Supporting students’ mental health has been one of the most challenging parts of being a lecturer. I was shocked by its prevalence in my interactions with students and it feels like this omnipresent issue that hardly any of us are prepared for or trained to handle. https://twitter.com/herdjournal/status/1295641083443986433

My first interaction with a student in crisis was just months into the job. It really scared me because I had no idea about the right questions to ask or the right resources to point them to. So much felt like relying on personal empathy rather than professional training.

I was also really unprepared for the impact these interactions would have on my own mental health and how students’ very real concerns would feed into my own anxiety. I didn’t foresee the burden of taking that home with you on a regular basis.

Anyways I think it’s really essential for this training to be available and signposted (and required!) for higher education staff, particularly because students’ lives can genuinely depend on it.