsibility of all of us to be mental health aware, so that we are better able to support those around us experiencing mental health problems.
  • Provide Mental Health First Aid training for all of us, helping not only our consultants to better support students, but also enabling us to support colleagues, friends and family.

Student Mental Health

Higher education settings are often the first and only time in young adults’ lives in which work, leisure, healthcare and social support are provided in the same place.

This provides the perfect setting for universities and health services to embed positive mental health, strengthen protective factors, work to reduce risk factors, and take opportunities to intervene early in mental illness or distress.

(Minding Our Future, UUK)

Student Suicide

In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the number of student suicides with several universities in the UK  experiencing a number of student suicides within a short period of time.

The ability to identify students who are at risk of suicide or self-harm or display suicidal behaviours is both important and challenging.

Of those who take their own life in the UK, only 28% have been in contact with mental health services during the year before their death.

Among students, only 12% who died by suicide were reported to be seeing student counselling services and many students who need help do not necessarily seek it themselves. (UUK)

Early intervention is a necessary step to improve national mental health: students with severe mental health difficulties are at ‘considerable risk’ of academic failure and dropping out [RCPsych, 2011].

 

Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) for Students with Mental Health Conditions

Disabled Student’s Allowance funds support for students with mental health conditions and makes a significant and positive difference to many student’s experience of higher education.

Through a provider such as Amano, Specialist 1:1 Mental Health Mentors funded by DSA provide the student with someone they can meet with on a regular basis to address issues around their particular mental health condition and ways to overcome its effect on their ability to meet the challenges of studying and university life.

But….only 2 in 5 disabled students have heard about DSA before starting their course. (DfE 2019)

<< This year we produced a pocket guide to raise awareness of the types of DSA funded support available. If you would like a copy of this guide please contact us:  dsa@amanotech.com.

Mental Health First Aid Training for ‘All of Us’

This year we aim to train all our Learning Support Consultants in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA).

We will deliver MHFA in Higher Education Training for all our consultants across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

MHFA’s Higher Education mental health awareness and skills course was created in consultation with leading student mental health charity Student Minds.

 

This one day course will qualify you as a Higher Education MHFA Champion. It is designed to give you:

  • A deeper understanding of the issues that relate to student and staff mental health.
  • Skills to spot early signs of mental ill health.
  • Confidence to signpost someone to support – whether that’s through self-help resources, university counselling services, the NHS, or a mix.
  • Knowledge and confidence to advocate for mental health awareness

Click here for full details about what you will learn on the course.

We will be offering this training to Amano consultants as well as reserving several spaces for staff at universities and colleges we work closely with.

Look out for your email invitation!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the course and found the content fascinating. I will take a lot away from today both in my professional and personal life. Thank you Louise.

– Amano Consultant

Amano Learning Support Consultant

 

This one day course will qualify you as a Higher Education MHFA Champion. It is designed to give you:

  • A deeper understanding of the issues that relate to student and staff mental health
  • Skills to spot early signs of mental ill health
  • Confidence to signpost someone to support – whether that’s through self-help resources, university counselling services, the NHS, or a mix
  • Knowledge and confidence to advocate for mental health awareness

Click here for full details about what you will learn on the course.

We will be offering this training to Amano staff  and also reserving several spaces for staff at universities and colleges we work closely with. Look out for you email invitation!

Support Student Minds as our Charity of the Year

We have chosen to support Student Minds as our charity of the year in 2019 and will be supporting University Mental Health Day on 7 March 2019.

The theme of UMHD19 is ‘Use Your Voice’:

“We all have mental health, we all have a voice, we all have stories to share. You best understand what it is like to live, work and study at university. This University Mental Health Day we want to celebrate the power of your voice in creating long-lasting change.

Your voice can shape the future of student mental health. Join us as we inspire conversations, take action and create change!”

Amano Student Stories

We would like to create a series of short videos featuring our students and consultants about their experiences of mental health support. If you would be interested in contributing to this piece of work, please contact us for further details.

Past, Present and Future Events

Throughout the year we will be fundraising,
offering relevant training/ CPD and taking part in
various other mental health awareness activities.

We Did It!

We have now completed our planned programme of Mental Health First Aid in Higher Education training days!

At the end of each course, attendees were asked to complete an anonymous, paper based evaluation form, designed and published by MHFA England.

Feedback tells us that ‘personal confidence of how best to support others with a mental health issue before and after the course’ increased greatly and that attendees felt that they were now better equipped with the knowledge and understanding needed to effectively support a person with a mental health problem.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the course and found the content fascinating. I will take a lot away from today both in my professional and personal life. Thank you Louise” – Amano Consultant

Amano Learning Support Consultant