Carleton is offering a voluntary mental health training to university executives and student leaders to help them “in responding to and assisting students in distress” with courses in the fall and winter terms.
This year, Carleton’s Student Mental Health Framework workshops will be offered to both student leaders and executives, as well as faculty members within the school, according to Christopher Cline, media relations co-ordinator at the university.
The framework, which was introduced in the 2008-09 school year, has trained 4,900 people to date, Carleton’s associate vice-president (students and enrolment) Suzanne Blanchard said.
Training programs offered by this initiative are divided into four levels, but the majority of participants complete Levels 1 and 2, Blanchard said. The workshops at these levels are designed to teach participants how to recognize when students are in need of mental health assistance, and how urgent the student’s condition is.
They also provide information on what to do if approached by a student in distress, and where to find the necessary resources on campus to aid students in need.
Originally, Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) president Alexander Golovko said he approached administration about adding student leaders and executives to the mental health training when he was the Carleton Academic Student Government president.
“The Mental Health of our students and community members is a priority for the Carleton University Students’ Association,” Golovko said via email. “We found the workshop extremely useful and the CUSA Executive and myself are looking forward to take part in it again this year.”
“This is an issue that is increasingly being recognized not only in Canadian society but by Canadian universities and colleges,” Blanchard said.
“Carleton is committed to increasing awareness of the issue on campus and that includes working with our student executives and leaders to provide them with information and support…we want to make sure we are providing our student community with the information and resources they need,” she said.
As Blanchard stated, the importance of mental health education is gaining greater recognition within the post-secondary education system – and with good reason.
The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) estimates approximately 20 per cent of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime. Research has shown that mental illness often develops at a young age – according the CMHA, between 10 and 20 per cent of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder.
“These workshops benefit students because they ensure that Carleton community members who have participated in the training are able to assist students in distress,” Blanchard said. “In addition, this type of training de-stigmatizes mental health issues. Our goal is to ensure that the students get the help they need.”
