A Stepped Care approach to Mental Health
A Stepped Care approach to Mental Health
Mr Martin Healy, Ms Renee Griffin
University students are increasingly recognised as a vulnerable group, experiencing higher levels of mental health concerns compared to equivalent cohorts in the general population. The covid-19 pandemic has only compounded on this as the nature of their educational experience radically changed.
At the same time universities are also undergoing unprecedented change because of covid-19. As well as the obvious burden of change for teaching as they move to online platforms, Support Services have also had to modify service delivery to meet the changed environment and increasing demands for support.
While there is often a gap between the demand for psychological services and the available supply, the way to overcome this problem is to increase efficiency of provision through the adoption of interventions within a Stepped Care model. Not all students need the same type of intervention. Some students may benefit by accessing self-help resources online, watching a video, using an app, or guided online programs. Others could benefit from a psychoeducational workshop, and still others may require longer term individual treatment from an accredited mental health professional.
Stepped Care is a staged approach to the delivery of mental health services, comprising a hierarchy of interventions; from the least to the most intensive. In a stepped care approach, a person seeking support is connected to the services that meet their needs, and as their needs change, the services change with them. It has the capacity for the individual to step up and step down to different levels of care. This is fundamental to a person-centered approach to mental health care.
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