By Emma Brown, TLS staff writer
Her students watch attentively as Prof. Collett Tracey sits on the desk at the front of the class and opens a book to the poem they’re studying.
Thinking With the Heart by Bronwen Wallace.
One student begins reading. Tracey leans in to listen with care.
“…I wish I could show you what a man’s anger makes of a woman’s face…”
The young woman reading begins to cry. She can’t continue.
Before Tracey can intervene another student gently speaks up, “I’ll help.”
She finishes the poem on domestic abuse. Silence. There are few dry eyes in the room.
The woman who read the ending breaks the silence by turning to the young woman who started, “It’s okay. I’ve never been able to get through it by myself.”
Tracey, an English literature professor at Carleton, says her classes often deal with difficult subject matter like abuse or depression that bring up real struggles for students.
“One of the things that’s very important to me is that the classroom be a safe space for students and that they feel comfortable and know that I’m accessible to them regardless of whatever issues they are having,” says Tracey.
But not all students experience this type of atmosphere during their time at Carleton.
Scott Zakaib is an engineering student with obsessive-compulsive disorder and a generalized anxiety disorder. He says the attitude in some of his classes tends to be: “You’re suffering? Good. Everybody suffers.”
What’s missing is the understanding that the level of suffering caused by mental illness is much more serious than normal university stress, says Zakaib, now the president of the Student Alliance for Mental Health (SAMH).
University students are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems. Youth ages 15-24 are the most likely demographic in Canada to suffer from anxiety, personality disorders, schizophrenia, mood disorders, substance dependency and suicidal behaviours, according to Statistics Canada. The Council of Ontario Universities’ (COU) Canada Campus Survey also reported that students are more susceptible to developing these problems than the general youth population.
Identifying this as a growing concern, the Carleton University Student Mental Health Advisory Committee produced a Student Mental Health Framework in 2009. In it they acknowledge that, “the transition to adulthood can be an especially exciting but also a complex time…for some the road to independence, identity and employment can lead to…mental health problems.”
The purpose of the framework is to “facilitate a consistent and integrated approach to responding to Carleton students who are in distress.” It covers a wide-range of issues from non-urgent to urgent and even, how to assist students who are not formally registered at Carleton. It is currently undergoing a review.
While the task of dealing with students in distress may seem daunting to instructors, there are many resources available. Maureen Murdock, director of Carleton’s Health and Counselling Services, says instructors are welcome to reach out when facing a challenging situation.
“A lot of faculty will call if they need help, if they’re dealing with somebody who is experiencing difficulty in class. We’re pretty open to that,” says Murdock.
Letting students know about the resources available to them is also important. Tracey says so many students approach her wanting or needing counselling. She knows to direct them to Health and Counselling Services and will even call for them if they need her to.
Another resource is the From Intention to Action (FIT: Action) program. It is designed to help students manage stress. Staff members trained in counselling and learning strategies meet with students one-on-one for one hour a week for the entire semester.
The Paul Menton Centre (PMC) is also available for students with mental health problems who need academic accommodations (later deadlines, different exam location etc.).
Zakaib encourages instructors to find creative ways to encourage students in need to access these resources.
“Take five minutes and talk about [mental health]…make people aware that you care about it,” Zakaib said. He suggests professors take time in the first lecture to let students know that they understand mental health problems are common and they are available to talk about it.
Zakaib also suggests posting mental health resources on the culearn course page and including a section on mental health in the syllabus (in addition to pregnancy, religious obligations and illness). All of this will help contribute to a “culture of awareness and understanding” surrounding mental health in the classroom.
He says this open environment is important because “if [students] are afraid to identify themselves, they won’t.”
Zakaib says professors should fight against the idea that university must be difficult and stress-filled.
“Obviously intellectually it should be challenging but personally and professionally it should be doable,” he says.
Murdock is encouraged by the way the campus culture surrounding mental health has been improving.
“My impression of the faculty that I’ve encountered is that they’ve been very open to hearing about mental health,” she says.
As the stigma is lowered, it’s important to provide resources to help those who now have the courage to say “I need help,” says Zakaib.
The key is that students don’t feel alone in their struggles. Like the woman reading the poem, we’ve never been able to get through it by ourselves. And there’s no shame in that.
For more information on the policies for dealing with students in distress, please visit the Office of the Vice-President (Students and Enrolment) website. Here you’ll find the policies and protocols that are outlined in the Student Mental Health Framework, including the general protocol for identifying and assisting students in distress.