Student Minds
  • Find Support
    • Support for me >
      • Our Peer Support Programmes >
        • Thrive
        • Our confidentiality commitment
        • Support for specific difficulties
      • Support at your university and further
      • University staff-run workshops
    • Support for a friend >
      • Starting a conversation
      • Looking after yourself
    • Support for parents
    • Help through Coronavirus >
      • Coronavirus - Looking After Your Mental Health
      • Coronavirus - Student resources >
        • Assessments and exams from home ​
        • Managing digital communication
      • Student Space FAQs
    • Resources >
      • Men’s Mental Health
      • The Wellbeing Thesis
      • Transitions >
        • Transition into University
        • Know Before You Go
        • Transitions for staff
      • Starting University
      • Exam stress
      • LGBTQ+
      • Looking after your mental wellbeing
      • Year Abroad
      • Student finance
      • Support through a family health crisis
  • About
    • What we do >
      • Our impact
    • Our team >
      • Trustees
      • Clinical Advisors
      • Student Advisors
    • Our supporters
  • Get Involved
    • Student volunteering >
      • Charter Student Resources
      • University Mental Health Day
      • Write for us
      • Peer support groups >
        • Apply to be a peer support facilitator
        • Set up a peer support group
    • University staff >
      • Mental Health in Sport >
        • Mental Health in Sport Online
      • Look After Your Mate >
        • Look After Your Mate Online
      • Setting up a peer support group >
        • Students Minds peer support set up
        • Peer support Train the Trainer
    • Charter
    • Students’ Unions >
      • Mentally Healthy SUs Framework
      • Introduction to Student Mental Health Online
      • Look After Your Members Online
      • Campaigning and Creating Positive Change
    • Accommodation Providers
    • Research
  • News and Publications
    • Latest news
    • Research and publications >
      • International Students
      • Supporting Male Student Mental Health
      • Co-producing Mental Health Initiatives With Student Volunteers
      • Podcasting About Mental Health
      • Student Mental Health in a Pandemic >
        • Life in a pandemic: Wave II findings
        • Life in a Pandemic
      • Supporting Students with Eating Disorders
      • Co-producing mental health strategies with students
      • The Role of an Academic
      • LGBTQ+ Research​
      • Student Voices
      • Graduate Wellbeing
      • Student Living
      • Grand Challenges
      • University Peer Support
      • University Challenge
      • Looking After a Mate
      • Summary of HEFCE’s Report
    • Materials and resources
  • Support Us
    • Donate >
      • Online shopping
      • Payroll giving
    • Fundraise >
      • Step into Spring
      • Virtual Fundraising
      • Plan Your Own Event
      • RAGs and Student Societies
      • Celebrate with Student Minds
      • Challenge Events
      • Paying in money
      • Fundraising Resources
    • Corporate Partners
Picture

Student Voices

Student Voices

We believe that those with lived experience of mental health difficulties - the ones receiving, seeking or in need of support - are experts by experience, and therefore should be active participants and partners in shaping a whole university approach to mental health and wellbeing at their institution.

Since 2016 Universities UK (UUK) have been working with organisations across the education and health sectors to develop a national programme encouraging a whole-university approach to mental health and wellbeing. Student Minds has been a member of the ‘Mental Health in Higher Education’ working group, in addition to being a key delivery partner.

In September 2017 we launched our Student Voices report to accompany UUK’s #StepChange framework  in order to profile students’ experiences and suggestions. The report draws upon discussions from our Student Voice Forum, a small scale student engagement activity facilitated by Student Minds, with support from the NUS, and the findings from The University Mental Health: Student Perspectives Questionnaire.

Thank all the students who took part in the forum and questionnaire.

Download the full Student Voices Report.

