Supporting the wellbeing and mental health of Griffith students
Griffith University is committed to providing an inclusive, supportive environment that promotes positive mental health and wellbeing for all members of our university community and assists them to flourish and achieve success in academic, social, recreational, family, and work domains of life.
Enriching and expanding all aspects of our operations with new and innovative approaches to enhancing student mental health is an overarching objective of our Student Mental Health and Wellbeing strategy.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is committed to advancing knowledge, innovation, and practices that promote holistic health and well-being.
Our mission
Mental health conditions occur at a concerning level of prevalence in university student populations in western societies. A large-scale international study recently reported that around 20% of university students had experienced a mental health issue of clinical severity over the previous 12 months.
Our mission is to implement a Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy that supports the University’s broader goal of creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all members of the university community, embedding a focus on mental wellbeing into all aspects of university culture.
Strategic Goal 1
Provide high-level leadership, policy and planning, systems and processes, that promote student mental wellbeing.
Strategic Goal 2
Foster a supportive, inclusive, health promoting learning environment.
Strategic Goal 3
Enhance the mental health literacy and supportive communication of university staff and students.
Strategic Goal 4
Provide learning, teaching and curriculum experiences that promote mental wellbeing.
Strategic Goal 5
Establish systems and processes for early identification of and assistance for students who are at increased risk of developing mental health problems.
Strategic Goal 6
Increase student access to evidence-based mental health services and programs on campus, online, and through external partnerships.
Strategic Goal 7
Provide timely and effective crisis intervention for students at risk of harm to themselves or others.
Stepped care model
The rationale for the SMHWBS accepts that mental wellbeing lies on a continuum indicating that strategic interventions need to address the issue at multiple levels and so uses a model of stepped-care so students can move down as well as up the levels, students can enter at any level, and students can elect to move or be referred up multiple levels as appropriate.
The stepped-care framework aims to match the needs of students with mental health problems with the most appropriate services depending on their biopsychosocial circumstances. Each step represents increased complexity of intervention with higher steps inclusive of intervention in previous steps so students can move up and down the continuum of services. Click the model below to open in a new browser window.
Online Health and Wellness Centre
Griffith's new Online Health and Wellness Centre is a portal designed to increase student awareness and understanding of mental health concerns, and learn tips for promoting better health and wellbeing such as living a healthy lifestyle, engaging in meaningful social activity, feeling safe, stable and secure, and looking after your mental wellness.
Additional resources
There are number of services and programs on offer that support the University’s broader goal of creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all members of the university community, embedding a focus on mental wellbeing into all aspects of university culture. Supporting resources from external bodies are also available to assist staff and students with mental health and wellbeing knowledge such as treatment, prevention and education.
Feedback
If you have any feedback regarding the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, we want to hear from you.