Support system in place for students
THE needs and interests of our students, colleagues and stakeholders are at the forefront of all decision-making at Glasgow Clyde College, and the college prides itself on being exceptionally people centred.
We make it our responsibility to ensure we are proactive about mental health, rather than reactive.
Glasgow Clyde College is continuously developing resources that will help students and staff to cope better and help build their resilience to manage the stresses and challenges of everyday life, in both a teaching and learning capacity. In the wake of Mental Health Awareness week, it is useful to reference all the good work the college puts in to ensure the well-being of our students and staff.
We are aware that the four main concerns disclosed by students studying at the college are anxiety, low mood, isolation/loneliness, and relationships. To address this, students from across our three campuses have been invited to workshops focusing on a range of mental health topics to combat these issues.
We have nine counsellors across the three college locations, five of whom are employed by the college themselves. There are also two student counsellors on placement and a further two fully qualified volunteers. Between these individuals, and our “Time To Talk” team – an extremely popular service run by counsellors and mental health first aiders – we can offer flexible, personalised support for everyone on and off campus.
Asking for help is the first and most important step for anyone struggling with their mental health, so over the past few years the college has partnered with both SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) and the Charlie
Waller Trust to develop and maintain a Mentally Healthy College Community. During this time, more than 600 staff have been trained on how to support the mental health of students. This is in addition to the hard work the Student Association carries out to support students.
Additionally, opening up and talking about mental health can be particularly tough for those who have additional learning challenges.
It is for this reason that Glasgow Clyde College set up an additional “Listening Service” that is aimed at our students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), who may need that little bit of extra support. This service is a safe space for those who feel they would not be able to cope with a full counselling session but are still in need of having a confidential chat with a trained listener.
Our main goal is to communicate to the Glasgow Clyde College community that it is OK not to be OK, and to stress the importance of asking for help.
The above practices are put in place by the college to ensure that everyone has a support system that works for them, and this is a real indication of the level of our commitment to ensure that our community is supported.