University Mental Health Day, the annual national campaign highlighting mental health across universities, is taking place this year on Thursday 9 March.
The aim of University Mental Health Day is to bring together the university community to make mental health a university-wide priority and create ongoing year-round change to the future of student mental health.
What is happening during the day?
The Student Wellbeing team will be running stalls at Marylebone and Harrow campuses, with experts from mental health charities, and will provide tools and resources on how to look after your wellbeing. There will also be information and resources on different types of mental health difficulties, specialist support, help with addiction, sexual health advice and more.
Regent and Cavendish campuses will also have stalls with information on the different types of support available at Westminster and the five steps you can take to improve your wellbeing.
All stalls will be running from 11am - 3pm on Thursday 9 March. Please come along for some useful resources and freebies.
Workshops and events in March
Throughout the month, the University of Westminster and the Students’ Union are running talks and workshops for students on wellbeing and mental health:
(Thursday 9 March, 2-2.30pm – Harrow campus)
This half-an-hour mindfulness session is for all students who would like to begin exploring or continue improving their skills of awareness in relating with all of life experience while studying at University.
(Monday 13 March, 11am-3pm – Harrow campus)
Join us at Harrow campus to learn more about the different ways you can access Disability Learning support.
(Tuesday 14 March, 12-1pm – Online)
Join this workshop about consent, healthy relationships, sexual health and raising awareness around sexual misconduct.
(Wednesday 15 March, 1-2pm – Online)
In this interactive workshop, based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), you will learn how unhelpful thinking patterns can leave us stuck and will learn practical tools to overcome procrastination and overwhelming tasks in order to achieve your goals.
(Tuesday 21 March, 10:30am-12:30pm - Online)
Green Dot is an active bystander training programme focusing on sexual abuse, domestic abuse and harassment. This overview session is generalised training that explores the main concepts of the active bystander initiative. The skills learnt are not just applicable to incidences of power-based personal violence, they can be used in any situation where there is a risk of escalation or harm.
(Thursday 23 March, 10am - 4pm - or - Wednesday 29 March, 11am - 5pm – Cavendish campus)
Join this one-day workshop to re-ignite your university journey, make new friends and connections, get motivated and find your focus.
(Thursday 30 March, 12:30-2pm - Online)
As part of our Black History Year series, the event will explore design, creativity, mental health and wellbeing through the lens of Black academics and students’ experiences of higher education. We will look at the value of design and how it can be used to reflect on and communicate our experiences. We will also consider how design can be used as a powerful tool for activism and advocacy in the area of wellbeing and mental health.
(Friday 31 March, 10:30am-1pm - Cavendish campus)
This workshop covers how to effectively support the mental health of you and your friends. It includes practical tips, how to set boundaries and access the support available. The workshop also covers essential skills to bolster your CV, such as communication, listening and motivating skills.
Services and support at Westminster
Mental health applies to us all, and it is essential that we all take steps to look after our mental and emotional wellbeing.
Our Student Wellbeing page, located via the Student Hub, can offer you advice, access to a range of wellbeing resources and more.
If you have any concerns, are worried, unwell, or in need of specialist support, you should speak with your personal tutor first. They can refer you to a wellbeing adviser to help you get the support that you need.
Visit our Counselling page, where our professionally-trained counsellors will be happy to help you. The types of support on offer through this service include 1-2-1 appointments, group sessions, emailing counselling, and Teams sessions for those who may find it hard to attend campus.
For more information on the services we offer, please check the University of Westminster page on the Student Space website.