Key themes:

The report summarises students’ perspectives on:
  • The value of talking about mental health - to reduce stigma, encourage support seeking and be a source of support itself.
  • Mental health literacy. Participants recognised the need for students and staff to have more support to build mental health literacy.
  • Prevention - and how this could come about through support and information, in addition to changes to the university environment.
  • Academic experience - including the role of academic tutors, the need to clearly manage student expectation and communication, and ‘reasonable adjustments’.
  • Expectations and experiences of support provision - including the value of a less disjointed service, which clearly communicates its links with the NHS to users. Students want a range of support options.
  • Advocacy and coordination of care. Students identified a need for support when navigating university systems for their mental health.
  • Barriers to support. The primary concern was limited service provision, students also discussed the factors that may prevent students from seeking support,  and suggested improvements in the university environment.
  • University experience. Students value their universities acknowledging the challenges of managing a degree whilst experiencing mental health difficulties.
  • Universities as a space for growth.  Students recognised the value of university as a place to thrive, grow and build skills. It is apparent that this happens best when their wellbeing and mental health is viewed by the institution as central to their university experience.

We are happy to see a number of these themes reflected in the IPPR report Not by Degrees: Improving student mental health in the UK’s universities and the Universities UK #StepChange framework.  

​We will continue to advocate for student voices as crucial to steering the state of mental health at our universities.
< Back to research and publications
About
Get in contact
Jobs & Opportunities
Privacy statement
Feedback and Complaints

Student Minds is registered with Companies House, 07493445
Student Minds is a Charity registered in England and Wales, 1142783
Sign up to our newsletter

  • Find Support
    • Support for me >
      • Our Peer Support Programmes >
        • Thrive
        • Our confidentiality commitment
        • Support for specific difficulties
      • Support at your university and further
      • University staff-run workshops
    • Support for a friend >
      • Starting a conversation
      • Looking after yourself
    • Support for parents
    • Help through Coronavirus >
      • Coronavirus - Looking After Your Mental Health
      • Coronavirus - Student resources >
        • Assessments and exams from home ​
        • Managing digital communication
      • Student Space FAQs
    • Resources >
      • Men’s Mental Health
      • The Wellbeing Thesis
      • Transitions >
        • Transition into University
        • Know Before You Go
        • Transitions for staff
      • Starting University
      • Exam stress
      • LGBTQ+
      • Looking after your mental wellbeing
      • Year Abroad
      • Student finance
      • Support through a family health crisis
  • About
    • What we do >
      • Our impact
    • Our team >
      • Trustees
      • Clinical Advisors
      • Student Advisors
    • Our supporters
  • Get Involved
    • Student volunteering >
      • Charter Student Resources
      • University Mental Health Day
      • Write for us
      • Peer support groups >
        • Apply to be a peer support facilitator
        • Set up a peer support group
    • University staff >
      • Mental Health in Sport >
        • Mental Health in Sport Online
      • Look After Your Mate >
        • Look After Your Mate Online
      • Setting up a peer support group >
        • Students Minds peer support set up
        • Peer support Train the Trainer
    • Charter
    • Students’ Unions >
      • Mentally Healthy SUs Framework
      • Introduction to Student Mental Health Online
      • Look After Your Members Online
      • Campaigning and Creating Positive Change
    • Accommodation Providers
    • Research
  • News and Publications
    • Latest news
    • Research and publications >
      • International Students
      • Supporting Male Student Mental Health
      • Co-producing Mental Health Initiatives With Student Volunteers
      • Podcasting About Mental Health
      • Student Mental Health in a Pandemic >
        • Life in a pandemic: Wave II findings
        • Life in a Pandemic
      • Supporting Students with Eating Disorders
      • Co-producing mental health strategies with students
      • The Role of an Academic
      • LGBTQ+ Research​
      • Student Voices
      • Graduate Wellbeing
      • Student Living
      • Grand Challenges
      • University Peer Support
      • University Challenge
      • Looking After a Mate
      • Summary of HEFCE’s Report
    • Materials and resources
  • Support Us
    • Donate >
      • Online shopping
      • Payroll giving
    • Fundraise >
      • Step into Spring
      • Virtual Fundraising
      • Plan Your Own Event
      • RAGs and Student Societies
      • Celebrate with Student Minds
      • Challenge Events
      • Paying in money
      • Fundraising Resources
    • Corporate Partners