{"id":18252,"date":"2016-02-03T15:44:39","date_gmt":"2016-02-03T20:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/carleton.ca\/edc\/?p=18252"},"modified":"2021-08-13T10:13:30","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T14:13:30","slug":"lets-talk-mental-health-in-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/tls\/2016\/lets-talk-mental-health-in-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s talk: Mental health in the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Emma Brown, TLS staff writer<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2019re studying.<\/p>\n

Thinking With the Heart<\/em> by Bronwen Wallace.<\/p>\n

One student begins reading. Tracey leans in to listen with care.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026I wish I could show you what a man\u2019s anger makes of a woman\u2019s face\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The young woman reading begins to cry. She can\u2019t continue.<\/p>\n

Before Tracey can intervene another student gently speaks up, \u201cI\u2019ll help.\u201d<\/p>\n

She finishes the poem on domestic abuse. Silence. There are few dry eyes in the room.<\/p>\n

The woman who read the ending breaks the silence by turning to the young woman who started, \u201cIt\u2019s okay. I\u2019ve never been able to get through it by myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things that\u2019s very important to me is that the classroom be a safe space for students and that they feel comfortable and know that I\u2019m accessible to them regardless of whatever issues they are having,\u201d says Tracey.<\/p>\n

But not all students experience this type of atmosphere during their time at Carleton.<\/p>\n

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: \u201cYou\u2019re suffering? Good. Everybody suffers.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s 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)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>. The Council of Ontario Universities\u2019 (COU) Canada Campus Survey<\/a><\/em> also reported that students are more susceptible to developing these problems than the general youth population.<\/p>\n

Identifying this as a growing concern, the Carleton University Student Mental Health Advisory Committee produced a Student Mental Health Framework<\/a> in 2009. In it they acknowledge that, \u201cthe transition to adulthood can be an especially exciting but also a complex time\u2026for some the road to independence, identity and employment can lead to\u2026mental health problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

The purpose of the framework is to \u201cfacilitate a consistent and integrated approach to responding to Carleton students who are in distress.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

While the task of dealing with students in distress may seem daunting to instructors, there are many resources available. Maureen Murdock, director of Carleton\u2019s Health and Counselling Services, says instructors are welcome to reach out when facing a challenging situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of faculty will call if they need help, if they\u2019re dealing with somebody who is experiencing difficulty in class. We\u2019re pretty open to that,\u201d says Murdock.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> and will even call for them if they need her to.<\/p>\n

Another resource is the From Intention to Action (FIT: Action)<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

The Paul Menton Centre (PMC)<\/a> is also available for students with mental health problems who need academic accommodations (later deadlines, different exam location etc.).<\/p>\n

Zakaib encourages instructors to find creative ways to encourage students in need to access these resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake five minutes and talk about [mental health]\u2026make people aware that you care about it,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cculture of awareness and understanding\u201d surrounding mental health in the classroom.<\/p>\n

He says this open environment is important because \u201cif [students] are afraid to identify themselves, they won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zakaib says professors should fight against the idea that university must be difficult and stress-filled.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously intellectually it should be challenging but personally and professionally it should be doable,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Murdock is encouraged by the way the campus culture surrounding mental health has been improving.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy impression of the faculty that I\u2019ve encountered is that they\u2019ve been very open to hearing about mental health,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

As the stigma is lowered, it\u2019s important to provide resources to help those who now have the courage to say \u201cI need help,\u201d says Zakaib.<\/p>\n

The key is that students don\u2019t feel alone in their struggles. Like the woman reading the poem, we\u2019ve never been able to get through it by ourselves. And there\u2019s no shame in that.<\/p>\n

For more information on the policies for dealing with students in distress, please visit the Office of the Vice-President (Students and Enrolment) website<\/a>. Here you\u2019ll 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019re studying. Thinking With the Heart by Bronwen Wallace. One student begins reading. Tracey leans in to listen with care. \u201c\u2026I wish I could […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[600,601],"yoast_head":"\nLet\u2019s talk: Mental health in the classroom - 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