Students’ Mental Health Assessment, Reflection & Experiences (SHARE) aims to research and understand student mental health and wellbeing needs.
The project consists not only of researchers but also student advisors, who want to improve mental health resources for university students across the country.
Max Bailey, a student advisor, said: “University can undoubtedly be an uphill battle (especially if you’re in Sheffield), and though we are acquainted with certain stigmas about student mental health before starting our degrees, it is not until we get there that we begin to understand their full complexity.”
He added: “The SHARE Project has allowed me to channel my experiences with these things in a creative and impactful way.”
Student advisors benefit the project by allowing the inclusion of student voices and directly addressing the challenges presented by them.
Many guidelines stress the need for improved data collection on student mental health, but SHARE takes an innovative approach by looking into students’ personal experiences.
They also acknowledge the need for mental health support among marginalised groups and focus on ensuring these underrepresented voices are heard.
Nidhi J Deglurkar, an international student advisor, said: “As I became familiar with handling the weather woes, academic adventures, and culture changes, I realised that there are several aspects of being an international student that may have a beneficial or detrimental effect on one’s mental health.
“These aspects remain unexplored and the SHARE project aims to explore just that.”
The project allows for expression in multiple ways, through writing reflection blogs, workshops, and an upcoming podcast, which aims to “explore varied themes and share stories about mental health to connect with students in a fun manner.”
Dr Emma Broglia, Principal Investigator for SHARE, believes that by listening to students’ collective insight, the project will be able to “improve the quality of student mental health and wellbeing data”
SHARE is conducted in partnership with the University of Sheffield’s Student Mental Health and Psychological Therapies Service as well as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the University Mental Health Advisers Network (UMHAN).
To learn more about the research project and how to get involved, click here.