Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health

Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health

Students studying at the University of Toronto this fall have access to an expanded suite of mental health services and supports – with a focus on helping them successfully navigate their post-secondary journeys and equipping them with critical life skills.

From eliminating wait times for mental health appointments at student health centres to streamlining access to treatment at hospitals and renovating student health and wellness spaces, the sweeping changes come as U of T implements an innovative stepped-care model of mental health service delivery that helps students get the help they need sooner and in a manner that caters to their individual needs.

Sandy Welsh, U of T’s vice-provost, students, says it is important that the revitalization of mental health service delivery occurred in time for U of T’s biggest back-to-school season ever this fall.

“It is wonderful to see students on campus and so happy to be back, and it’s very important for students to be back to in-person learning,” Welsh says. “At the same time, we also know that that the pandemic has been hard on students.

“That’s why our student health centres have worked really hard over the past several months to be ready for the return of students to campus; to be able to see them whenever they need; and to support students with their mental health needs.”

A crucial area of progress: the availability of same-day mental health consultations at student health centres across the three campuses, implemented in fall 2021.

To support this rapid access to consultations and referrals, U of T is hiring wellness navigator advisers, says Christina Bartha, U of T’s inaugural senior executive director, student mental health systems, policy and strategy, “to help with the flow of students coming through the tri-campus student health centres, optimize our ability to see students the same day and get them the right resources at the right time.”

On the St. George campus, students with more urgent or complex mental health care needs will also have access to mental health navigators who can help bridge support services between U of T and CAMH and other hospitals.

“Navigators will facilitate and support students who have experienced a crisis in accessing the care they need and will assist them as they navigate their way back to the university environment,” Bartha says.

For students who prefer to make their first contact with mental health services online, the new Student Mental Health Resource serves as a comprehensive place to access the wealth of resources available across the university. As well, students can use the Navi mental health wayfinder to navigate resources and access the supports they need.

Students can also talk to a counsellor 24/7 through MySSP, which provides immediate support over the phone in 35 languages and in 146 languages on an ongoing basis.

Meanwhile, U of T has also worked to renovate and expand health and wellness spaces across its three campuses.

On the St. George campus, the Koffler Student Services Centre is undergoing a modernization effort that is expected to take two and a half years. In the interim, the campus’s Health & Wellness Centre is operating out of 700 Bay Street.

At U of T Scarborough, the new Instructional Centre 2 on the north side of campus will have an entire floor dedicated to the UTSC Health & Wellness Centre, which serves as a hub for student supports.

At U of T Mississauga, the Health & Counselling Centre at the William G. Davis Building has undergone a renovation of its counselling and medical suites.

The transformative changes are all part of the university’s response to the recommendations of the Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health, which delivered a report on the subject just prior to the pandemic.

Key to the overall effort is approaching student health and wellness through a holistic lens that takes a long view on development.

That includes recognizing that young people are at higher risk of facing a mental health challenge – and that the nearly two-and-half-year-old pandemic has taken a toll on everyone.

“A comprehensive, whole-health approach to supporting students in their academic success as well as their enjoyment of campus life is really important,” says Bartha, who joined U of T from the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), where she was executive director of the Brain and Mental Health Program.

“But it’s also about supporting students now to develop their individual skills and strengths to be better prepared for the challenges of the future and life beyond university.”

One of the task force’s key recommendations was to improve co-ordination at student health centres across the three campuses – which is why U of T hired Bartha, an accomplished mental health-care leader who led several innovative and complex strategic initiatives at SickKids as well as the Centre for Addiction and Mental (CAMH).

Bartha, who assumed the role in August, is overseeing the implementation of recommendations made by the task force, providing guidance to develop and instil best practices for student mental health and promoting a culture of care across the university.

“I feel privileged to have joined U of T at a time when there is such a deep sense of caring for students’ mental health,” Bartha said. “I’ve been hugely impressed by the commitment to achieving a mental health vision for the university, and I see that commitment in every conversation that I’ve had.

“Significant progress has been made, but more needs to follow. We still have a lot of work to do – but I can say that U of T cares deeply about this issue, and we will continue to work hard to address the recommendations that have come forward.”

Bartha says the wide range of efforts to boost mental health and wellness supports is designed to help students find fulfilment and achieve success at university while also equipping them with critical skills and resources they can draw on throughout their adult lives.

“There’s academic learning, there’s social and experiential learning, and there’s also health learning – all of these learnings contribute to a student’s capacity to move on to the next stage of their development successfully,” Bartha said. “Mental health intervention and support is about supporting individuals in developing the internal skills to tackle the obstacles that life will inevitably present us with.

“That is a big part of what is being embedded in the mental health continuum of care at all three campuses.”

For her part, Welsh says students shouldn’t hesitate to seek out mental health supports – whether by accessing digital mental health tools, scheduling an appointment at a student health centre or taking advantage of the wide range of supportive programming offered.

