Abstract
Many universities around the world have now initiated wellbeing strategies that encompass psychological wellbeing. These resources can be leveraged for change to better support students. Associate Professor Lydia Woodyatt from Flinders University, Adelaide and Dr Abi Brooker from the University of Melbourne are guest editors for this very special issue which includes a collection of articles from scholars and practitioners in Australia, Canada, the US, UK and Germany addressing student (and staff) psychological wellbeing in higher education. Broadly, articles discuss the scope of mental wellbeing and psychological distress, identify specific cohorts (including international students and refugees), profile targeted means of support (via the curriculum, the co-curriculum and strategic policy and planning initiatives) and also identify the need for ‘psychological literacy’ via leadership.
Highlights
“Psychological wellbeing is everyone’s business.”. This statement was the catch-cry of the Students, Transitions, Achievement, Retention and Success (STARS) Conference held in Adelaide, South Australia in 2017
In Australia, the Higher Education Standards Panel report on Improving Retention, Completion and Success in Higher Education recommended that every institution should have an institution-wide mental health strategy and implementation plan (Department of Education, 2018)
As an open access journal, articles are free to use with proper attribution
Summary
2019 Special Issue: Psychological Wellbeing and Distress in Higher Education “Psychological wellbeing is everyone’s business.”. (https://healthyuniversities.ac.uk/healthy-universities/), the Okanagan Charter (2015) in Canada, and the Framework for Promoting Student Mental Health and Wellbeing in Australia (Baik et al 2017; http://unistudentwellbeing.edu.au/) These resources represent provide excellent frameworks for supporting psychological wellbeing in Higher Education. These resources can be leveraged for change to better support students This special issue outlines a variety of strategies that people across higher education are using, to understand and address the complex issues related to psychological wellbeing. There are other aspects of university life that can play an important role, such as teachers and faculty staff As argued in this issue by Brooker, McKague and Philips, we need to consider how dynamic systems of each institution interact with each other, and what this means for available resources and efforts required for our initiatives. We hope that readers find evidence of various strategies and approaches that achieve this and that can guide success in their own contexts
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
