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Mental Health at Ambrose University Strategies for Change

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Mental Health at Ambrose University Strategies for Change Mental Health at Ambrose University Strategies for Change Partial Fulfillment of the Post-Secondary Student Mental Health Grant Transition Period, Phase 1: August 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020 Presented by: Ambrose University Presented to: Alberta Advanced Education 1 Contents Preamble/Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 3 Literature Review .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Mental Illnesses and Mental Health Problems ......................................................................................... 5 Mental Health as Flourishing .................................................................................................................... 5 A System-Wide Approach ............................................................................................................................. 6 Summary of Findings..................................................................................................................................... 8 Ambrose Mental Health Strategy ............................................................................................................... 10 1. Mental Health Awareness ................................................................................................................... 11 2. Self-Management Competencies and Coping Skills ............................................................................ 12 3. Early Identification and Response ....................................................................................................... 12 4. Accessible Mental Health Services and Crisis Response ..................................................................... 13 5. Institutional Policies and Procedures .................................................................................................. 14 6. Supportive and Inclusive Campus ....................................................................................................... 14 Sources ........................................................................................................................................................ 16 Appendix A: Ambrose Values ...................................................................................................................... 18 Appendix B: Key Findings from the 2018 Ambrose Gap Analysis and 2019 NCHA Survey ......................... 19 Findings from the 2019 NCHA Survey ..................................................................................................... 19 Findings from the 2018 Gap Analysis ...................................................................................................... 20 Sample Characteristics: Demographics ............................................................................................... 20 Accessing Services ............................................................................................................................... 22 Accepting Community ......................................................................................................................... 23 Resourcing Mental Health Services .................................................................................................... 25 Staff and Faculty and Mental Health .................................................................................................. 26 Environment........................................................................................................................................ 26 Antecedents ........................................................................................................................................ 26 2 Preamble/Introduction Ambrose is a Christian Liberal Arts University located in a large urban centre. Ambrose is a community of transformative Christian higher education with a vision for the welfare of our city and our world. By providing excellent post-secondary education we prepare men and women for wise, joyful and redemptive engagement in the church, society and the created order. Ambrose is a small university community with around 850 undergraduate and seminary students. Ambrose cares about the holistic formation and development of students. With our guiding mission and values of service and holistic formation, (see Appendix A for Ambrose’s values) it is imperative that Ambrose comprehensively attend to the mental health of the community. While this strategy is primarily focused on students, this strategy would not be comprehensive if it did not address the entire community. Mental Health is a growing concern for post-secondary institutions. The onset of mental health challenges are especially significant for those aged 15-24—many of whom attend post-secondary institutions. Suicide accounts for a disproportionaly high amount of deaths in Canadians of this age. Univerisities are witnessing that more students are coming to university with pre-existing mental health concerns and are seeing rising levels of stress. The institutions serving these students have noted both the complexity of the issues students face and an increase in help-seeking behaviours. (CACUSS and Canadian Mental Health Associaion, 2013).In short, we face growing need in the area of mental health, and we must provide additional supports so that students can succeed academically and be equipped to participate meaningfully and fully in all aspects of life throughout their lifespans. In Fall 2017, in response to the mandate from the Government of Alberta for university campuses to create a mental health strategy specific to their campus, Ambrose University created a task force to develop a student mental health strategy that would implement ongoing strategies and interventions to address students’ mental health. The task force included indivduals from divisions across the university. In Winter 2018, we conducted a gap analysis to ascertain the mental health needs of the student body. Previously, we had gathered data on student mental health through two surveys: The Redeemer survey (Fall 2016) measured students’ current health, both physical and mental, including their attitudes toward and experiences with self-harm and suicide. The Thriving survey (Fall 2017) assessed students’ sense of connectedness and community. However, we lacked deep, systematic knowledge of students’ needs. Thus, in the gap analysis, we combined a broad survey of the student population with more in-depth sessions: focus groups and interviews. The entire current student body was sent a 63-question survey consisting of demographic, qualitative and quantitative questions (see Appendix B). Subsequently, we conducted four focus groups and four individual interviews to clarify common suggestions in the survey such as “increase mental health awareness.” Paying particular attention to minority and affinity groups on campus, we considered the feedback of Indigenous students, residence students, commuter students, and students diagnosed with a learning disorder or mental illness, noting how their needs compared to the needs of the student body at large. The results highlighted broad recommendations for the whole student body as well as specific interventions for minority and affinity groups. 3 In Spring 2019, we participated in the National College Health Assessment (NCHA), which further increased our understanding around key health and mental health indicators. This survey was helpful in indicating what students were experiencing in terms of diagnosis as well as what issues were most significantly impacting their academics. These sources of information about our students have served to highlight gaps and needs at Ambrose and serve as the basis for the recommendations being put forward. 4 Literature Review Mental Illnesses and Mental Health Concerns According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, many Canadians—1 in 5—will experience mental health problems or illnesses in their lifetimes; however, in most cases, less than half of all adults with mental health issues actually seek help for their symptoms (Canadian Mental Health Association; Eisenberg, Golberstein, & Gollust, 2007). In other words, many individuals need mental health supports, and few actually receive them. This issue disproportionately affects youth and young adults: individuals aged 18-24 years, the age of the majority of university students, are considered at the highest risk for mental illnesses and substance misuse (Reavley & Jorm, 2010). Moreover, suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths in 15-24 year olds (Canadian Mental Health Association). This trend is likely to continue; in fact, the rate of mental illness is predicted to increase with the newest generation (Han, Compton, Mojtabai, Colpe, & Hughes, 2016). Despite the growing need, especially in this age group, only 20% to 36% of students in the university setting actually receive professional help for their mental health (Eisenberg, Hunt, Speer & Zivin, 2011). In short, post-secondary institutions are facing a growing gap between students’ mental health needs and their ability to provide adequate supports. For many students, the post-secondary environment creates social, financial, and emotional pressures that influence the development, manifestation and treatment of mental health issues. In the 2018 gap- analysis survey, many Ambrose University students
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