Leicester ramps up its wellbeing support for Gen Z students

With almost a quarter of those in the Generation Z age group affected by mental health issues, The University of Leicester has ramped up the wellbeing support it offers its students.

A 2024 survey carried out by PwC revealed that more than one million 18 to 24-year-olds were struggling with their mental health, which accounted for 22 per cent of the Gen Z age group.

Fallout from the pandemic, a greater awareness of mental health, fear of world events, eco-anxiety, societal changes and the prevalence of social media are all contributing factors to poor mental health.

Universities across the UK have experienced a significant rise in student demand for wellbeing services. In a 2022 survey by the mental health charity Student Minds, 57 per cent of respondents self-reported a mental health issue to their university and 27 per cent said they had a diagnosed mental health condition.

The University of Leicester has experienced a year-on-year increase in demand for support services of around 15 per cent over the past two years, and has responded by ramping up the help it offers.

“This cohort of students had their formative teenage years blighted by Covid,” said Thomas Wheelband, who heads up the University’s Student Wellbeing Service and is a former NHS mental health nurse.

He added: “They experienced two years of disrupted learning and on top of that, long periods of forced isolation. Add in some very worrying world events, plus the cost-of-living crisis, pressures of social media, and so on, it’s no surprise to see a rise in demand for support.

“The University has a duty to help our students who might be struggling – we take it very seriously, which is shown by the investment made in the support we offer.”

One current student, who wished to remain anonymous, explained how important the support they’ve received at the University has been to them. They said: “I have genuinely found the support life changing. It has helped me understand my feelings and how to manage them. I am still doing lots of the things the counsellor suggested and I am overall feeling so much more confident and happier. I can't thank them enough.”

The support services which have been introduced, or bolstered to cater for increased demand, are as follows:

The Spectrum.Life student assistance portal. This is a free external service, offering a 24-hour telephone hotline and online portal access to trained counsellors.

The Blackbullion money management online service which offers financial planning advice for students.

The recruitment of two College advisors who offer practical advice and support to students studying psychology, computing and mathematics, psychology, chemistry, STEM subject and biological sciences. This means all of the University’s courses now have advisors.

Psychotherapists from partner Vita Health are on campus two days a week to see students with anxiety, depression, OCD, low mood and stress who need longer-term help.

Fortnightly drop-in clinics with partner Turning Point, which specialises in drug and alcohol support.

The establishment of a wellbeing hub in the Students’ Union, which runs a calendar of events and signposts students to support services.

The setting up of a twice-weekly neighbourhood café in the Students’ Union, plus an online Friday night session, provided by mental health charity MIND.

The University is also set to sign a sharing agreement with the NHS. This will allow the NHS and the University’s mental health services to share information about students accessing the services of either organisation, to ensure important information isn’t overlooked and students benefit from joined up support.

The University’s student support services are coordinated by three teams:

The wellbeing team offers mental health support, including short-term counselling, the provision of mental health advice and helping students navigate NHS and specialist services outside of the University.

The welfare team, meanwhile, offers dedicated support to carers, care leavers, estranged students, mature students, asylum seekers and refugees and those experiencing financial hardship.

The accessibility team supports students with dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties as well as working with those who have sensory disabilities, mobility difficulties, mental health conditions, long-term conditions and autism.