Building Synergy in Promoting Mental Health Awareness Across Campus Using a Student-Led Participatory Action Approach

TitleBuilding Synergy in Promoting Mental Health Awareness Across Campus Using a Student-Led Participatory Action Approach
Faculty/College/UnitVP Students
StatusCompleted
Duration3 Years
Initiation04/01/2012
Completion03/21/2016
Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2012/2013
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorMichael Lee
Year 1: Funded Amount32,304
Year 1: Team Members

Michael Lee, Senior Instructor / Curriculum Coordinator, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine

Year 2: Project YearYear 2
Year 2: Funding Year2013/2014
Year 2: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 2: Principal InvestigatorMichael Lee
Year 2: Funded Amount42,046
Year 2: Team Members

Michael Lee, Senior Instructor / Curriculum Coordinator, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
Patty Hambler, Student Development Officer, Wellness, Student Health Service
Diana Jung, Graduate Student, Adler School of Professional Psychology (Community Partner)
Christie Newton, Assistant Professor, Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
Tal Jarus, Professor, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
Marlee Groening, Lecturer, School of Nursing
Canice Ma, Student Collaborator, Mental Health Awareness Club (Student Collaborator)
Kimberley Carter, Student Collaborator / Co-Chair, Mental Health Network (Student Collaborator)
Sarah Sinanan, The Art Studios, Vancouver Community Mental Health Services (Community Partner)
Leanne MacLeod, Canadian Mental Health Association, Vancouver-Burnaby Branch (Community Partner)
Sneha Shankar, Occupational Therapist-Mental Health, Vancouver Coastal Health (Community Partner)
Laura Tighe, Occupational Therapist, Vancouver Island Health Authority (Community Partner)

Year 2: Summary

Founded in 2010, the Mental Health Awareness Club (MHAC) is an established student-led club dedicated to promoting mental health awareness at UBC. Mentored by an interprofessional advisory circle, MHAC continues to be a forum for high impact student learning, peer-to-peer mentorship, and increased awareness about mental health on campus. Through Club activities, students have opportunities to develop leadership skills, collaborate with other groups and services, and engage the community to better understand student needs. To build on this momentum, the Club seeks to further increase its capacity and the capacity of its members. The Club proposes to expand its focus through understanding mental health stigma and its effects on students’ full participation in student life. Using a participatory action approach to identify if and how stigma affects students’ lives, the Club will engage students to better inform initiatives aimed at improving students’ mental health awareness, their health and academic success.

Year 3: Project YearYear 3
Year 3: Funding Year2014/2015
Year 3: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 3: Principal InvestigatorMichael Lee
Year 3: Funded Amount65,374
Year 3: Team Members

Michael Lee, Senior Instructor / Curriculum Coordinator, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
Patty Hambler, Student Development Officer, UBC Wellness Centre
Steven Barnes, Instructor 1, Psychology, Vantage College
Crystal Sun, Graduate Student, School of Population and Public Health
Christie Newton, Associate Professor, Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine
Tal Jarus, Professor, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
Marlee Groening, Lecturer, School of Nursing
Melinda Suto, Assistant Professor, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine
Jonathan Fleming, Professor, Psychiatry, Faculty of Arts
Chris Pan, Co-President, Mental Health Awareness Club
Baley Komishke, Co-President, Mental Health Awareness Club
Jackie Cramp, Graduate Student, Rehabilitation and Sciences Graduate Program
Sneha Shankar, Graduate Student, Rehabilitation and Sciences Graduate Program
Danielle Sanders, 3rd-year Dietetics Student
Diana Jung, Graduate Student, Adler School of Professional Psychology
Sarah Sinanan, The Art Studios, Vancouver Community Mental Health Services
Leanne MacLeod, Canadian Mental Health Association, Vancouver-Burnaby Branch
Laura Tighe, Former MHAC Chair, Occupational Therapist, Vancouver Island Health Authority

Year 3: Summary

This project will expand the scope of the Mental Health Awareness Club (MHAC) and the Mental Health Needs Assessment (MHNA) project (both of which engage students in mental health awareness and interdisciplinary interactions with curricular and co-curricular activities) to engage international students in the newly developed Vantage College. This project proposes to pilot the MHNA participatory-action approach (PAA) that is currently integrated into the Occupational Therapy curriculum, in a Psychology curriculum at Vantage College. Through this pilot, the MHNA project for international students (INT-MHNA) will enhance academic learning, while the MHAC will expand its focus to be more inclusive of international students, helping them to better integrate into the UBC community through co-curricular involvement. Moreover, the results from the INT-MHNA project will help MHAC better understand international students' mental health needs, resulting in initiatives that will improve students' mental health awareness, their health and academic success

Project Report14-114-TLEF-Lee-Final-WEB.pdf