“We want all our students to know that we’re here to support their mental health needs. If you’re experiencing a mental health issue – it doesn’t matter what it is – don’t minimize it,” Welsh says.

“Please reach out. Come and see us. We’re here for you and our doors are open to you.”

Five mental health and wellness developments U of T students need to know

geoff.vendeville — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 16:31:00 +0000

Five mental health and wellness developments U of T students need to know

geoff.vendeville Wed, 01/29/2020 - 11:31

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(photo by Lisa Lightbourn)

Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health

Topic

City & Culture

Over the past year, the University of Toronto has taken several significant steps to support mental health and wellness on campus – incorporating feedback from students, staff and faculty – and is planning further improvements following the recent recommendations of the independent Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health.

From new partnerships to 24-7 student support services, here are five recent developments the U of T community needs to know about:

1. U of T My SSP

The university recently rolled out a new text-and-chat helpline service for students that offers free and confidential counselling 24-7. My SSP (short for My Student Support Program) links students with professional counsellors who can help with issues including stress, depression and loneliness. The on-demand service is available over the phone in 35 languages while support scheduled in advance can be accessed in 146 languages.

2. A new partnership with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

U of T is now working with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital, to harmonize mental health services across the three campuses. CAMH experts will be part of a mental health services re-design team whose goal is to create an “integrated tri-campus” system overseen by a clinical director. The university will also look to leverage expertise at CAMH to create more opportunities for clinical education in student mental health and train the expert clinicians of tomorrow.

3. Drop-in counselling during exam season

Recognizing that the final exam crunch can be a particularly stressful time for students, the university last year made drop-in counselling available at Robarts Library during the spring and fall exam seasons. That’s in addition to the many other exam season supports available on all three campuses, including Mindful Moments sessions, therapy dogs and de-stressing walks.

4. A new initiative to improve the atmosphere in labs

U of T launched a healthy labs initiative at the end of last year to improve the atmosphere in some university laboratories. The university recently appointed Reinhart Reithmeier, a professor of biochemistry, to identify best practices in lab management, develop a healthy labs charter and outline strategies for delivering healthy lab programming on each campus.

5. Advocacy for government support

While U of T has taken steps to improve its own mental health and wellness supports, the university also recognizes that the issue cuts across society and therefore requires a collaborative response from universities, hospitals, governments and other actors. Last fall, U of T President Meric Gertler supported a motion at Toronto city council to urge the federal government to invest $300 million per year “to address Toronto’s mental health and addiction crises.”

“The magnitude of these problems requires multiple partners working together so that solutions can be found,” President Gertler wrote.

U of T to partner with CAMH to overhaul mental health services for students

geoff.vendeville — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 02:24:58 +0000

U of T to partner with CAMH to overhaul mental health services for students

geoff.vendeville Wed, 01/15/2020 - 21:24

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(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health

Faculty of Arts & Science

Cheryl Regehr

Faculty of Medicine

Geography and Planning

Health and Wellness Centre

Mental Health

Meric Gertler

Psychiatry

School of Graduate Studies

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

The University of Toronto is partnering with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) as it takes immediate steps to harmonize mental health services across its three campuses, boost funding for mental health and wellness and work toward a “stepped model of care,” which will see students receive treatment tailored to their level of need.

U of T also seeks to foster a “culture of caring” and will strive to make health and wellness spaces more functional and in line with best practices in health and design.

The initiatives are key elements of the university’s response to the final report of the independent Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health. The 13-member task force, which included undergraduate and graduate students, spent months gathering input from students, staff and faculty across U of T’s three campuses before making its recommendations – all 21 of which have been accepted by the university.

“We have listened to our students through this process,” says Cheryl Regehr, U of T’s vice-president and provost. “We know that there are areas where we need to do better and we’re taking action based on the task force’s recommendations.

“We’re deeply committed to student well-being and success.”

Cheryl Regehr, U of T’s vice-president and provost, says the university has listened to students and is taking action on the task force’s recommendations (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

U of T, like peer institutions across North America, has faced a surge in demand for counselling and related services. The percentage of Ontario post-secondary students who report depression, anxiety and suicide attempts has risen dramatically in the past six years, according to data compiled in a 2019 report by the American College Health Association.

“Mental health challenges commonly arise at a time of intense life transitions, and a focus on the health and wellbeing of young people is central to realizing future potential,” says Catherine Zahn (left), the president and CEO of CAMH.

“CAMH will contribute the expertise and experience of leading youth mental health clinicians and researchers to assist the University of Toronto in carrying out this serious and important work.”

The university will create a mental health services redesign team led by Joseph Desloges, a professor in the department of geography and planning and a former principal of Woodsworth College. The team includes two experts from CAMH, Alexia Jaouich, director of implementation and innovation in the Provincial System Support Program, and Sean Kidd, an associate professor of psychiatry at U of T and senior scientist and division chief of psychology at CAMH.

