In the midst of a post-pandemic Scotland and a cost-of-living crisis, university students’ mental health is now more than ever in need of sufficient support through counselling and mental health services provided by their institution. However, with funding being stripped back, students are left wondering how universities are to maintain these services.
Universities will seldom shy away from advertising the fact that they offer counselling services. Mental health support is something the Government repeatedly emphasises the importance of. The issue is that simply marketing that you provide a service does not guarantee that it functions well.
Are universities keeping their promises to support students’ mental health, or have on-campus counselling services become more symbolic than functional?
In 2022, Thriving Learners concluded their study on the well-being of students in Scottish higher education institutions. They found that just over one third (35.5 per cent) of students reported having moderate to severe symptoms of depression. Back in 2018, the Scottish Government sought to significantly improve mental health services within further and higher education with a subsidy programme of just under £16 million. Sadly, all good things come to an end. Despite campaigners managing to acquire the Student Mental Health and Well-being Transition Fund, granting an additional £3.21 million, that too expired at the end of the academic year 23/24.
With students’ mental health on the rise and some tragically choosing to take their own lives, what responsibility does higher education have? The previously mentioned study also found that just below a fifth of students reportedly experienced suicidal ideation or had attempted suicide in the last six months. Regrettably, this is something the University of Stirling and other Scottish universities are familiar with.
Some might argue that the NHS is the more appropriate resource in severe instances, while counselling and other well-being support services should exist at universities as a preventive measure. However, with long waiting times and diminishing funding, how can it continue to function in this manner?
Even more concerning is the number of students who claim to have, at some point, hidden their mental health problems in fear of being stigmatised. The Thriving Learners study from 2022 found these numbers to be just under 60 per cent.
It would not be surprising if on-campus counselling services were soon abandoned entirely, especially with external resources such as Spectrum Life emerging as a convenient alternative. The question of potentially outsourcing university counselling services is an insidious possibility.
Indeed, this seems to be a pattern in universities across the UK, such as Birmingham. In 2021, the university’s well-being staff reported concerns, through their union, regarding the lack of counselling provisions. Due to a voluntary severance scheme, the university was left with only one counsellor, without any intention from the university to replace lost staff. Instead, the University of Birmingham invested in the services provided by Spectrum Life to cope with the long waiting list for student counselling.
Reports of long wait times are not unusual; nevertheless, the University of Stirling saw a significant improvement after 2019. According to student Eliot Wooding-Sherwin, in an interview for The Herald, he remained on the waiting list for half a year. He speaks of an improvement a couple of years later, in line with the initial governmental funding. The temporary subsidy may have helped rectify an impaired mental health support system in higher education, but what happens now?
According to a freedom of information release, the Scottish Government say that funding such as the 2018 investment program or an additional grant such as the transition fund is not on the horizon for Scottish Higher Education. It is evident, however, that a temporary solution will not suffice as students’ mental health remains an acute issue.
Will the Government increase funding only when mental health support in universities is on its knees again, or is it already too late? How many students should have to suffer in silence until then?
The university offered the following statement in response to these concerns.
A spokesperson for the University of Stirling said: “Supporting our students’ wellbeing is and will continue to be a priority for the University. Students who want to talk or seek guidance can contact our Student Support Services or our wellbeing partners, Spectrum.Life, who run our confidential helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The full range of our services is at Student Support Services.”
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2nd year History & Journalism Student at the University of Stirling. Moved over from Sweden in 2024 to study in Scotland.
