Trinity’s Student Counselling Service will launch a new online service in 2017 that will allow students to gain counselling support through Facebook and Twitter.
The new service, called Headspace, will be available for those who experience mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, or are feeling stressed or have a low mood. The aim of the service is to spread a sense of well-being and positive mental health across Trinity. The service hopes to utilise social media, online supports, workshops and campaigns.
Speaking to The University Times by email, Chuck Rashleigh, Evaluation and Research Coordinator and Student Counsellor, expressed his hope that “all Trinity students who struggle with anxiety, low mood, excess stress, body image concerns, or problem drinking will check out our free, online self-help resources”.
“The Trinity Student Counselling Service has historically been a leader in the provision of online supports for university students”, he added.
The launch is set to happen early in the new year, though the Facebook and Twitter accounts are both already functional. The counselling service has set up an advisory group to help launch the initiative.
The Facebook and Twitter feeds will also be used to provide information on upcoming events, groups or workshops. The service hopes that this will help students start a conversation about mental health.
Headspace will add to the service’s existing online service, which assigns an online supporter to a student when they sign up. In participating in the programme, students have a weekly check in with their supporter over six to eight weeks.
Trinity’s counselling service has seen a 150 per increase in the number of emergency appointments attended since 2010. The service expects to see over 300 more students compared to this time last year, and is expanding its supports to include counsellors in Trinity Hall and longer office hours in response..
