Supporting students: Mental Health Journeys

Jannik

Age: 25

Course of Study: Mechanical Engineering Masters

Your relationship to student:

Personal info:

Jannik is 25 and has moved here to study. He is an international student and will be returning home once he has completed his course. He lives in a private rented flat with one other person who works full-time. He doesn't know many people in Scotland but chats online with his friends back home when he can. He also has additional support needs arising from Asperger's Syndrme and dyspraxia.

Health:

Jannik experiences low mood and anxiety.

Issue student presents to you:

Jannik didn't perform very well in his latest assessment- when you give him his mark he seems extremely disappointed.

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Number of participants
How do you respond to Jannik?
- You ask Jannik how he is finding the course. Jannik doesn't usually speak out much in class so you aren't surprised that he is unreceptive to chatting and he leaves as the tutorial period ends.
- You offer Jannik a timeslot for feedback- you weren't sure if he was aware these are available since he is a new international student. You are aware that sometimes these things are missed at the start of term with so much information being thrown at students during fresher's week.

Impact
Although you may be unsure of the best way to pick the conversation up with Jannik you feel it is important that you chat. You have noticed him becoming more withdrawn during class and seeming less engaged than usual.
Option 1 summary
What next?
- You follow up with an email inviting him for a feedback appointment. You have a busy week as you are taking time out of teaching to attend a Mental Health First Aid Course that has been recommended to you. This is external to the university CPD training. This means you can’t make an appointment with Jannik for some time but you hope this will be okay.
- You feel that it is important to make an appointment with Jannik straight away- you have had students disengage with modules before and then drop out- you don’t want this to happen for Jannik so email him with an appointment to see him as soon as possible.
Impact
Jannik arrives for his feedback slot but he doesn't seem quite engaged. He also is wearing the same clothes as yesterday which you think is unusual.
Option 2 summary
What next?
- You don't know much about Jannik and he doesn't seem keen to chat so you don't probe. You discuss his mark and make him aware of some further reading during the meeting. Jannik doesn't seem to want to stay and you have work to be getting on with so the session ends quite quickly.
- You chat with Jannik about his mark and try to ask him generally about how the course is going. The conversation is quite stilted but eventually you start to find out a bit more. He seems distressed when you ask further questions- like you are making him uncomfortable

Impact
Jannik agrees to the appointment- having a date down is helpful despite it being over a week away. You attend the Mental Health First Aid course and learn some useful skills. You also recognise that the behaviours of being withdrawn could be the sign of depression.
Option 1-1 summary
And then?
- Jannik arrives for his feedback appointment and seems quite despondent. You apply the skills you have learned during the recent training to find out more about what is going on for Jannik at the moment. You let Jannik know that you have noticed changes in him which seem like the symptoms of depression.
- Jannik arrives for his feedback appointment and seems quite despondent. You apply the skills you have learned during the recent training to find out more about what is going on for Jannik at the moment.
Impact
You feel that it is important to make an appointment with Jannik straight away- you have had students disengage with modules before and then drop out- you don’t want this to happen for Jannik so email him with an appointment to see him as soon as possible.
Option 1-2 summary
And then?
- You explain that you are worried he is disengaged with the class and the impact that might have on his learning experience. You suggest he engage with study support
- You explain your concerns about Jannik being disengaged with class. You also ask him why he seems to be in a rush to leave!
Impact
Jannik seems withdrawn next time you see him in class. He also looks, again like he may have been wearing the same clothes for a few days.
Option 2-1 summary
And then?
- You decide to try and chat with Jannik again at the end of class. Something doesn't seem right- you don't want to seem like you are pressuring him but you want to know what is going on. He tells you he is in a rush to get to a sports class and doesn't have much time. He seems to enjoy sport so you chat about that with him before he rushes off. It feels like you made progress.
- You try and chat with Jannik about his course work again but he isn't very interested. He mentions feeling pressured so you ask him if he would like to chat about the pressures he has been feeling- Jannik looks a little apprehensive about that.
Impact
The university has produced a Students in Distress flow chart so you use this as guidance to steer your conversation. Jannik lets you know that his course is funded by his employers and this is why he is feeling stressed.
Option 2-2 summary
And then?
- You ask Jannik if he is accessing support from student services.
- You ask Jannik if he has anyone he would usually talk to about things

