Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697804893725.pdf (Ireland)
Health and well-being (and funding of services) of students in 3rd level.

We know that anxiety and depression are on the rise in our young people – from My World 2 survey of 19,000 young people in Ireland, published in 2019.

Mental illness is likely to surface in the ages from 17 to 25 and therefore is also likely to present in the student population.
Increasing diversity in 3rd level also means that students with pre-existing mental, physical and emotional needs are attending colleges and our international student population has significantly grown.

All this points to the pressure on services in 3rd level (health services, counselling services and disability services) are the primary point of contact for young people in this country.
Decrease in stigmatisation of mental health issues plus increasing anxiety and academic pressure to do well have all been factors in the rise in demand for counselling services and even the private sector is having huge difficulty meeting this surge in need.
The PCHEI was founded in 1994 by a group of student counsellors from various 3rd level colleges who were meeting informally for a number of years, the organisation has developed and now represents student counselling services in the vast majority of the Higher Education Institutes in Ireland.

Student Counselling Services are the dedicated mental health support service available in 3rd Level Colleges.
Student counselling services role, first and foremost is to provide psychological counselling to students who may be experiencing personal adjustment, developmental and/or psychological problems that require the attention of a professional counsellor.

They also play a preventative role by assisting students to identify the learning skills required to effectively meet their educational and life goals.
They are involved with the support and enhancement of student wellbeing throughout the campus community and play a role in contributing to the safety on campus.

Student Counselling Services provide a range of key mental health interventions: clinical assessment; one-to-one counselling; group counselling; online support; risk and crisis management; outreach and prevention; training for HEI staff to support students; policy and procedural development; psychological health workshops and programmes.
PCHEI members are highly qualified, professional student counsellors and are eligible for accreditation with an accrediting body such as the The Irish Council for Psychotherapy, The Psychological Society of Ireland and The Irish Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists.

Accreditation helps to ensure that practitioners are appropriately qualified and work to recognised standards of professional competence.
Accreditation also assures the client that the practitioner will work within an agreed ethical framework and code of practice.

The slide below details the reach of student counsellors: the numbers of unique students presenting plus the number of sessions attended.

The jump in the year 2019 to 2021 will be overshadowed by the rise in demand this academic year 2020-2022.

For example, TCD has experienced and increase of 23% in demand for counselling and there is still 3 months to go in the current year.
In the academic year 2021, nearly 70,000 clinical sessions were attended by almost 14.400 students – this is a huge number of young people who are not attending the HSE or Government bodies for their mental health.
Funding issues: Most funding for student counselling comes from the core budget of colleges – in the past two academic years, the Government has given funding to colleges which has allowed for more counselling sessions to take place plus outreach work on the Consent and Suicide Prevention frameworks.
However, the reality is that many counselling centres have become rapid-access in that they serve crisis and emergency demands first and this lessens the possibility for therapeutic change as there are consequences for on-going short term therapy models.
If this cohort (student counselling) continues to be the main provider of mental health services to this age group, then more resources need to be made available to properly meet the psychological and psychiatric needs of the students: this will necessitate more counsellors, more access to psychiatry and more varied response to our rising international and diverse student needs.
The expectation is that a large number of students will enter our 3rd level system as they flee war in their countries – this will necessitate a mental health and trauma informed response that will put extra pressure on a system already under distress.

Trish Murphy Irish Council for Psychotherapy Acting Director of Student Counselling, Trinity College Dublin.
https://irp.cdn-website.com/0ec7838b/files/uploaded/My_World_Survey_2.pdf https://irp.cdn-website.com/0ec7838b/files/uploaded/nihms-989409.pdf –––––––––––– Trish Murphy –––––––––––– Trish Murphy Acting Director Student Counselling Service Student Learning Development Student 2 Student Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin Dublin 2, Ireland.
Stiúrthóir Seirbhísí Comhairleoireachta na Mac Léinn Foireann Foghlama & Forbartha Mac Léinn Mac Léinn 2 Mac Léinn Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath, Ollscoil Átha Cliath Baile Átha Cliath 2, Éire.

+353 1 896 1407 087 2340666 student-counselling@tcd.ie www.tcd.ie/Student_Counselling +353 1 896 1407 087 2340666 student-counselling@tcd.ie www.tcd.ie/Student_Counselling A 24/7 crisis text line available to all staff and students.

Start a conversation by texting tcd to 50808.


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