The redesign team’s ultimate goal will be to create an “integrated tri-campus” system overseen by a clinical director. The team, which will consult thoroughly with students, will aim to simplify the existing system by creating a single website, a consistent approach to way-finding, a single online booking system and a single electronic records system, as well as requiring a single institutional letter for accessibility services.

Read the Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health’s final report

Read the administrative response to the task force’s final report

There are also plans to create pathways between campus-based services and CAMH, as well as other hospitals and agencies in Toronto, in a recognition that mental health is a shared responsibility that can’t be tackled by the university in isolation.

When it comes to training the mental health clinicians of tomorrow, the partnership will see U of T and CAMH experts work together to provide enhanced clinical education programs in student mental health, including professional development for U of T staff, as well as curriculum innovation and important experiential learning opportunities for students such as expanded internships and placements.

The two partners will similarly work together to create a new initiative focused on research excellence in youth and student mental health that will provide research-informed, evidenced-based solutions that will aid universities in Canada and around the world.

U of T will also direct more resources to student mental health and will continue to make it a priority for fundraising, Regehr says. She adds that U of T will “redouble its efforts” to seek government support for increasing mental health services on campus.

mental health initiatives since 2019

Same-day counselling on the St. George campus
Drop-in counselling sessions at Robarts library during final exam period
24-7 counselling in 146 languages through My SSP
Healthy Labs review of laboratory atmospheres
Intensified advocacy for mental health supports at all levels of government

The facilities that are home to mental health resources on campus are due to get an update, too.

U of T has committed to reviewing health and wellness spaces on each campus in response to feedback from students who told the task force that some facilities were too busy, difficult to navigate or lacking in privacy. Steps are already being taken to modernize the health and wellness centre in the Koffler building on the St. George campus.

In response to questions about U of T’s culture and how it affects student well-being, the university says it will change “specific practices or policies that may be counter-productive.” At the same time, the university will foster an environment of compassion and sense of community to complement its culture of academic excellence.

“We believe a culture of academic excellence and a culture of caring go hand-in-hand,” Regehr says.

The university is also developing an implementation strategy based on the work of a separate expert panel focused on undergraduate student educational experience. It’s expected, among other things, to address concerns about institutional policies and systems that may act as barriers to student wellness and success.

The School of Graduate Studies, meanwhile, is spearheading a “healthy labs” initiative to implement best practices for cultivating a positive lab atmosphere and good relationships between students and supervisors.

As for the university’s mandatory leave of absence policy, the task force noted that some members of the U of T community perceived the policy as a “potential barrier to students seeking mental health services.” Regehr says the university is aware of confusion surrounding the policy, and will redouble its efforts to communicate the compassionate intent of the policy and how it is actually implemented. She emphasized that it is intended as a last resort to support students in rare cases where their behaviour causes concerns for the safety of others.

U of T’s response to the recommendations of the task force comes on the heels of several other initiatives the university has taken to improve the delivery of mental health services since March of 2019, when U of T President Meric Gertler announced a four-point action plan on student mental health. They include offering same-day counselling services on the St. George campus, offering drop-in counselling at Robarts Library during exam periods and the recent expansion to all U of T students of the My SSP text-and-chat helpline, which provides on-demand counselling services.

Now, with partners like CAMH, the university will be able to make further progress tackling this “complex and pervasive” challenge, Regehr told U of T News.

“I truly believe that with this partnership we can work on solutions that will benefit not only our own students but students at other institutions that are similarly struggling to address this issue that we're seeing around the world.”

Feeling distressed? Find someone to talk to right now – and if there is an immediate risk, call 911.

Round-the-clock support:

Students can speak to a trained crisis worker at any hour of the day.

U of T My SSP for students: call 1-844-451-9700 or download the app at the Apple App Store or Google Play. Immediate counselling support is available in 35 languages and ongoing support in 146 languages.

Other 24-7 supports available to students include:

Good 2 Talk Student Helpline 1-866-925-5454. Professional counselling, information and referrals for mental health, addictions and well-being.
Gerstein Crisis Centre 416-929-5200
Distress Centres of Greater Toronto 416-408-HELP (4357)
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health at 250 College Street
Anishnawbe Health Toronto Mental Health Crisis Line 416-360-0486

The following services are available to students on all three campuses:

St. George campus: Health and Wellness Centre (416-978-8030), located at Koffler Student Services
U of T Scarborough: Health & Wellness Centre 416-287-7065
U of T Mississauga: Health & Counselling Centre 905-828-5255

Faculty and staff have access to 24-7 support through:

The Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP), offered through Homewood Health, online and by phone at 1-800-663-1142

'We heard the call for change': Task force on student mental health issues report and recommendations

geoff.vendeville — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 20:23:43 +0000

'We heard the call for change': Task force on student mental health issues report and recommendations

geoff.vendeville Wed, 01/15/2020 - 15:23

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(photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Topic

Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health

Student Experience

After months of consultations with students, faculty and staff, an independent task force on student mental health at the University of Toronto is calling for major changes to mental health services across the university’s three campuses.

