Mental Health Support in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study and Recommendations for Practice
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Student Mental Health before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Support Context
1.2. Mental Health Support at HEIs
2. Detailed Case Description
2.1. Case Study as a Research Strategy in the Social Sciences
2.2. Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) in Lublin, Poland
2.3. Forms of Support
2.3.1. The Office for Persons with Disabilities and Psychological Support
2.3.2. Sensum—A Support and Psychoeducation Point for Students
2.3.3. Free Assistance via Facebook, Skype, and Telephone, plus Educational Materials
2.3.4. Academic Support Centre
2.3.5. Solutions Introduced after the Pandemic
3. Discussion
3.1. Principal Results and Comparison with Prior Findings
3.2. Limitations
4. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Provisions/Services Offered to Students & Staff | Recipient of the Support | Type of Intervention | Form of Intervention | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | The Office for Persons with Disabilities and Psychological Support | students with a recognized disability, chronically ill, and students and staff experiencing mental health crises |
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2. | Sensum—a Support and Psychoeducation Point for Students |
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3. | Free assistance via Facebook, Skype, and telephone, plus educational materials | students, staff, and doctoral students who were experiencing anxiety and insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, and had lowered mood, and feelings of isolation and alienation | pedagogical, psychological, psychotherapeutic consultations | individual;online via Moodle/MsTeams platform;via Facebook a Skype messaging, and by telephone;free of charge. |
4. | Academic Support Centre | students in crisis | student-to-student intervention aimed at:
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5. | A series of e-books: Coping strategies during a pandemic and beyond | the entire university community |
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6. | The Optimum Team | students with a recognized disability, chronically ill, and students experiencing mental health crises | ensuring optimal conditions (including psychological conditions) to participate fully in the university enrolment process, then in the educational process, as well as in academic activities |
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Lisiecka, A.; Chimicz, D.; Lewicka-Zelent, A. Mental Health Support in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study and Recommendations for Practice. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 4969. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064969
Lisiecka A, Chimicz D, Lewicka-Zelent A. Mental Health Support in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study and Recommendations for Practice. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(6):4969. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064969
Chicago/Turabian StyleLisiecka, Alicja, Dorota Chimicz, and Agnieszka Lewicka-Zelent. 2023. "Mental Health Support in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study and Recommendations for Practice" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 6: 4969. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20064969