Impact
You discover that Jannik is finding things very difficult at the moment, he isn’t sleeping very well and feels a lot of pressure from his employers who are funding his course to perform well. Hearing you say the words depression really resonated with him.
Option 1-1-1 summary
Result
This is the first time Jannik has been able to speak to someone about how he is feeling and identify the issues he is struggling with. You spend some time chatting about self-management and discover Jannik finds exercise and sport really helps him.
Impact
While you offer the space for Jannik to be heard he isn’t quite sure how to describe what is going on for him. He asks you if there is any extra reading lists that he can take to help him get back on track.
Option 1-1-2 summary
Result
You think that speaking with Jannik has been good progress This is the first time you have tried to apply the skills from training. You had been worried about being too direct but explain to Jannik that
Impact
Jannik becomes worried that he is underperforming. His employers fund his course so there is a great deal of pressure on him to do well. He asks you for extra reading and heads off.
Result
The next time Jannik is in class he thanks you for the extra reading list. You notice some changes in his appearance – he looks unkempt in comparison previous weeks.
Impact
You explain your concerns about Jannik being disengaged with class. You also ask him why he seems to be in a rush to leave!
Option 1-2-2 summary
Result
You know there is a referral programme right now between the gym and student support services. You recommend to Jannik to connect in with the gym manager who can direct him to this programme.
Impact
You have some flyers about the university sports societies and clubs in your office so you take these to class to give to Jannik next time you see him.
Result
You pass Jannik the flyers. He seems a bit disengaged but grateful for the flyers. He tells you that he hasn't been sleeping very well and that it was quite difficult to make it to class today. You know that the counselling department offer workshops on sleep management so suggest Jannik might be interested in that too. Jannik had no idea about the counselling service or that it was free to him as an international student. He let's you know he has been feeling quite lonely as all of his friends and family are at home, he isn't keen on counselling but would like to find out more about the societies and sleep management.
Impact
This is the first time someone has directly asked Jannik to chat about what is going on for him. You discover that he doesn’t have a great support network here and he mainly keeps in touch with people back home through skype.
Option 2-1-2
Result
You have noticed that Jannik often has a gym bag so ask if he is part of any teams or societies. Jannik missed fresher’s week so isn’t really aware of the opportunities.
Impact
You don't feel confident in offering Jannik the best support as you think there may be some underlying issues that he has not been telling you. You don't know much about the support in place for international students so you don't want to get things wrong. You reckon that the counselling service will be the best option for getting Jannik the right support. He tells you he is not.
And then?
- You sit down with Jannik and show him the student counselling services on the computer
- You give Jannik some leaflets and an email address.
Impact
You know that employer funded spots have made students feel a great deal of pressure previously - you had a student drop out for this reason so you tell Jannik you are worried that he might do this. He explains he can't or it will really mess up his career. He tells you every day is a struggle. This makes you concerned - you completed a course in Mental Health First Aid recently and use the skill you learned to offer Jannik some support. You feel a little overwhelmed but keep chatting.
Option 2-2-2 summary
And then?
- You suggest that Jannik should speak to the counselling team. This isn’t your area of expertise.
- You arrange to have more regular check-ins with Jannik

Conclusion
Jannik is supported to go and join some new clubs and societies. One of the key issues he was having was feeling isolated. Taking part in team sports has lead Jannik to feel that he is working towards something and part of a community. He also feels more able to engage with course work.
Conclusion 1-1-1-1
Conclusion
Jannik seems relieved when you mention this. You are able to offer him the contacts for student support services which Jannik was not previously aware of. Jannik can make an appointment to chat through the things that have been going on for him.
Conclusion 1-1-2-1
Conclusion
You aren’t sure what is going on for Jannik and are also unsure how to offer him the best support. Linking in with student support services and exploring CPD options such as Mental Health First Aid Training would be useful in helping you feel confident in supporting the best learning environment for Jannik and other students.
Conclusion 1-2-1-1
Conclusion
Jannik is able to chat with the gym manager who links him into student support. He is able to work with a student advisor to look at the pressure he is feeling from his employers who fund his course. This is a really positive step for Jannik as he is able to feel more in control of his time and feels that the connection with the gym and support services really works for him.
Conclusion 1-2-2-1
Conclusion
Jannik seems tired but happy with the flyers. You start to explain some of the other services the university has since he doesn't seem to have been aware of them. When you mention student services can help with things Jannik seems interested and wants to know more about the cost. He is really surprised when you tell him that access to the support services is free even as an international student. Jannik explains he has additional needs arising from dyspraxia and would like some additional support which he can now access.
Conclusion 2-1-1-1
Conclusion
You show Jannik around the student portal on your computer and show him how to sign up for classes and societies. You discover there is a current programme running called “gym buddies” to match new students who want to join in activities without the pressure of joining a large group. This offers Jannik a new way to socialise in a way that really works for him.
Conclusion 2-1-2-1
Conclusion
You show him that he can make an electronic referral and ask if he would like to make one now- he agrees but doesn't seem too enthusiastic. Listening to his worries and pressures has been a great first start and now Jannik knows much more about the options available to him.
Conclusion 2-2-1-1
Conclusion
Jannik is able to look over the leaflets in his own time and find out more about the services available to him. Next time you see him he lets you know he found the information really helpful.
Conclusion 2-2-1-2
Conclusion
This is the first time Jannik has been able to chat about how he is really feeling. While it is not your role to provide long term support for Jannik in this way, being available for him to chat with you has really helped. You are in a good position now to signpost Jannik on to student support services and other relevant materials. You have a list of websites and apps from the Mental health training so you pass these on to Jannik.
Conclusion 2-2-2-1
Conclusion
The check-ins are a great idea if both of you have the time but this could be a great strain on your limited hours. Recognising the limitation of your role here in supporting Jannik is important and signposting him to the relevant support services will be most helpful in the long run.
Conclusion 2-2-2-2
Thank you for guiding Jannik through this session.

Click the 'Finish Journey' button below to see the decisions and impacts you made, these will also be emailed to you with a link to this support tool.
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NUS Scotland’s Think Positive Self-Management resource is a useful document to help students identify ways to support their own mental health and to enable staff to support them too. You can find the resource here: www.thinkpositive.scot/resources/