Corona Virus – what’s the impact on staff and student mental health and wellbeing?

The Corona Virus pandemic has caused a significant impact on mental health and wellbeing. Have you thought about the ways that you can create space for staff and students to talk about their issues and concerns? Have you considered training to help staff support their students and their colleagues who are experiencing anxiety or stress? Did you know that there are a range of resources to help support the mental health and wellbeing of staff and students?

The impact

The coronavirus crisis has affected our mental health and wellbeing. Research by Mind found that two-thirds of adults and three-quarters of 13-24 year olds with a pre-existing mental health problem said it had become worse during lockdown. And many people with no history of mental health difficulties have experienced stress, anxiety and depression, according to a survey by the Office for National Statistics. Isolation, relationship breakdown, loneliness and bereavement have all contributed to a deterioration in mental health.

The Centre for Mental Health forecasts an estimated 500,000 more people experiencing mental ill health difficulty over the next year. But if there is a second wave of Covid-19 and the economy is damaged further, the effects on mental health will be greater still, and last much longer.

While many staff and students are looking forward to getting back to some sort of normality as lockdown lifts, it’s not surprising that several are experiencing stress and anxiety at the prospect of returning to work or learning.

Supporting staff and students

So now might be an opportune time to provide space for staff and students to talk about their issues and concerns, and to train staff to help their students and colleagues who are experiencing mental health difficulties.

My popular training workshop ‘Managing the Well-being, Stress and Mental Health Continuum – Improving staff resilience, minimising impact’ helps

• staff to gain the confidence to talk openly about difficulties that they are experiencing
• staff to understand the causes and recognise the signs of stress, work-related and otherwise
• staff to identify practical strategies to improve resilience and minimise the impact of stress
• line-managers to confidently support their team’s mental health and well-being.

You can download further information about this workshop here

‘Supporting learners with mental health difficulties’ is another of my popular workshops that helps staff to understand mental health difficulties and to dismantle barriers and provide effective support for their learners in and outside the classroom.

You can download further information about this workshop here

Resources

The Anna Freud Centre has published ‘supporting schools and colleges booklet’ which provides advice and guidance for school staff about how to help young people manage their mental health and wellbeing during times of disruption to their learning. There are also a range of other resources in their accompanying toolkits including how providers can support staff mental health and wellbeing during the corona virus crisis. These can be accessed here

Support services

A list of NHS-recommended mental health charities can be found here

Search for your local NHS psychological therapies services (IAPT) here.

Contact Samaritans on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.

For advice on mental health problems, where to get help near you, treatment options and advocacy services contact the Mind Infoline on 0300 123 3393 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays) or by email info@mind.org.uk or text 86463, or visit the website here

For a list of mental health support services for you or someone you know visit the Rethink Mental Illness website here.

Cruse Bereavement Care can be contacted on 0808 808 1677. Calls are free and confidential. Or visit the website here