Wellbeing Plan

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented us with a situation none of us have ever experienced before. We recognise that for our entire community, and especially our students, life is changing very quickly, and this brings with it a heightened degree of uncertainty, stress and anxiety.

We understand that our students are:

  • adapting to a new method of online learning
  • isolated from their peers and networks due to social distancing
  • balancing financial burdens and housing pressures
  • managing news overload, general community worry, and uncertainty about their future

We’ve been working closely with our students, the Adelaide University Union, the Student Representative Council, and Adelaide University Sport to create a Wellbeing Plan that will offer students a comprehensive resource. We support a holistic approach to wellbeing. This means we are focused on promoting resilience, and preventing or reducing the impact of ill health or mental health.

Download the wellbeing Plan

The four goals of our Wellbeing Plan are to:

  • Reduce isolation by helping students stay connected, virtually
  • Promote the importance of staying well, maintaining nutrition, and staying active
  • Help students manage stress, anxiety and other emotions related to COVID-19
  • Encourage healthy study routines and a balanced lifestyle

This plan is for all of our students. However, we recognise that individual circumstances and backgrounds can have a significant impact on coping capacity. Specialised cohort support is important to address specific needs. We will be creating additional strategies and developing collaboration with specialised community supports for:

  • International students
  • First-year students
  • Primary carers
  • Sponsored students
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
  • Low-SES students
  • Mature-age students
  • HDR students
  • Women
  • LGBTIQ students
  • Refugee and humanitarian students

 

We are using a Stepped Care approach. This means we can ensure that the right level of support is available to meet students’ needs, at the point in time that they need it. For our students, we are delivering resources and support in three key areas:

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Crisis support

During University hours call Student Life Counselling Support on +61 8 8313 5663.

After hours contact the University Crisis Line on 1300 167 652, or text 0488 884 197 (Monday to Friday, 5pm to 9am, 24-hour weekend support). 

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Direct personalised support

Students can access key University support services through remote channels, including phone, email and Zoom.

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Building community capacity

Students can: 

  • Access online resources and virtual engagement opportunities to proactively support good mental health
  • get involved in peer-to-peer support to build a strong sense of community.

University resources

We understand that support services are critical to our students’ success. In recent weeks we have transitioned and scaled up key support services from face-to-face to online delivery. This means our students can access the resources they need to stay healthy, well, and engaged with their learning.

External resources

There are a range of organisations who offer key support services relevant to our students. Students can connect with:

  • Lifeline

    Lifeline offers telephone, text and webchat services to support mental health and wellbeing. Students can connect with Lifeline by:

    • Phone: 13 11 14 (24/7)
    • Text: 0477 13 11 14 (6pm – midnight/7 nights)
    • Webchat

    Visit Lifeline

  • BeyondBlue

    Students can access free counselling with mental health professionals by:

    Visit Beyond Blue

  • Be Well Plan

    The Be Well Plan was released in March 2020 as a collaboration between researchers and mental health professionals from the SAHMRI Wellbeing and Resilience Centre and the Orama Institute at Flinders University.

    The program offers tailored solutions to strengthen mental health. It operates on a “pay what you can” model, and is made up of five online sessions (10 hours total).

    Explore the Be Well Plan

  • Headspace

    This website offers resources to help students manage stress related to COVID-19.

    Visit Headspace

Additional resources offer targeted support for specific wellbeing matters, including:

  • Mental health
  • Domestic violence and sexual assault
  • Drug and alcohol issues
  • Sexuality and sexual health