Mental health support for students

The Studies and Student Affairs department offers wellbeing services via the Center of Student Development for mental health counseling as well as self-development for all actively enrolled students. The Center of Student Development allows the student body to receive psychological empowerment for any concern that they might be facing. Within these lines, the Center of Student Development, has hosted several interactive workshops in regards issues that might be relevant to the developmental stage of young adults among others, how to maintain a healthy relationship, time management, coping skills for stress, as well as anonymous HIV testing, and psychoeducation on safe sex practices as presented in the following links:

Students who are identified as individuals who will benefit from additional psychological services, such as psychotherapy and/or psychiatric evaluation, are presented with options and are referred to other mental health professionals firstly via the national health system (GESY) and secondly, via private sector.

In addition to the mental health support services offered to students by the Student Development Centre, in 2023, a number of innovative practices and initiatives were launched by the Department of Nursing, School of Heath Sciences (see a full list here). These included both (a) outreach activities involving the students and in partnership with institutions and grassroots organisations focusing on combating the mental health stigma and also (b) re-thinking and re-designing the training of future healthcare professionals, by introducing Experts by Experience in the mental health care curriculum, becoming the first academic institution in the country introducing the practice as a core component of clinical students’ training.

Active promotion of good mental health

  1. Involvement of experts by experience (EbE) in delivering undergraduate lectures for the Mental Health Nursing I & II modules (NUR 354 & NUR 454). This participatory approach allows nursing students to directly ask EbE about their living experiences with mental health challenges. This interaction not only raises awareness but also enhances students’ empathic understanding of mental health issues and helps destigmatize their access to mental health services. Most importantly since EbE are also first aiders for psychological challenges may provide relevant support to students to promote their access to mental health services.
  2. “What do you know about Mental health” online public awareness campaign, in partnership with the Cyprus Epidemiology and Public Health Association in the context of the European Public Health Week and Mental Health Week, which was prepared and delivered on CyEPHA’s YouTube channel, by the MSc Advanced Nursing and Mental Health programme. Other than student presentations for the wider public on some of the main mental health conditions and their symptoms (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, anorexia nervosa etc), the students provided a “video survey” among citizens of all ages. portraying and dispelling some of the most common misconceptions around depression.
  3. Cypriot NGO “Antifon” Observatory Organization for Mental Health issues (memorandum
    agreement). The main aspects of this collaboration include: a) joint research projects, b) co-organization of scientific and social events aimed at raising public awareness on mental health issues, including students and healthcare professionals, c) collaboration in students’ education for enhancing empathy on mental health problems.