The University of Westminster is a welcoming and inclusive institution with a mission to ensure its students are fully supported during their studies to function well in the world, experience positive relationships and have a sense of purpose. As part of the University’s commitment to supporting student mental health, we look at examples of the projects and initiatives taking place at the University that aid students’ wellbeing.
University Mental Health Charter Programme: Improving support for student mental health
The University of Westminster joined the Mental Health Charter Programme in August 2021, an initiative led by Student Minds UK which brings together 32 universities committed to making mental health and wellbeing a university-wide priority to share practice and create cultural change.
Universities who have joined the Charter Programme form part of a UK-wide practice sharing network with access to events and opportunities to come together to improve their approach to student and colleague mental health.
Through the Charter, the University of Westminster and other partner universities have become part of a UK-wide network sharing access to events and opportunities, enabling the University to improve its approach to student mental health. Westminster has been working in partnership with the University of Westminster Students’ Union (UWSU) towards achieving the aims of the Charter, so that the priorities for action are informed by students’ experiences and views.
The University has also recently developed a Student Wellbeing Framework to define future actions to promote student wellbeing across all university activities and work towards achieving the Mental Health Charter.
Wellbeing Connect: Helping students to access mental health support
Wellbeing Connect is a new online tool which was developed by Jisc in partnership with London Higher to help thousands of students across London to access nearby mental health and wellbeing support.
The tool was launched at the University of Westminster in October 2021 during London Higher Education Week. The new website is available to students and support staff at 15 London universities, including the University of Westminster, who partnered on the project.
Wellbeing Connect will allow users instant access to specific, trusted and tailored NHS and other wellbeing services in London that are local to them. By working collaboratively on the tool, students and student practitioners alike were engaged throughout the development process to ensure that the tool reflects the needs of students and make a notable difference to their health and wellbeing throughout their studies.
UniVRse: A virtual reality intervention project
UniVRse is a virtual reality (VR) intervention project led by Dr Cassie Hazell, Lecturer in Psychology, which has recently received over £150,000 in funding from the Office for Students (OfS) to support student mental health. The project aims to support first-generation university students who are experiencing social anxiety who are especially vulnerable to this kind of anxiety in the university context due to imposter feelings and worse preparedness.
UniVRse will use cutting-edge VR technology to deliver a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-based intervention that uses established exposure techniques to reduce social anxiety, increase social confidence, and improve educational engagement with socially anxious first-generation students.
Through the programme, students will experience virtual simulations of anxiety-invoking university-based situations that will be adapted using graded exposure techniques. The content and design of the virtual reality program will also be led by first-generation student co-designers.
CHERISH: Caring for self-harm
CHERISH is a support website developed by academics at the University of Westminster in response to their research which identified a stark absence of guidance and resources available for individuals who provide support to university students experiencing poor mental health and/or self-harm. To combat this, CHERISH was developed alongside participants with lived experience including professionals and family and friends of those with personal experiences of self-harm.
Providing tips from the research team and participants, CHERISH aims to bring together information and resources on self-harm and mental health on one platform, something which participants felt was particularly lacking for them in a support/carer role.
It also offers a space to safely explore the emotions and experiences of other supporters/carers and illustrate the importance of self-care. CHERISH also provides a platform for sharing the voices of those with lived experiences of self-harm through quotes and blog posts.
Find out more about student wellbeing at the University of Westminster.
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