Led by Professor Trevor Young, the Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health’s final report calls for a student-centric approach to timelier and harmonized mental health services to make it easier for students to get help where and when they need it.

The report also urges the university to expand community partnerships with hospitals and others in the mental health sector, such as the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), to better respond to the growing pressure on mental health resources.

In the university’s response, the administration described the task force’s work as “comprehensive and thoughtful” and said all 21 of its recommendations will be acted upon.

Young, who is on leave as the dean of the Faculty of Medicine to conduct research, says he was struck by the level of concern and commitment across the university about student mental health.

“It was palpable everywhere we were,” he says. “You really got the sense that people cared deeply about this topic.”

Established in the spring of last year, the 13-person task force comprised faculty, staff and students. It received feedback from students throughout the process and visited all three campuses as it conducted several rounds of in-person consultations.

“Each of the students on the committee was outstanding and an inspiration to us all,” Young says. “They were so engaged and thoughtful, and were with us every step of the way.”

The group looked at four key areas:

Mental health services and delivery
Co-ordination of services across the three campuses
Expanding community partnerships
Spaces offering mental health services at the university

Though not part of its original mandate, the task force also decided to examine the “culture of excellence” at U of T and institutional policies that may affect students’ mental well-being based on the input it received.

“We didn’t feel like we would be doing justice to the community’s concerns unless we brought this up,” Young says. “It was top of mind for a lot of people: They want to feel cared for by our institution.”

The task force heard that the culture of academic excellence at U of T makes some students feel as if there is no room for failure, putting pressure on students and in some cases contributing to “imposter syndrome,” or the feeling that one doesn’t belong.

“The University should expand this notion of excellence to include wellness, in addition to excellence in research and academics, and truly become a ‘culture of caring,’” the report recommends.

The report also urges divisions, units and offices across the university to reduce “cumbersome bureaucratic policies and structures” – in registering for courses, for example – that may have an impact on student mental health.

The task force was part of U of T President Meric Gertler’s four-point action plan on student mental health, which was announced in March 2019.

It’s a challenge of such magnitude that the task force says it would be impractical to expect the university to manage all “immediate, long-term, and/or complex cases of mental illness” internally. Instead, it recommends building partnerships with community organizations and hospitals to increase the university’s ability to respond to students’ needs.

The report describes CAMH, the largest mental health teaching hospital in the country, as the “ideal partner for U of T” because of its cutting-edge research, health-promotion efforts and standards of care.

CAMH is already one of nine hospitals or research institutes fully affiliated with U of T. “All three campuses’ health centres spoke about the benefits of existing partnerships with CAMH and expressed an interest in expanding in these areas,” the report notes.

Trevor Young, the dean of the Faculty of Medicine (on leave), chaired U of T’s Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

When it comes to the delivery of mental health services, the task force recommends simplifying pathways to care.

“It was really complicated,” Young says of making sense of the range of mental health services currently offered at U of T.

The task force recommends, among other things, a clear “road map” showing the options available to students and how to access them.

The report also calls on the university to increase after-hours care – that is, on evenings and weekends – and to continue ramping up services at peak times, such as during final exams.

To make better use of resources, the task force emphasizes the benefits of a “stepped care” approach where patients receive treatment based on their level of distress or need. The report suggests continuing to explore technology-based interventions like My SSP, an on-demand confidential text and chat service recently made available to all U of T students.

The task force heard the U of T community’s call for more diversity among mental health service providers for students. The report highlights a need for staff to better reflect the diversity of the university community, with people from Indigenous, LGBTQ and racialized communities.

On the topic of physical space, the task force recommends improving the health and wellness spaces used by students since some were deemed too busy, crowded or lacking in privacy.

The report also recommends trying to reach students where they are. “The more we can do to have health-promotion resources available in every space on campus, the better,” Young says.

On the university’s mandatory leave of absence policy, the task force calls for greater clarity in communication with students so it’s not perceived as a barrier to students seeking mental health services.

“The University should continue to make the supportive and compassionate intent of the policy more apparent through a comprehensive educational strategy for the wider university community,” the report says.

Finally, the task force says the university would benefit from a “transparent protocol” in communication after a student death. The protocol would set out expectations for timeliness and transparency as well as reasons for limiting information, including privacy legislation and family requests for privacy.

Young says he would be proud to see U of T become a leader in the field of post-secondary student mental health.

“I’d like people to say, ‘Not only is U of T a top global university, it’s among the best in the world when it comes to student mental health as well.’”

Read the Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health’s final report

Read the administrative response to the task force’s final report

The Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health made the following 21 recommendations:

Delivery of mental health services

Simplify pathways to care to increase accessibility to resources and supports.
Develop a comprehensive strategy to enhance mental health literacy among students, staff and faculty, including knowledge of mental health supports and services.
Increase the focus on and resources for mental health promotion broadly across the university.
Increase access to timely mental health care (in person and via other means such as phone/text-based).
Expand the diversity of mental health service providers for students.

