Presenters
Brenda Gamble - Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University
Dan Crouse - Manager, Academic Advising, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Teach University
Harry van Bommel – Executive Director, Legacies Inc.
Key Learnings
- We need to share our resources freely to enhance the work that all of us do. Our resources are at: https://www.brendagamble.com/mental-health.html
- An integrated approach at the Ontario Tech University’s Faculty of Health Sciences includes mandala drawings during orientation, a graphic novel on mental health and learning services, academic advising, a specific webpage with free downloadable resources, a 300+page student guide called "Resilience 101: Recover Faster, Feel Better and Push Forward,” workshops and an ongoing extensive literature review.
- Future plans include a new graphic novel written by students, student ‘how to” videos on dealing with anxiety, online courses, integrated workshops into the curricula, a high school student integrative program, student tutors, and mentors and facilitators.
Identified Gaps in Research, Practice, and/or Policy
More than ever, students arrive at colleges and universities with anxiety levels never seen before. We must reach these students before they arrive, provide a welcoming environment, and assist them through an integrated series of services and programmes to address this need. Ongoing research is needed to verify which offerings are most helpful.
Quotes
"You are already resilient. You already study well (you were in the top of your high school’s graduates!). Resilience is about recovering faster from difficult, stressful and anxious times. About feeling better and pushing forward in your life even when you’d prefer not to sometimes.” Harry van Bommel
Contact email
Brenda Gamble - brenda.gamble@uoit.ca
Dan Crouse - dan.crouse@uoit.ca
Harry van Bommel – harry@legacies.ca
