Among national discussions around student mental health, the University of Bath is actively working and continuously evaluating its support for students, aiming to embed a whole-university culture of care. My role as Training Officer in Pastoral Support, has been created to support this endeavour, delivering sessions focused primarily on the support provided to students by Personal Tutors and Doctoral Supervisors, for whom the training is mandatory.
With inconsistencies apparent in both staff confidence when addressing non-academic disclosures, and student satisfaction in receiving tutor/supervisor support, my training aims to improve the experience for all. We want staff to feel secure in their responsibilities, in the guidance they give, and their knowledge of the signposting opportunities available. We want students in the first instance to know that their tutor/supervisor is someone they can turn to when facing non-academic challenges, and most pertinent, to receive a positive and impactful response. As Yale put it in 2019:
Poor personal tutoring is worse than not providing personal tutoring at all, leading to students experiencing strong negative emotions of anger, internalised attributions and a move towards re-evaluating their decision to go to university.
With staff wellbeing an equally important factor, alongside increasing confidence in their pastoral responsibilities, the training also puts a focus on the various avenues of support available to staff within the university.