Co-ordination of student supports related to mental health

Provide more integrated and coordinated care across campuses that promotes ease of access to supports for students.
Establish a clinical director role with oversight of the three health centres to provide leadership and streamline processes and protocols related to mental health services.
Implement an institutional support system that facilitates early access to mental health resources.

Review partnerships with community-based organizations

Continue to invest and strengthen diverse community partnerships.
Increase programs that bring community resources to the university’s campuses to provide services for students and to provide education for students, staff and faculty.
Improve relationships, case management, access and navigation support for students being connected with community resources.

Physical spaces where mental health services are provided

Increase access to functional and therapeutic spaces for health promotion, mental health services and spaces for mental health programming.
Focus on creating non-academic wellness spaces for students.

Culture at U of T

Build a culture of caring on all three campuses and engage U of T community in improving student mental health.

Institutional systems and policies

Review bureaucratic and academic policies that act as stressors or barriers to students.
Advocate for consistent and equitable mental health coverage for all students.
Improve understanding of and ensure robust review of the university-mandated leave of absence policy.
Develop a transparent protocol related to tragic events at U of T.

Next steps

Establish a wellness advisory board (students, staff and faculty) to keep the conversations going, review progress and assess outcomes, including the establishment of a timeline for review.
Utilize our expertise in mental health research at the university to establish an institutional strategic research initiative focused on student mental health.

Students, staff and faculty invited to give their input on future of campus mental health services

geoff.vendeville — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 05:00:00 +0000

Students, staff and faculty invited to give their input on future of campus mental health services

geoff.vendeville Tue, 11/12/2019 - 00:00

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“My mental health challenges became debilitating during what should have been the best time of my life,” says Egag Egag, a student member of the task force on student mental health. “I’m in a much better place now” (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Topic

Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health

Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Faculty & Staff

Graduate Students

Health and Wellness Centre

Mental Health

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

Undergraduate Students

Egag Egag’s first years of university didn’t pan out the way he expected.

He moved to Ottawa from Toronto to study philosophy and sociology, hoping he would also make new friendships that would last a lifetime. But in an unfamiliar city 400 kilometres away from home, he found it difficult to meet new people.

“People were living their lives, partying and demonstrating how great their lives were on Facebook,” he recalls. “I was receptive to that in a way that made me feel really left out.”

There was also the added pressure of being a first-generation student who was trying to make his family proud. He felt he couldn't relate to other students and experienced panic attacks throughout his undergraduate years.

He came back to Toronto and transferred to the University of Toronto Mississauga, where he saw a counsellor in his final year before graduating in sociology with high distinction. He landed a job soon after, but that's when his mental health challenges peaked.

“My mental health challenges became debilitating during what should have been the best time of my life,” Egag says.

But he found help. He saw a therapist, who continued his counselling, and a family doctor, who prescribed medication for obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression.

“I’m in a much better place now,” he says. “I was very fortunate to have had very supportive people … but I know that’s not always the case for everyone else around my age.”

Egag is now pursuing a master’s degree in social work at U of T and working as a student counsellor at Family Services Toronto, a career track influenced by his lived experience of mental health challenges. At the same time, he is helping shape the future of mental health services on campus by lending his time and insights to the Presidential & Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health. The group, composed of students, faculty and staff, is reviewing mental health supports across the university and has already conducted a lengthy consultation process on all three campuses.

Now, the task force is seeking students’ feedback on the broad themes that emerged from the consultations. From Monday to Friday this week, students, staff and faculty can weigh in on the draft summary of themes during student-run feedback sessions on the three campuses that have been organized by the Innovation Hub. No registration is required for the “pop-up” events, which are being held in high-traffic spaces.

Members of the U of T community can also provide their input through an online form until Nov. 25 or by emailing studentmentalhealth@utoronto.ca.

Sandy Welsh, U of T’s vice-provost, students, serves as senior assessor of the task force.

“We want to make sure that we are heading in the right direction,” she says, “and so we want to check in with people before we start finalizing any recommendations on these very important issues.”

The themes identified by the task force include questions around the availability of mental health services and how those services are communicated to the university community. Some students, for example, expressed concern about waitlists for counselling appointments and the number of available spots. The task force also identified a need to make pathways to mental health supports more transparent and accessible.

As for communication, the task force found that there is misunderstanding about the university’s mandated leave of absence policy. The measure – to be used only in exceptional circumstances – was intended to provide the university with a way of helping students who display concerning behaviour that suggests extreme mental health challenges or serious health issues.

“The policy is helping the very small number of students it was designed to help in terms of providing a compassionate and supportive way for them to take a break and come back,” Welsh says.

On the broader topic of demand for mental health services on campus, Welsh says U of T isn’t the only post-secondary institution that is working hard to meet students’ increased and changing needs.

“All universities in Ontario, Canada – even North America – are in the same position,” she says. “We are acutely aware of the need for mental health services, but as an educational institution we know we can’t deliver these services alone.

“We need engagement with other community partners and levels of government.”

