GlobalAs a program leader, it’s important to attend to student mental health as well as the program content and intercultural learning.
Toward that goal, here are several resources that might be helpful to you:
- Attending to student wellness during study abroad: When you take students abroad, remember that if their basic physiological needs aren’t met, it’ll be difficult for them to attend to their more advanced educational and intercultural goals. Here are some practical ways you can attend to their basic needs.
- Quick self-care activities: It can be helpful to remind students, when they have a few minutes of free time, to engage in self-care. This can help them regulate their emotional state. This document lists some quick self-care activities.
- A Self-Care Planning tool for students: It’s valuable for students to think deeply about how they’ll take care of themselves emotionally while studying abroad. You might consider asking them to engage in this in-depth planning activity before departure. A new "web app" format allows students to access the information easily on their phones.
- Why you should be involved in supporting student mental health and wellness: A 3 min video from UMN leadership about why faculty and staff are needed to help support students in this way (which often becomes very apparent, during study abroad)
- What your role is and isn't in supporting student mental health: A 9 min video from UMN leaders to help you understand what is expected of you, and what you aren't expected to do
- Listening intentionally, to support student mental health and wellness: A 9 min video on how you can use your listening skills specifically towards the goal of supporting student mental health and wellness, as often a few moments of listening to a student who is upset can provide them with the support they need to focus on next steps
- Making effective referrals: A 5 min video on how you can encourage a student to utilize the resources available to them, towards their mental health and wellness
- How to support a student during a panic attack: A nice, short article from The New York Times, for laypeople