Studying at Deakin is about more than education – we’re also here to support your health and wellbeing
Do you remember the day you found out you’d been accepted to university? Maybe you celebrated this milestone with friends and family, reflected on how far you’ve come or started to think about how your chosen career just got a step closer.
You’ve come to Deakin to turn that career dream into a reality and we’ll do everything we can to help you succeed in your desired field. We’ve got a wonderful team of teachers and a range of first-class study support to help you every step of the way.
But it’s important to know that we don’t just look at you as a ‘student’. As a member of the Deakin family, our commitment to you extends beyond books, assignments, labs, exams or grades. We want to help you look after yourself – now and in the future – by nurturing and promoting your personal health and wellbeing.
Helping you to feel your best will enable you to not only reach your academic or career potential, but also ensure that you enjoy your university experience and become more resilient, confident and joyful along the way.
This has proven to be especially important in 2020, as we have all dealt with the challenges of COVID-19 and adjusted to a vastly different university experience.
Setting the standard: our Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy
To ensure that we live these values, we have developed the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which sets the standard for your experience as a Deakin student.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin describes the strategy as encompassing every aspect of Deakin life:
‘We will enhance the health and wellbeing of our entire Deakin community, providing an inclusive, supportive environment, promoting positive mental health and wellbeing. Our primary goal is to assist our students in thriving academically, socially, in their relationships and throughout their chosen careers.’
What this means for you
As part of the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, we will:
- continue to identify and minimise any risk factors that could affect your mental health
- involve you when designing mental health and wellbeing policies and programs
- expand effective programs and resources that will help you to nurture positive mental wellbeing
- improve your access to mental health support.
Not just talk: how we’re ‘walking the walk’
We’ve reviewed, enhanced and implemented several programs, policies and events that focus on student mental health and wellbeing. Some examples include:
Wellbeing Ambassadors
Our Wellbeing Ambassadors are motivated and passionate students who help to influence what Deakin does with and for students, and lead and run health and wellbeing programs. The program was introduced in 2019 and expanded in 2020.
Mind Matters
Mind Matters, our annual event to promote optimal mental wellbeing, includes a range of opportunities for students to interact and engage with enjoyable and beneficial activities. Mind Matters was held fully online in 2020, giving all students access to lots of helpful information, strategies and resources to enhance mental health.
Online mental health workshops
During Trimester 2, we teamed up with Bupa to run a series of free online mental health workshops on a range of topics, including how to manage uni life for success, dealing with anxiety and practising mindfulness. These workshops included group discussions and activities, action plans, and tips and strategies to apply these tool to daily life.
Cloudy
Resilience is an important part of achieving success and looking after your health and wellbeing. All students now have access to Cloudy, a toolkit that tests how resilient you are right now and then shows you how to raise that level of resilience.
Ask a question or become involved
To bring the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy to life, we’ve formed five Action Groups involving staff and student partners. These groups will be leading the design of innovative and engaging programs, events and campaigns for 2021 and beyond.
If you have any questions, suggestions or feedback about the strategy, please contact us.