A POPULATION APPROACH TO THE PROMOTION OF MENTAL HEALTH IN TERTIARY STUDENTS

Mental health problems can have a significant impact on the academic achievement of tertiary students, which in turn can impact upon their capacity to reach their career and employment potential. At times mental health problems can also impact on other students, staff, and on institutions. Despite high prevalence rates of psychological distress in university students and greater access to counselling and health services than the general population, relatively few students utilise services to increase their wellbeing. This paper presents the results from a feasibility study that embedded a strength-focussed resilience building seminar within a university curriculum. The Staying on Track seminar, consisting of 6 building blocks for resilience, has been incorporated into the curriculum for law, engineering, and psychology students and has been met with high levels of student satisfaction. Satisfaction also translated into self-reported positive behaviour change for many students. The seminar will be discussed within the context of a multilevel approach to enhancing resilience in tertiary students.