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Beautifully put, John!! My only caveat is that if you acknowledge that we could also be therapeutic communities there are those that then demonise that phrase - or the student... If we have to be therapeutic - it is because either we are perceiving the student as weak or flawed or fragile in some way - or they are all those things. And then a whole different conversation emerges - that attempts the exclude the sensitive and nuanced case that you are making. I would add to your call for a therapeutic community the call for us to also be creative, playful and joyful communities! All the best, Sandra On 14 July 2017 at 16:20, John Hilsdon <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Dear all > > > > I write with a musing, wondering how learning developers see this > situation … I think my LD colleagues locally feel the crisis in mental > health (e.g. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/may/23/number- > university-dropouts-due-to-mental-health-problems-trebles etc. etc. etc.) > has been used as an excuse to justify a reduction in resources available > for their work, and it certainly is true that we have expanded our support > services for those areas here – i.e. for disability, mental health and > wellbeing support – whilst LD has languished behind. > > > > A phrase that became something of an in-joke, and latterly a sour joke, > here is that ‘we are not a therapeutic community’. I am not sure who coined > (sic) it first; maybe it was me, back in the days when it was less of an > everyday occurrence to be dealing with serious mental health issues, > expressions of suicidal thoughts, self-harm, self-medication and other > disruptive and challenging behaviours. It was a comment that was intended > to accompany expressions of doubt about the level of support we could offer > to an unwell student, and the rightful role of university. It was brought > out with regret to underscore how sorry we are that there comes a point > when we need to say enough is enough and we can’t continue to help because > that someone is too ill, too needy or their behaviour is too scary, and we > have a duty to all our other students and to our staff, eventually to > exclude or withdraw or suspend that person from study. And we do not have > the skills, the expertise, the training … and we do not have the resources > or the time … and university is not the right place for someone like that > ... > > > > And that is all ‘true’ - at least in part, but there are other > interpretations. What do we expect? We admit almost half the population > leaving school into university, having convinced them by fair means and > foul that they need degrees, that they must invest in themselves, that they > should borrow to finance this investment, with themselves as collateral, > that their capital will pay off in time. Yet we know the levels of debt of > graduates has risen precipitously (https://www.theguardian.com/ > education/2017/jul/11/the-partys-over-how-tuition-fees- > ruined-university-life) and that the so-called graduate premium in > employment is less and less a reality. And at a time when life generally > appears more precarious, more uncertain and more frightening than ever, we > wonder why such a large number of our students become ill or behave in such > challenging ways while they are with us. And, as NHS services to support > the needs of those with mental ill-health cannot cope, again and again we > hear that students are discharged from hospital or by their GPs, only to > fall immediately back into trouble, and often university is their one hope > of making life more positive … so we have invented ‘fitness to study’ > policies that can exclude those in greatest need … > > > > So my question to universities is: why not be therapeutic communities? I’m > being provocative - I don’t mean why not take on the NHS’s role, of course, > nor expect to support those who have really dangerous conditions at > university, but perhaps an acknowledgment of a therapeutic role, without > the sneering, is what we need - and perhaps ‘compassionate university’ > initiatives (https://charterforcompassion.org/91-partners/the-education- > sector/schools-colleges-university-and-learning- > institutional-partners/3914-the-worlds-first-compassionate-university) > can offer an alternative to the dire rhetoric of edubusiness’ notions of > students as human capital. > > > > I was a learning developer before I was a manager of ‘wellbeing’ … LD is > where my heart is – maybe there’s a greater role for LD in community > building and PALS work, to respond to the MH crisis than is currently > recognised? > > > > Best to all > > > > John > > > > John Hilsdon > > Head of Learning Support and Wellbeing > > Room 104, 4 Portland Mews > > University of Plymouth > > Drake Circus > > Plymouth > > PL4 8AA > > +44 (0)1752 587750 <+44%201752%20587750> > > > > [log in to unmask] > > http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/jhilsdon > > > > [image: Description: Description: Description: learning-FOR-EMAIL] > > > ------------------------------ > <http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/worldclass> > > This email and any files with it are confidential and intended solely for > the use of the recipient to whom it is addressed. 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