Last month, U of T President Meric Gertler made many of the same points in a letter supporting a Toronto city council motion asking the federal government for funds to bolster local mental health supports.

“The magnitude of these problems requires multiple partners working together so that solutions can be found,” President Gertler wrote.

While it can be difficult to talk about one's mental health challenges, Egag says it's vital for the community to participate in consultations so that students receive the support they need.

"I'm of the opinion that those of us living with mental health challenges have our own unique stories,” he says. “[But] they may sometimes feel very hard to articulate and share with others – unfortunately leaving us to feel that we have to suffer in silence.

“If I could talk to myself at the start of my undergraduate studies, I would have told myself that I am deserving of feeling at peace – just as I think every student is.”

In the eight years since he started university, Egag says there's been a noticeable change in the conversation around mental health and he hopes things continue to change for the better.

“For any student reading this, I want them to know that getting into the University of Toronto is an incredible accomplishment, and they are deserving of support when needed,” he says.

And if you see him around campus, Egag says don't hesitate to stop and say, “Hello.”

“You are more than welcome to tell me if you're having a bad day,” he says.

Feeling distressed? Find someone to talk to right now – and if there is an immediate risk, call 911 or Crisis Services Canada at 1-833-456-4566.

The following are some of the mental health services available to students on all three campuses:

Downtown Toronto: Health and Wellness Centre (416-978-8030), located at Koffler Student Services

U of T Scarborough: Health & Wellness Centre 416-287-7065

U of T Mississauga: Health & Counselling Centre 905-828-5255

Round-the-clock support

Free 24/7 support is available outside the university. Students, staff and faculty can speak to a trained crisis worker at any hour of the day.

Good 2 Talk 1-866-925-5454

Gerstein Crisis Centre 416-929-5200

Distress Centres of Greater Toronto 416-408-HELP (4357)

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health at 250 College Street

Anishnawbe Health Toronto Mental Health Crisis Line 416-360-0486

My SSP for U of T Students 1-844-451-9700. Immediate support is available in 35 languages and ongoing support in 146 languages.

Appointed faculty and staff have access to the Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP), offered through Homewood Health, online and by phone at 1-800-663-1142.

U of T supports Toronto city council request for mental health funding

geoff.vendeville — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 17:29:32 +0000

U of T supports Toronto city council request for mental health funding

geoff.vendeville Fri, 11/01/2019 - 13:29

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Councillors Kristyn Wong-Tam and Joe Cressy put forward a motion this week that stressed an “urgent need” for more mental health and addiction services and called on the federal government to commit $300 million a year (photo by vichie81 via Getty Images)

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Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health

The University of Toronto has voiced support for a Toronto city council motion urging the federal government to provide $300 million per year “to address Toronto’s mental health and addiction crises.”

In a letter to council dated Oct. 27, U of T President Meric Gertler said the university is prepared to work with the city and other branches of government “to deal with this very real, very pressing issue,” and emphasized the need for a collaborative approach.

“The magnitude of these problems requires multiple partners working together so that solutions can be found,” President Gertler wrote.

Downtown councillors Kristyn Wong-Tam and Joe Cressy put forward a motion this week that stressed an “urgent need” for more mental health and addiction services and called on the federal government to commit $300 million a year to scale up “evidence-based and community oriented” resources.

The motion, which was adopted unanimously, also pressed the federal government to adopt a Mental Health Parity Act, which would spend as much on mental health services as it does on physical health, and asked for $600 million per year to help the city build supportive housing units over the next decade.

Wong-Tam and Cressy’s motion notes that 20 per cent of Canadians experience mental health and addiction issues each year, and that 75 per cent of mental health disorders first appear before age 25.

Among Canadians aged 18 to 35, suicide is the leading cause of death, the councillors say.

In 2017, U of T joined with the Council of Ontario Universities, Colleges Ontario and post-secondary student associations to launch an action plan on student mental health that recommended a “whole of community” approach, equitable access prevention and harm reduction.

In his letter, President Gertler noted that the university has more recently committed $3 million a year to respond to “the current demand and growing needs around mental health support.” He said the investment allowed the university to add 11 counsellors and 12 additional staff in accessibility services, doubling the number of advisers.

The university has also launched a task force on student mental health led by Trevor Young, dean of the Faculty of Medicine. Part of a four-point action plan announced by President Gertler in March, the task force is reviewing the university’s mental health supports and services and is due to make recommendations by the end of the year.

The other three pillars of U of T’s action plan are: working with health-care partners outside the university to improve U of T’s ability to refer students suffering serious mental health challenges; have the Expert Panel on Undergraduate Student Educational Experience look at issues surrounding learning cultures, competitiveness, student well-being and student supports; and work with government to secure more resources to support students.

“We are redoubling our efforts to focus services to assist students experiencing mental health challenges, but we cannot do this alone,” President Gertler wrote.

Feeling distressed? Find someone to talk to right now – and if there is an immediate risk, call 911 or Crisis Services Canada at 1-833-456-4566.

