Partnering for Program Prosperity: An Investigation of What Students Need From University Group-Based Wellbeing Programs
Wellbeing group-based programs offered by university counselling services provide valuable opportunities for students to enhance their mental health and increase their academic success. However, there is an ongoing challenge in understanding what students need and want from programs, and what will i...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association (ANZSSA)
2025-04-01
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| Series: | JANZSSA |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.30688/janzssa.2025-1-05 |
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| Summary: | Wellbeing group-based programs offered by university counselling services provide valuable opportunities for students to enhance their mental health and increase their academic success. However, there is an ongoing challenge in understanding what students need and want from programs, and what will increase their attendance. This article details a Student-Staff Partnership project developed by University of Queensland (UQ) students and student counsellors in response to a reduction in the number of students accessing wellbeing programs. The article discusses the development of the project, from the initial idea of creating wellbeing programs to target the needs of students, as identified by the students themselves. A survey was developed to assess student needs to be targeted by wellbeing programs, to understand student preference for program delivery mode, and to explore the needs of students who present with additional barriers to academic success. The existing lack of research into this area, especially in relation to student mental health and “mental wealth” research, makes this important and informative data that can shape the future of wellbeing programs. Key findings include discrepancies in student knowledge of individual versus wellbeing programs offered by counselling, and preference for word of mouth and social media as sources of information. The value in partnering with students is discussed, as are additional findings, challenges, and successes.
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<p xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><span property="dct:title">Partnering for program prosperity: An investigation of what students
need from university group-based wellbeing programs
</span> by <span property="cc:attributionName">Zarinah Hienekamp, Keren Jones, and Te Meng</span> is licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1" target="_blank" rel="license noopener noreferrer" style="display:inline-block;">CC BY 4.0<img style="height:22px!important;margin-left:3px;vertical-align:text-bottom;" src="https://mirrors.creativecommons.org/presskit/icons/cc.svg?ref=chooser-v1"><img style="height:22px!important;margin-left:3px;vertical-align:text-bottom;" src="https://mirrors.creativecommons.org/presskit/icons/by.svg?ref=chooser-v1"></a></p> |
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| ISSN: | 1320-2480 2207-8460 |