Scottish Higher Education Enhancement Committee
International Benchmarking: Student Support Services
Case Study
Student Single Session Therapy at Glasgow Caledonian University
This academic year (2008) the Learner Support Department at Glasgow Caledonian University launched a new Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Service . An innovative Single Session Therapy model has been piloted in the last year and is now used uniquely at Glasgow Caledonian University. Research summarised by Cameron shows that most clients presenting for therapy do most of their work in the first session. So far our statistics bear this out. We are seeing twice as many students as the previous service and our feedback is extremely good, particularly regarding progression and retention. In short, students seem to ‘get it’. It makes sense that students, whose neurology is particularly ‘plastic’ at this stage, are not only more vulnerable, but also able to learn, recover and heal more rapidly.
The service is staffed by a Mental Heath and Wellbeing Officer and two Mental Health Advisers. All the team have extensive experience in multidisciplinary public service work and their flexibility and experience is central to the model’s success. The team itself is a model for integrative work. After an initial assessment with the Mental Health Officer, students meet with a Mental Health Adviser either at a regular drop-in clinic or by appointment. Most are seen within the day and all within the working week. Because of the responsive nature of the Single Session Model , students are seen before problems develop and a wide range of issues are dealt with from simple exam stress or homesickness to psychosis, chronic depression and other mental illness. We are able to respond rapidly in emergencies. We run groups to encourage peer support, most recently film, creative writing and self esteem groups. A significant part of our future work lies in educating staff about the service and its alignment with the Scottish Government’s new Indicators for Mental Health which have a more holistic approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Our aim is to help students on the day and if necessary allow them to check in again. This approach encourages a transitionary holding between mater and alma mater: facilitating independence through support. We are also a bridge between ourselves and other services both within and out with the university, including primary and tertiary care. The Single Session Therapy model can be likened to the floors of the new Saltire Centre from where we practise. Each floor represents a presenting mental health symptom and any one student is able to alight where best meets their needs - which may be several and different throughout their academic career.
This approach also makes good use of our contacts within the NHS which are strong, for example with local health centres, A&E and social services. We have good relationships with internal support staff including disability, funding, international and others. Whilst being realistic about the effects mental illness can have, our emphasis is very much on the preventative and positive. Perhaps in that way we have more in common with the new world countries like New Zealand and Australia from where this method originally springs.
