Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been significant discussions and studies on the mental health challenges faced by university students in Latin America and the Caribbean. with many experiencing anxiety and stress, among other symptoms.
During the ‘Championing Mental and Emotional Health Among the Youth‘ panel at the QS Higher Ed Summit: Americas 2024, experts focused on innovative approaches to prioritising mental and emotional wellness on campus and how universities can empower students to flourish in a supportive environment.
“Mental and emotional health is comprehensive, integrative and is not a one-size-fits all.”
Professor and Dr Denise Coutinho Endringer, Rectora at Universidade Vila Velha
Spotting mental and emotional challenges among students
“Through our holistic programme, we train everybody who is in contact with our students to recognise some of the signals of mental and emotional challenges.” Explained Professor Denise Coutinho Endringer, Rectora at Universidade Vila Velha when asked how her university is identifying mental health challenges among students.
“Students don’t always show what they’re feeling, but then sometimes they’re missing classes at higher rates, so we have people check-in with those students,” Professor Endringer says. “When some problems are happening, it’s about understanding exactly what the best approach is – for example, if someone has an anxiety crisis and multiple staff go to them at once, it won’t be effective. So, we teach our support staff how to organise exactly what should be done.
“We have also built a system that measures exactly how many times per month a student experiences problems, and then we can take the necessary steps on what to do.”
Easing the transition to university life
In the same panel, Giselle Dubinsky, Regional Manager for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean at EducationUSA shared, “We see prospective students in the Latin America region that are applying to American universities, they’re already struggling and having anxiety and experience this as a stressful situation. It’s very important to have programmes that can focus on this domestic audience. However, international students also have many struggles in this area as they’re studying in a totally different environment and are experiencing a lot of changes, so it’s important that we’re offering some specific services to the international population as well.”
Work on these initiatives comes as students are demanding strong support systems from their institutions – 56% of prospective international students feel that mental health counselling is either a ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ important factor in university offerings (QS International Student Survey 2024).
“If the staff are stressed, that will affect everybody.”
Professor Denise Coutinho Endringer, Rectora at Universidade Vila Velha
Empowering students, faculty and staff
While addressing mental and emotional distress is a crucial first step for individuals to feel supported, one panelist emphasised the importance of universities balancing this with proactive problem-solving.
“We focus more on what is happening and how we feel about it”, said Dr María Teresa Nicolás Gavilán, Director of the Institutional Centre for Educational Innovation at Universidad Panamericana, as she recalled an Earthquake that hit Mexico in 2017.
“In the middle of everything happening, we focused a lot on how we were all feeling, and not so much the systems we should be putting in place like where to send our students in emergencies for example.
“Also, we are really keen to support our students, but we as the faculty also need to be prepared mentally. Because of this, we implemented programmes catered to students and another for academics and staff to feel supported.”
Professor Endringer also had a similar notion about the importance of enhancing support for university leaders also.
“At my university, we re-organised the strategic plan into ten main goals. One of them is for all our people at university to be engaged, healthy and secure. In one of our programmes ‘Manager Leadership’, we work specifically on the health of our staff and how the leaders can manage their group effectively. This is important because if the staff are stressed, that will affect everybody.”
Fostering open communication
Dr Gavilán mentioned the importance of students feeling safe to talk about how they feel in challenging times.
“The Director at my University asks us to send her a weekly report about how many advisory sections we hold through video conferences with the students. For me that was a shocking moment because it reinforces how important it is to be talking with our students one-to-one.”
How are universities in the Americas region dealing with mental and emotional health?
Giselle highlighted that there may be a common misconception in the Americas region that having mental and emotional challenges automatically means “failure”.
“We’re trying to dismantle all these ideas and misconceptions through presentations and workshops to help them learn that the support is available.”
Key strategies for universities in the Americas region
Here are some actionable steps that universities can take to foster mental and emotional wellness:
Train faculty and staff to identify behavioral shifts in students: As highlighted by Professor Endringer, universities should focus on implementing comprehensive training programmes and equip staff with strategies to intervene effectively without overwhelming students.
Promote open communication and destigmatise mental health discussions: Encourage students to openly discuss their thoughts and feelings by fostering a culture of acceptance. As another example, The University of the West Indies (UWI) – in collaboration with UNICEF and The Ministry of Health (MoH) – launched a mental health chatline aimed at supporting young people in Trinidad and Tobago. Staffed by trained volunteers from UWI’s Department of Behavioral Sciences, the initiative seeks to enhance access to mental health resources for adolescents across the country. The service provides text-based support, referrals, and comprehensive information on available mental health services, placing vital assistance directly in the hands of those in need.
Create tailored support systems for diverse student populations: Offer targeted mental health services that cater to both domestic and international students. For example, Universidad de Chile launched an initiative in 2023 to help students across Chile with their mental health. Education Undersecretary for Ministerio de Educación, Nicolás Cataldo Astorga explained that the comprehensive plan aims to address “unique matters pertaining to international students and also migrant students”.
Develop proactive crisis management protocols: Focus not only on emotional support but also on proactive measures in times of uncertainty.
Implement separate programmes for students and staff: Recognise that academic staff and administrators also face stress and need ongoing support. Developing distinct programmes catering to both needs can enhance a healthier university environment for all.
