Collectively Supporting Mental Health and Wellness During COVID-19

Campus mental health was certainly a priority prior to COVID-19, but as the pandemic has continued, many are expressing concern about the detrimental impacts on student, staff, and faculty well-being. Our campuses are built for human interaction – whether it be a quick hello on the quad, crowded campus events, or the interaction of in-person classes, the experience and regular flow of our academic year has been turned on its head. We are grieving this loss, while at the same time trying to innovate to provide some semblance of normal for everyone involved in the campus experience.

That being said, I am proud of the efforts of colleagues throughout the Canadian post-secondary community who have stepped up to put mental health as a core priority in planning the campus experience. The mental health of the campus is not the responsibility of any one area or service. Each person has a role to play. Simple check-ins with students, a kind word to a colleague, or stepping away from a computer for walk can have positive impacts on mental wellness.

Because of my experience to date during the pandemic, there are some practices in support of mental health of students and colleagues that I have incorporated into my work. Certainly, we are learning more each day through this experiment, and as we further engage in the academic year, we are going to continue to learn what works, and what does not. Here are several insights that I think might help in the meantime:

1. Perfect being the enemy of the good. We all want to do an outstanding job for our students and our colleagues. Sometimes this is evolves into thinking about being perfect in what we are delivering for fear of making a misstep. What the pandemic has taught me is sometimes being good is good enough. From a mental health perspective, this can be helpful. Our environment has changed so much we cannot foresee every eventuality. So accept what cannot change, listen to those around you, and focus on improvement. This does not mean that you should not care, it does not mean you should not do a good job; it means accepting the situation, being realistic with yourself and with others.  

2. Talk and connect. Just because many of us are working online does not mean we should stop talking. We have other avenues that we can use which are open to us. Indeed working from home can be isolating, which is why I would encourage everyone to find ways to stay connected. Obviously, there are regular meetings, but it can also mean a quick text, email or phone call to ask folks how they are doing. Additional platforms such as Teams or Slack can also help move some discussions out of email and into platforms that make it easier to connect on projects in a way that feels more like a true dialogue.

3. Work with community partners. Collaboration can be an overused word. I think what has become apparent is that we can achieve more in relation to mental health support by working with partners. In my case, through working with our colleagues within the post-secondary system in London, with the local CMHA, and technology partners like Togetherall, we have been able to promote a number of resources that students can connect with to support mental health. As we move forward past the pandemic I think these collaborations will allow for the emergence of new and more improved options in support of student mental health on and off campus.

4. Listen first, then respond.  Based on our experiences so far, having systems in place to truly listen to one another on campus is essential. Given our reliance on technology-mediated communication, there is an urge to immediately respond without taking into account what is actually being communicated. It is important to take the time to examine what is being said, and then respond thoughtfully and with care.  On larger scale, examine which sort of processes you have in place to listen to students and colleagues so you can shift and improve. Surveys, focus groups, and listening sessions are all useful tools for engaging our communities and working towards improving the campus experience.   

This collective experience of the pandemic has shifted many perspectives on what it means to be a community on campus. Without a doubt, the impact will be felt for years ahead. My hope is that the practices learned through this experience will change how we support mental health on campus and refocus our efforts of the collective energies to develop programs that care for students as well change how we work together as colleagues.