The following are some of the mental health services available to students on all three campuses:

Downtown Toronto: Health and Wellness Centre (416-978-8030), located at Koffler Student Services

U of T Scarborough: Health & Wellness Centre 416-287-7065

U of T Mississauga: Health & Counselling Centre 905-828-5255

Round-the-clock support

Free 24/7 support is available outside the university. Students, staff and faculty can speak to a trained crisis worker at any hour of the day.

Good 2 Talk 1-866-925-5454

Gerstein Crisis Centre 416-929-5200

Distress Centres of Greater Toronto 416-408-HELP (4357)

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health at 250 College Street

Anishnawbe Health Toronto Mental Health Crisis Line 416-360-0486

My SSP for U of T Students 1-844-451-9700. Immediate support is available in 35 languages and ongoing support in 146 languages.

Appointed faculty and staff have access to the Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP), offered through Homewood Health, online and by phone at 1-800-663-1142.

U of T’s psychiatrist-in-chief on supporting students with mental health challenges

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 20:00:29 +0000

U of T’s psychiatrist-in-chief on supporting students with mental health challenges

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 10/24/2019 - 16:00

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(photo by Stephen Dagg)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health

Health & Wellness Centre

Undergraduate Students

Social pressures, academic deadlines, financial commitments, living away from home for the first time – these are just some of the challenges students navigate during university. And all of them can potentially contribute to pre-existing mental health issues.

Statistics show that the majority of Canadians are likely to be enrolled at a post-secondary institution by age 21 and that three quarters of mental health disorders are first diagnosed before the age of 25.

“These young people are studying and living in the post-secondary environment at an age that coincides with the peak age of onset of mental health and substance use issues,” says Andrea Levinson (left), psychiatrist-in-chief at U of T Health & Wellness and assistant professor of child and youth mental health in the department of psychiatry in the Faculty of Medicine.

“We also see a clear rise in the number of students seeking mental health services, as a result of increased awareness of mental health and decreased stigma.”

The trend, reported by colleges and universities across Canada, has prompted U of T to redouble efforts to expand mental health services. Earlier this year, President Meric Gertler announced a four-point action plan that included the creation of a task force to review student mental health supports.

There are also efforts underway to help the U of T community spot friends and colleagues who are experiencing mental health issues, which is key since heightened anxiety or depression can affect people’s ability to recognize their condition.

U of T News spoke with Levinson about the mental health challenges faced by university students and what is being done to support them.

What are the factors specific to university life that can exacerbate young people’s mental health struggles?

There’s the transition away from home, which provides all the wonderful things associated with university and college, but also brings about many life changes. New connections, social circles, friendships, support circles and so on all have to be navigated.

The academic stressors are a key transition issue, as are finances, in terms of managing the cost of education, and the financial burden that students carry through their degrees.

There’s also the role of technology in this age of social media – 24-7 connections and incessant inputs, and that means a lack of downtime.

In addition, there are health-care transitions occurring. The age of 18, while arbitrary, is often used as a cut-off for funding and the distinction between child and adult services. These transitional-aged youth or emerging adults are a very under-recognized and under-served population in general, and that happens to coincide with the age of arriving at post-secondary education.

What's behind the increase in students’ willingness to seek out mental health services on campus?

For one, there’s an overall increase in enrolment. In 2016, Statistics Canada showed that there were 1.79 million individuals enrolled in post-secondary education, up from one million in 2000, with the highest enrolment in Ontario and Quebec.

Watch Andrea Levinson answer questions on Facebook Live

Some are students who needed mental health care in their childhood or secondary school, but were unable to access it – and now that they’re coming to post-secondary, it’s an opportunity to seek help. Then there are students who did access mental health care and are now transitioning into post-secondary and expect ongoing support.

There’s also a reduced stigma and increased awareness of mental health and willingness to seek help, which is great and a success story.

There’s also data showing that youth have more of an increased perception of having a mental health problem, where they’re attributing their distress to a mental health issue and seeking professional help, rather than just perceiving it as stress or an academic issue.

What measures can students take in terms of habits and lifestyle choices to help them manage stress?

It depends a lot on the context and individual, but community-building is an overarching theme in self-care and stress management.

It’s important to make time for real-life social connections like hanging out with friends, socializing outside the classroom and connecting with peers through clubs and societies. Exercise, particularly exercise that involves social connections such as playing on a team or getting involved in intramurals, is very valuable, as are yoga, mindfulness and good nutrition.

Sleep is huge. It’s something that quickly gets minimized as a student, partly due to academic demands and deadlines. There are many drop-in workshops and sessions on sleep within the university support system.

In terms of academic stress, students can get support from the Academic Success Centre in terms of scheduling, balancing time and learning strategies and resources around managing timelines and deadlines.

It can also be very helpful to take part in community-minded things that take you beyond your own inner situation, whether it’s co-curricular activity or volunteering.

