In terms of mental health issues, there is growing concern that Ireland is failing its student population. If a student is in distress psychologically or emotionally, it is vital that he or she can seek help on campus. Yet, in the majority of colleges across Ireland, students can be waiting up to six weeks to see a counsellor – and even longer in larger colleges or in the run-up time to exam season.

The benefits of on-campus counselling are manifest. By accessing psychological therapy on campus, students avoid missing time from their academic schedule. They also reduce pressure on HSE services which are overstretched, and in many cases not resourced to provide the psychological therapies that would benefit students.

Psychological Counsellors in Higher Education Ireland (PCHEI) is the representative body of student counselling services in Ireland’s 23 Higher Education Institutions. No one is more aware of the pressure that students experience in college than their spokesperson, Treasa Fox. “75% of all mental health difficulties appear before someone is 25,” Fox notes. “Many students we see present with issues that emerged in their teen years, such as anxiety or depression. Then, you see academic and financial pressures, soaring costs, shortage of accommodation, and social media pressures being heaped on already vulnerable students.”

With this in mind, one of PCHEI’s main goals is to improve mental health services across all colleges. From supplying embedded counsellors to training all academic staff, Fox insists that it is highly cost-effective for colleges to provide more, and better, support.

“It can be down to bringing additional counsellors in during peak times,” she says. “It wouldn’t cost hundreds of thousands. The economic and social investment would far outweigh the cost. Many student counselling services track the impact of counselling on a student’s academic achievement. Student drop-out is costly, both to the institution and the government.”

Early intervention

Payu Tiwari, a journalism student at DCU, spoke to Hot Press about how the stress of moving to a new country caused her extreme levels of anxiety.

“It was just the crushing weight of it all,” she reflects. “I had put such high stakes on making a move here to pursue journalism. I was having to deal with being in debt from student fees, and the expectations of my extended Indian family riding on me, as well as some complications that arose with my visa. I felt like I was thrown right into the eye of the hurricane.”

In a college like DCU, with over 15,000 students, there’s a huge strain on counselling resources. With so many people seeking counselling support, waiting lists can sometimes end up being 6-8 weeks. For Tiwari, this added hugely to the stress. She noted that only a handful of counsellors were available in DCU at any time. However, Treasa Fox explains how students in high distress or at risk can be often prioritised.

“Student counselling services are keenly aware of current rates of self-harm and suicidal risk among this population,” she says. “So they will prioritise these students. But we can’t do with what we don’t have. Somebody’s mental health isn’t going to improve if they are not getting the help they need. As a national organisation, we know we can do excellent work, but only if we are adequately funded, to the point where we can intervene early. Early intervention can mean improved well-being for students in as little as 3-4 sessions.”

In addition to providing counselling, outreach and consultation, PCHEI actively assist Student Unions in promoting personal well-being and mental health. This outreach work includes advertising counselling services through social media and email, and arranging guest speakers to come in and talk to students. There have been a number of successful Student Union-led campaigns to de-stigmatise mental health.

“These campaigns have made mental health a legitimate conversation topic,” says Fox. “But raising awareness and reducing stigma needs to be met with increased access to services. If there are all these campaigns, it would be quite irresponsible if there weren’t accessible services.”

Fox also emphasises the importance of providing institution-wide training and support to staff, who meet distressed students regularly.

“Student counselling services are the first port of call when a student is in crisis or high distress,” she says. “As frontline staff are often the ones encountering this, we provide crisis management – but also support and guidance for the staff members dealing with the crisis. It’s very important we take care of the staff, as a lot of them wouldn’t have a background in this area. Some student may not need counselling – if they get the support from a lecturer, it may prevent it from becoming a complex or long-lasting issue.”

Aftermath of counselling

Despite benefiting greatly from the sessions, Tiwari found it difficult to get follow-up meetings. Also, with her course about to finish, she felt as if she was being cut-off from seeking additional support. “I have to find a new counsellor, since I can only consult the university counsellor until the end of my course which finishes in September,” she says. “My counsellor will be giving me places I can go to, but I’m really not looking forward to being made to sit on a waiting list for long, knowing that I need help soon.

“I am in need of counselling right now, but I cannot afford it; between rent and counselling, my money has to go to rent. Back home this would’ve never been a problem, as counselling there is much more affordable.” The completion of their studies is a major transition in a student’s life, and can create a lot of anxieties about the future. Ending the relationship with a counsellor in college, or with the student counselling service, can add to this stress.

Fox spoke about how they try to ensure any student who needs ongoing counselling gets the support they need, but options are limited. “When a student is finishing college, we explore with them options of counselling support in the community they will be living in. This may be referral to their GP, Jigsaw, private counsellors or services providing low-cost counselling. If risk is a concern, then referral to GP/HSE services or Pieta House might be an option.”

While it can be daunting, we actively encourage anyone experiencing difficulties to seek help. If information on services isn’t easy to find, email your class rep, trusted tutor or Student Union Welfare Officer to ascertain what is available in your college.

Check your college website for resources. Look out for the PleaseTalk.org signpost on campus services. pchei.ie

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College Welfare Officers from around the country talk about the services they provide

Niamh Connery is Welfare Officer for UCC Students Union. In addition to counselling, they offer a free student health centre, where students can see someone if they need to. “We also try to organise a variety of events and campaigns throughout the year to raise awareness,” she adds. “During orientation speeches, all freshers are informed of the free services available to them on campus. We run a mental well-being week every year, and this year we will be doing a monthly ‘Mind Your Mental Health’ campaign.”

Laura Muldoon is Welfare Officer in IT Sligo. The North-Western college has a waiting list of 2-3 weeks for appointments, which is relatively short. In terms of preventitive measures, they run Mental Health Week in Semester 1 and Positive Mental Health Week in Semester 2. During ‘Class Rep Training’, the college Student Health Service gives talks about the resources that classmates have available to them. They also run SafeTalk training on campus every year.

Luke Daly is Vice President and Welfare Officer in ITB (Institute of Technology Blanchardstown). The Union run a Mental Health Week, during which students can join in on fun initiatives to make people more aware of mental health issues and to get them talking. Daly says Blanch’s student union are “shifting focus away from supporting friends to supporting ourselves. We have fostered a positive culture of being great, and of encouraging our friends to seek support.”

Kim Lockyer is Welfare Officer for Maynooth University. She explains that they offer “weekly drop-in hours for students in distress.” They are affiliated with both the Green Ribbon campaign and Niteline services – both of which offer support to students in crisis.

Roisin O’Donovan is VP in charge of Welfare at DIT. She explains that DIT provides counsellors. Meanwhile, DIT Students Union offers an advice service. “It consists of full-time, confidential and independent student advisors, but they are not counsellors. We give a presentation to most first year classes and mention the services. DIT campus life also gives info to students.”