Health and wellbeing

Deakin offers a range of services and benefits to support and help staff and students improve their health and wellbeing. It’s important for you to look after your health and wellbeing as the demands of university teaching can take its toll. Equally important is knowing where to refer students should they require health support.

Health and wellbeing calendar of events

Check out Deakin's health and wellbeing calendar of events and get involved in various health and wellbeing initiatives and activities throughout the year. Have some fun while improving your health and raising awareness for many great causes.

Medical Centres

Mental health support at Deakin

The experience of mental illness in Australia is common, with one in five, or 20% of Australians aged 16–85 experiencing a mental illness in any one year. Relationships, participation at work and/or school and day to day functioning can all be impacted when a person is experiencing mental ill health. If you are struggling with any of these issues, there is plenty of mental health support available for you at Deakin University.

Getting help: essential resources (PDF 303KB) provides important information and referral services when you encounter a mental health crisis situation. Keep this document handy, particularly when teaching and on-campus. Included here is:

  • Crisis Assessment Teams (CAT) who operate a 24 hour service providing urgent assessment, referral and short term treatment and intervention to people who are in psychiatric crisis
  • suicide, mental health and psychological support services and organisations
  • employment related contacts and support.

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Download Hints for working with staff and students (DOCX 17KB) with mental illness for quick guidelines.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training at Deakin

MHFA is the help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate professional treatment is received or until the crisis resolves.

It does not train you to be a therapist. Rather, this program teaches participants how to use an action plan to assess risk and provide support in the first instance in situations where either staff or students may be experiencing a mental health crisis. The course is conducted by staff from the Safer Community and Counselling Service.

Please register via Deakin People. Click on the Training tile and select DSL01—Mental Health First Aid Training. Please note that if you are a casual staff member, you will need to discuss this with your line manager and request that your line manager send an email to Karen Stuart with your full name, Staff ID number and what training sessions you wish to attend.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Deakin’s Employee Assistance Program offers all staff (including casuals) a voluntary, short-term, cost-free, confidential, professional counselling and referral service where staff are experiencing work-related and personal problems that are adversely affecting their work performance.

Mental Health Fact Sheets

Deakin LGBTIQ+ Community

The LGBTIQ+ Community is an alliance of people of diverse sexes, genders and sexualities all working together to create a positive University environment. The Network aims to:

  • create a university culture that welcomes everyone
  • provide a safe and inclusive environment for all staff and students
  • promote awareness and understanding of issues affecting people of diverse sexes, genders and sexualities
  • eliminate homophobia, transphobia and discrimination
  • ensure that University policies and decisions are inclusive
  • ensure that Deakin students participate in an education that appreciates and values people of all gender identities and sexual orientations
  • actively participate in community events to celebrate Deakin’s diverse population.

VIDEO: Deakin says NO to homophobia

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Download video transcript Deakin says NO to homophobia (DOCX 16KB).

LGBTIQ resources

Deakin University recognises the importance of having a richly diverse student and staff community and the need to actively and positively support this diversity. We know that there are a wide range of unique challenges facing members of our community who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, or questioning their gender or sexuality (LGBTIQ or people of diverse sexualities and genders).

LGBTIQ resources provides a list of resources to support you during any challenges you may be facing and help you find the advice or assistance that you need.

Gender transition at Deakin: Information and resources supporting gender transition for Deakin staff and students. This includes the Deakin Gender Transition guide (PDF 608KB) and Gender Transition Procedure.

Health and wellness coaching

Health and Wellness coaching services are available to students and staff including:

  • one-on-one coaching and wellness appointments available either face-to-face or via phone/Skype
  • completion of a health assessment form
  • goal setting for health focusing on areas such as quitting smoking, getting in shape, losing weight, managing stress and improving overall health
  • providing support, ideas and strategies to achieve specific goals.

Physical activity at Deakin

  • Physical Activity provides a wealth of resources to help you become energised, reduce your risk of preventable illnesses, and also create new socialising opportunities

Deakin facilities

Wellness apps, guidelines and tools

Healthy eating

Healthy eating at Deakin

Healthy eating choices and recipes

Useful Information

Smoking and alcohol

Deakin is 'smoke-free'

As of 10 March 2014 Deakin became a smoke free University.

Alcohol

  • Alcohol and your body offers some helpful tips to help you have a responsible attitude to alcohol. Many Australians enjoy a social drink or a glass of wine with dinner. But excessive alcohol intake or drinking too often can increase the risk of alcohol-related disease or injury.

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