Campus confidential: the counsellors on the frontline of the student mental health crisis

The number of first-year students who disclose a mental health problem has risen five-fold in the past decade. We talk to the experts trying to help

I am walking through Nottingham’s Arboretum park on a bright cold afternoon with 10 other people, all of us in complete silence. At first I find the whole thing so awkward I have to suppress an embarrassed laugh. But as we make our wordless way through the dappled shade, I feel an atmosphere of calm and thoughtfulness envelop us like a protective cloak.

The others in my group are undergraduate students, chaplains and other staff of Nottingham Trent University (NTU), all taking part in a mindfulness walk, intended to bring some space and quiet reflection into students’ hectic lives. Guided by the chaplains (who speak occasionally), we pause as a group to consider questions in the booklets we have been handed: “who am I?”, “where am I going in my life?” and “what brings me a sense of excitement?” Left to our silence, we note down our answers. Stopping by a rubbish bin, we ask, “What rubbish am I carrying with me in my life?” We tear off our answers and throw them in the bin. It sounds silly, but weeks later I still feel lighter for casting off that scribble on a scrap of paper.

One day, Sam couldn’t breathe. ‘It was a shock when the GP said it was anxiety-related.’ Now she is breaking that cycle

The counsellor tells Sam her mental wellbeing is hugely improved, ‘and that is down to you. You are rewriting history’

Sisson calls and introduces herself in an upbeat way. ‘It sounds like you’re feeling a bit by yourself,’ she says

Continue reading... October 28, 2017 at 02:00PM