What steps can students, faculty and staff take if they have reason to be concerned about the mental health of a student or co-worker?

When one is feeling very low or anxious, and it’s impacting their functioning, this inherently impacts their ability to identify that there’s a problem and seek help. That’s why it’s so important to build community so that those closest to you can actually notice.

We have a 30-minute online training program being rolled out called Identify, Assist, Refer (IAR), which we encourage faculty members to subscribe to. It's a very helpful first step and revolves around the notion that we, as a community, need to be able to identify when someone is experiencing a mental health occurrence. There’s also IAR+, a tailored, in-person training program to assist groups on campus in applying the IAR skills to their specific context at U of T, using case studies, role play and other activities.

It can be based on general observations such as when someone seems to be behaving out of character on a persistent basis, they seem to be withdrawing, they may be sharing vague references to self-harm or suicide or they seem disconnected, helpless and hopeless.

In such a situation, it’s important to engage the person in a conversation and not necessarily advise them as a pseudo-therapist, but rather validate and acknowledge what they’re going through and instil hope. Then it’s about connecting them with the right resources and following up with them.

The onus can’t just be on the person who may be struggling. We all have a role to play as friends, peers, faculty and staff.

What are some recent measures taken by U of T Health & Wellness that you would like the university community to know about?

We are initiating same-day, single-session counselling for students. Additionally, we offer counseling support in the library during the exam period as well as expanded on-location counseling in various settings across campus to provide early intervention in a more proximal location. International students can access 24-7 support through My SSP, which offers text and chat services in multiple languages.

Within Health & Wellness, there’s an increased focus on inter-disciplinary care – utilizing the strengths of primary care physicians, nurses, mental health nurses, social work, psychology, psychiatry and others – as well as collaborative care and partnerships around mental health-care delivery.

Can you discuss the importance of university partnerships with community mental health providers, government and other external partners in addressing students’ mental health needs?

If we think about that statistic that more than 75 per cent of youth are engaging in post-secondary by age 21, it shows that the post-secondary environment is a young person’s functional world – and this is where the opportunity for prevention, identification and treatment of mental illness is ripe.

For many students, health-care providers on campus can help very effectively and efficiently with services such as on-location and walk-in counseling, workshops, mindfulness spaces and so on. But we also need to support very highly distressed students with more severe and persistent mental illness who are at higher risk of negative outcomes and need a higher level of care than a campus can provide.

Post-secondary clinics are typically not included in mental health-care reform efforts in Canada, and we’re left out of regional health planning efforts. It's also very difficult to find care in the community in a ready, timely way. Wait times in the community are very long, the barriers can be very high and the services, for the most part, are not particularly youth-friendly.

That’s why partnerships are needed. Campus is a great place to start, but we need seamless connections to various community services. There’s a great opportunity to expand links between campus mental health services and community and tertiary mental health and substance use programs, and that will enable us to accelerate evidence-based practices to support our students.

What impact can initiatives such as U of T’s Presidential and Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health and consultations with the student body have?

The voice of students has to be embedded loud and clear in our efforts to evolve mental-health services. So the goal is to place students at the forefront by having them co-lead, co-develop and co-design the measures going forward.

The task force has done several consultations across the three campuses with lots of representation from students via focus groups – not to mention Accessibility Services, Student Life, crisis centres and other key stakeholders.

They’ve taken a very thorough approach, even holding consultations with external institutions. It’s a real scoping review of the current status of mental health services, which initiatives are flourishing, best practices and research of our own.

We anticipate a comprehensive approach and recommendations, some of which will not be quick or easy fixes to complex and multi-layered challenges. But it’s a really crucial step that will produce dynamic recommendations that will help take things forward.

Feeling distressed? Find someone to talk to right now – and if there is an immediate risk, call 911.

The following are some of the mental health services available to students on all three campuses:

Downtown Toronto: Health and Wellness Centre (416-978-8030), located at Koffler Student Services

U of T Scarborough: Health & Wellness Centre 416-287-7065.

U of T Mississauga: Health & Counselling Centre 905-828-5255

Round-the-clock support

Free 24/7 support is available outside the university. Students, staff and faculty can speak to a trained crisis worker at any hour of the day.

Good 2 Talk 1-866-925-5454

Gerstein Crisis Centre 416-929-5200.

Distress Centres of Greater Toronto 416-408-HELP (4357)

The Center for Addiction and Mental Health at 250 College Street

Anishnawbe Health Toronto Mental Health Crisis Line 416-360-0486

My SSP for International Students 1-844-451-9700. Immediate support is available in 35 languages and ongoing support in 146 languages

Appointed faculty and staff have access to the Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP), offered through Homewood Health, online and by phone at 1-800-663-1142.

Five stories about mental health and resilience to mark World Mental Health Day

davidlee1 — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 16:37:36 +0000

Five stories about mental health and resilience to mark World Mental Health Day

davidlee1 Thu, 10/10/2019 - 12:37

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(photo by Bim/Getty Images)

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