Session Outline

Personal Tutors and those who work in student support and advice roles have safeguarding responsibilities and a duty of care towards the students that we work with. There has been an increase in the support that students need from university with 1 in 2 students now stating that they worry about mental health daily or weekly (Cibyl, 2024). It is important to recognise the possible impact that this increased need for support can have on staff who work in supporting students. This presentation will evaluate different types of training courses and support can help those in student advisory roles.

1. Short Courses – such as Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) which has been found to increase confidence in helping someone with a mental health problem (Morgan et al, 2018).

2. Longer Courses – such as counselling and coaching qualifications. The impact and benefits of these training courses:

- Learnt techniques for putting in boundaries with students

- Strengthened active listening skills

- Increased awareness of diversity and differences between people (gender, sexuality, ethnicity)

- Increased knowledge of ethical issues and good practice

3. Supervision – both informal peer supervision and professional supervision.

The impact of peer and professional supervision:

- Reflective space to consider student cases

- Peers can share wisdom and similar challenges

Learning Outcomes

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