Infosheets Archive

The CACUSS (Canadian Association of College and University Student Services) framework provides users with fundamental components to inform campus strategy development for addressing student mental health in post-secondary institutions. Whether you are revising your campus’s mental health strategy, or developing one from scratch, this document aims to provide you with a few key resources to help you navigate building a mental health strategy as per the CACUSS framework.

In this article, we will argue that embedding cultural safety in post-secondary institutions is crucial to improving the mental health and wellbeing of ​international students​. We will first discuss the context in which the theory of cultural safety arose and what preceded it. Next, we will discuss how this approach can be embedded at both the individual and systemic level on campus. We will end with a discussion of this approach's limitations and highlighting some work in this area and its impacts.

Group therapy spaces can be a place where post-secondary students come together to share their concerns, gain a better understanding of their situation, and to learn from and with each other.4 In this setting, “members learn not only to understand themselves and their own issues but also become therapeutic helpers for other group members.”4

Climate change may directly or indirectly impact psychological wellbeing as it is heavily influenced by environmental, social, and public health factors.8 In the last decade, studies linking climate change and mental health have emerged, suggesting that the effects of climate change can have acute (severe weather events that directly expose vulnerable and defenseless individuals to mental injuries) or chronic (large-scale social and community impacts, including outbreaks of violence, struggles over scarce resources, displacement and forced migration, post-disaster adaptation, and long-term environmental stress) effects.9 Individuals struggle to maintain optimism in the face of a progressively pessimistic future and feelings of grief, helplessness, and hopelessness have been reported.

Since relationships exist on a spectrum, it can sometimes be hard to spot the signs of when a relationship goes from healthy to unhealthy, from safe to dangerous. IPV is stereotypically viewed as strictly physical violence, but it often can be much more subtle than that and not include other forms of abuse. There is no threshold of violence or discomfort you need to reach before seeking support. If it feels wrong to you, ask for help.

Cellphones have become a prominent staple in our everyday lives that makes us accessible 24/ 7. In December 2023, the Ontario government insisted Ontario school boards (for grades K-12) crack down further on cellphone use in the classroom, with stricter rules that go beyond their 2019 policy due to social media being a huge distraction for kids in the classroom. In British Columbia, the banning of cellphones in select high schools has shown to improve mental health, student engagement, academic success and decrease bullying. Within the post-secondary environment, a recent Canadian study showed a concerningly high prevalence and severity of cellphone addiction, raising concerns about the health and academic impacts this has on post-secondary students.

Emotions are a part of our everyday lives. It is in our nature to feel. Sometimes emotions can play a powerful role in our day-to-day routine and elicit certain behaviors and actions. Sometimes referred to as emotional self-regulation, emotional regulation is described as one’s ability to effectively manage and respond to emotional experiences to adapt to the demands of a given situation or environment.1 It isn’t about trying to not feel emotions or suppressing emotions, it’s about regulating any emotions that arise.

This document provides some examples of mental health strategies within various post-secondary institutions in Ontario. We have also included documents with relevant recommendations put forward by some campuses on creating mental health policy and strategy. This is not an exhaustive list as some of the documents cannot be accessed online. If you would like to see your campus on this list or would like us to update one of the links below, please contact: info@campusmentalhealth.ca.

As you navigate through a new partnership, it is easy to get lost in the excitement of it. Establishing a partnership that has shared visions and goals is compelling and inspiring but maintaining a sustainable partnership and reducing those ‘growing pains’ can prove to be a challenge. Once your partnership is established, using these tips below can get you started in working towards maintaining an intentional and collaborative relationship with your partner(s).

The demand for post-secondary student mental health services and supports is increasing. Campuses and community health organizations are struggling to meet this growing demand. Meanwhile, individual campuses and community agencies have unique skills, resources and/or approaches that would benefit other partners. Developing and strengthening partnerships between community mental health agencies and public post-secondary institutions can enable all service providers to better support the needs of post- secondary students. This infosheet summarizes last year's projects.