Campus Mental Health: Community of Practice

The Post-Secondary Student Mental Health: Guide to a Systemic Approach is a joint initiative between the Canadian Association of College and University Student Services (CACUSS) and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). The Campus Mental Health: a CACUSS based Community of Practice is delighted to offer this online, interactive inventory that is designed to help colleges, institutes, and universities self-evaluate and plan action systemically supporting mental health on campus.

 


Campus Mental Health Across Canada: The Ongoing Impact of COVID-19

COVID-19 has intensified the challenges of post-secondary student mental health for campuses across Canada. To better understand what they are facing, CACUSS’ Campus Mental Health Community of Practice (CoP) conducted a representative survey of 69 Canadian post-secondary institutions. The survey, which focused on the 2020-21 academic year and the planning period for the fall 2022 term, gave student affairs leaders in mental health services a chance to share their experiences insights on student mental health and well-being challenges and opportunities.

The report, authored by Drs. Tayyab Rashid (University of Toronto, Scarborough) and Lina Di Genova (McGill University), shares in-depth survey findings, and offers recommendations to help build supports, services and environments that are inclusive, accessible, culturally responsive, and flexible. The report shares findings in four key areas: student mental health concerns, the challenges and benefits of delivering remote mental health services, the impact on clinicians and student affairs staff members, and insights into support planning for ongoing COVID realities. The approach of the report is to provide holistic, strengths- and evidence-based solutions to support student affairs professionals.

This project is a collaboration of CACUSS’ Campus Mental Health Community of Practice (CoP) and the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). Report is also available here.

 



Inventory for Campus Mental Health

The following conceptual Inventory illustrates the broad areas of a Systemic Approach to postsecondary student mental health identified for strategy development across three target student populations.
Please click the following diagram to learn more:

Inventory WIFI image
© 2019 Canadian Association of College & University Student Services. 150 Eglinton Ave. E., Suite 402 Toronto, ON M4P1E8. All rights reserved.
Website by: Nomans Land Creative | Survey development by: Wenbin Cai