The telemedicine program at The Royal has expanded a mental health education series to 24 colleges across the province.
First developed in partnership with Algonquin College in 2019, the initiative offers high-quality, virtual training for staff in student services, including nurses, social workers, and physicians.
“Sharing knowledge in this way – and building capacity – is an important part of The Royal’s strategy. We are working with partners to advance specialized care across our system, supporting recovery, safety and quality of life,” says Dr. Susan Farrell, vice-president of patient care services and community mental health at The Royal.
Sarah Joynt, the telemedicine business development coordinator at The Royal, calls the education series a “gateway to knowledge and research,” that provides college staff with the latest information from top experts at The Royal.
Financial support for this initiative comes from the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and runs through to 2022.
The virtual, hour-long presentations are given by experienced psychiatrists and psychologists and are specifically geared to college staff who work directly with students. Topics have included suicide, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and borderline personality disorder.
“The series is intended to build capacity and offer treatment recommendations, dispel myths, and offer some understanding on how to better work with students with these illnesses,” says Joynt.
Ben Bridgstock, director of student services at Algonquin College, says although college campuses are a snapshot of the wider community in many ways, college students have unique mental health needs.
“You have young people who are at a critical age, a vulnerable age, many of them leaving home for the first time, many of them managing a budget for the first time, trying to manage their classes and make new friends in a city far from home,” says Bridgstock.
Eating disorders, substance misuse, and certain mental health disorders can also present at this time. Add to this, of course, a pandemic, which may contribute to feelings of anxiousness, fear, and isolation.
“The needs were always there, but since the pandemic the needs have gotten even greater for students,” says Joynt. “Some are suffering in silence. They’re not going into classes or seeing family. It can create insecurities and self-doubt and loneliness.”
Bridgstock says the mental health education series gives unprecedented access to experts and builds confidence among college staff. “Anything that gives the clinicians on campus greater skills, or greater knowledge, or access to more up-to-date information or learning, is pivotal,” he says. “It's really good to have input from somebody at that level who can talk about diagnosis, medication, treatment plans.”
The Royal’s mental health education series is one of several initiatives currently underway with postsecondary institutions. New partnerships with Carleton University and uOttawa are also expanding virtual mental health services to students.