In this podcast, three Student Wellbeing Advisers (Douglas, Sibyl and Tessa) introduce the Student Wellbeing Service at the University. They highlight the support available through one-one sessions, drop-ins, workshops and other proactive activities. They also discuss some of the common themes in student wellbeing that they’ve seen over the past two years. This episode belongs to Podcast series: Student Wellbeing↗️.
Student Wellbeing Service: The Student Wellbeing Service↗️ at The University of Edinburgh offers a wide range of support tailored to meet the diverse needs of students. Wellbeing advisers across schools and deaneries come from diverse disciplines and experiences providing holistic support to the students.
“the support is tailored around your health, emotional and social needs as part of the greater ecosystem of support available here at the university…. one-one short term support and signposting to help you transition into longer term support, if that is what you would like and need”.
Douglas discusses the wellbeing challenges of online students studying from their home countries. The advisers reflect on the diversity of the student population, and with that the diversity of wellbeing challenges.
What does getting support from a well-being adviser maybe look like?
“If you self-refer to our service or get referred by your student adviser or someone else, you’ll be assigned to one of the wellbeing advisors. And we support students who are experiencing difficulty in their general being, their mental wellbeing, their mental health challenges and it’s more one-one support and it’s for any student enrolled at any level, whether that’s online, in-person, undergraduate, postgraduate taught, PhD students…we’re here to work collaboratively with you, to identify the right support for you and create a wellbeing action plan moving forward”
Proactive initiatives for Student Wellbeing: Sibyl highlights the proactive nature of the Student Wellbeing Service, emphasizing their engagement with students through workshops and events. Workshops on stress management, sleep, and anxiety management provide students with practical tools to navigate academic and personal challenges. Additionally, events like PhD speed networking foster a sense of community among students, combating feelings of isolation often experienced in academic environments.
“…PhD speed networking, which is sort of in the format of speed dating, where people kind of sit on rows of chairs and then move around. They have a five minute conversation and they move around to the next person.. networking, making friends across the university, because we often find that PhD students can feel isolated within their research hubs”.
What are the common themes in student wellbeing?
Navigating Challenges: Tessa discusses the significance of transition for students going from their family homes to an independent life as a student, especially when coming from a different culture.
“I frequently have conversations with students about the changing relationships to their primary caregivers and families as it’s supposed to happen when you move away to university… as you move into adulthood and manage your own schedule and your own eating and sleeping patterns, and sometimes there are growing pains associated with that. That is very normal… For some students, it can be extremely stressful, especially if they’re very far away from home, can lead to feeling isolated or feeling frightened and low. So it’s something I make a point of to ask about, if I feel that that is something they might be struggling with”.
Building communities: Sibyl discusses the prevalence of isolation and loneliness amongst students and the particular barriers neurodivergent students might face when transitioning from the structures of family and school to studying at a university. The Wellbeing Service offers support and guidance to help students navigate social interactions, fostering a sense of belonging and connection within the university community.
“And so I often find myself kind of supporting students with that. It’s like, how do I actually make friends? How do I actually put myself out there and like find community, and particularly with international students … navigating these different cultures and systems”.
This episode introduces the Student Wellbeing Service and highlights the tailored support available to students, ranging from one-on-one sessions to proactive workshops and events. Common themes in student wellbeing, such as resilience, supporting transitions, international student challenges, and navigating relationships, are explored. The advisers highlight the importance of addressing isolation and loneliness, particularly among international and PhD students.
Upcoming conversations: Looking ahead, the podcast episode hints at upcoming conversations that will delve deeper into various aspects of student wellbeing. These include discussions on initiatives like the 93% Club↗️ and wellbeing in the curriculum, as well as episodes on PhD wellbeing issues highlighting positive cultural and institutional changes that could be implemented.
You can find out more on the website↗️.
Timestamps:
(0:45) – Introduction of the speakers and the Student Wellbeing service
(2:08) – What does getting support from a wellbeing adviser look like?
(6:31) – What are the common themes in student wellbeing?
(12:40) – Upcoming Conversations in the following podcast episodes
Douglas Beales, Sibyl Adam and Tessa Warinner are Student Wellbeing Advisers at the Student Wellbeing service, The University of Edinburgh.
Episode produced and edited by:
Sylvia Joshua Western
Sylvia is currently doing her PhD in Clinical Education at The University of Edinburgh and has a Master’s degree in Clinical Education. Her PhD research explores test-wise behaviours in Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) context. Coming from a dental background, she enjoys learning about and researching clinical assessments. She works part-time as a PhD intern at Teaching Matters, the University’s largest blog and podcast platform through Employ.ed scheme at the Institute of Academic Development.
Twitter/X: @sylviawestern↗️
