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I agree Kim - it absolutely *is* my job to hear it, not just as a fellow human being, but because it's impacting on their learning so I need to take it into account, and I also think that part of my role as LDer is 'person who knows how universities work and therefore how students can navigate them', and therefore I act as a signpost to the resources that can help them. I hear it. I can't help resolve it; the actions I can take within my remit are taking it into account in any further work I do with them, and referring them. The only point I'd stop them talking is if I felt they were expecting a therapeutic relationship which I'm not qualified to offer. I make a point of getting to know the counselling team to build this link. I also strongly feel the lack of a supervisory relationship, and have tried to build this element into my team's meetings as best I can. I would love more professional development as to how this is done in counselling - as well as a similar supervisory relationship for myself! Who supervises the supervisors?! Best wishes Helen On Tue, 18 Jul 2017 at 18:30, Kim Shahabudin <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I do agree Helen, but I also think we've all experienced days when we go > home and weep over a student we've seen who's unburdened themselves on us > because they trust us. I'm emphatically not a counsellor, but I won't hold > up my hand and tell someone who feels they can confess stuff to me to stop > because that 'it's not part of my job to hear how you've been > abused/raped/bullied/abandoned etc, even if it is having an impact on your > studies.' But it does take a toll on your own mental health after a while, > and what really struck me when our service was co-located with Counselling > was that the counsellors had supervisors to whom they could unload the > awful things they'd heard, and we don't. > > Don't know the answer to this (informal access to something similar to > counselling supervision? It must be a problem for personal tutors too) and > I'm not sure how it relates to John's original question, but just adding my > bit. > > Kim > > ------------------------------ > Dr Kim Shahabudin, SFHEA, Study Adviser, Study Advice & Maths Support > > University of Reading Library @ URS Building, Whiteknights, Reading > > 0118 378 4242/5222 : www.reading.ac.uk/library/study-advice twitter: > @unirdg_study > > Please note that I now work part-time and am not usually on campus on > Mondays. > ------------------------------ > *From:* learning development in higher education network [ > [log in to unmask]] on behalf of Helen Webster [[log in to unmask] > ] > *Sent:* 18 July 2017 17:06 > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: "we are not a therapeutic community" > > I would hesitate to think of LD as a therapeutic activity. For me, therapy > is a healing activity (half my family are clinical psychologists, so I > don't see therapy as a negative thing, I'm just clear that's not what I > do), and that implies that the student is unwell, and needs to be brought > to health, is disordered, and needs to be helped to good order. Learning > development, on the other hand, I think, accepts that learning is by its > very nature challenging, destabilising, unsettling, 'troublesome' - and if > it's not, it's not learning. To learn something is to challenge your > worldview - that's quite something! I think as LDers we do help students > explore their feelings around that, which are bound to be strong if they > are really engaged - and these feelings can be negative or as Sandra says, > very positive. But I think to call this therapy implies that the feelings > that come with learning are in some way problematic instead of a perfectly > natural and inevitable part of the process. > > Where the problem arises is that the situation that John outlines has made > university a very unsafe place to experience this unsettling, troublesome > activity of learning. None of this - the employability agenda, fees, the > examination regime in schools, has really got anything to do with learning > and in fact is profoundly unhelpful. How can students feel secure enough to > take risks, explore the unknown, make mistakes in this environment? How can > they, when the environment itself is so unsafe? How can they learn in such > a culture? > > We aren't counsellors and for individual students, I don't feel I can > support mental health issues or other things that impact on their ability > to learn. I can take them into account in my work, but I can't help with > them. There does come a point when an individual has so much going on in > their lives that the upheaval of learning isn't a good thing to add to the > mix at that time. I can't do therapy, I can't heal, and learning isn't > something to be healed anyway. But I can fight for a university community > which does its best to create a safe place to experience the unsettlingness > of learning in a compassionate way, which is as inclusive and diverse as > possible, remembering that its whole purpose is to help students learn and > to assess that learning without getting hung up on rigid means, and try to > fight against the whole culture that counteracts learning. > > best wishes > > Helen > > > > On Tue, Jul 18, 2017 at 4:35 PM, Juliette Smeed < > [log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> Dear John, >> >> >> >> Why not be a therapeutic community? I would argue because it is not in >> students’ best interests. To my mind a therapeutic community is one that >> supports students where they are and helps move them onto a ‘better’ place >> – be that emotionally, physically, educationally or whatever. Perhaps >> that’s a narrow perspective. >> >> >> >> In contrast, I would advocate for academic learning communities that can >> say, ‘This is who we are. This is what we do. Our primary focus is to help >> you join us.’ Now I understand that might not be popular with people who >> would like students to primarily lead their own learning, but as a >> therapeutic ‘good’ it has a great deal of value. First, it is honest: we do >> want students (to start at least) to learn to think in particular ways >> about ideas whose value we have determined. Second, it affords greater >> opportunities for students to develop a sense of belonging, which I believe >> is currently a great malaise among university students. They don’t really >> know why they are here. Third, it makes it easier for us to state clear >> expectations and give students a chance to meet those expectations, so they >> can feel good about their achievements more often and anxious about their >> performance less often. >> >> >> >> Perhaps what is wrong with universities is not that they fail to shift to >> accommodate the realities of student experiences, but rather that they >> shift just a bit, enough so they can appear to be everything to all >> possible and potential students, and end up muddying the message. If we >> could be clearer on our learning agenda, then we would confuse students >> less, not play so large a role in causing students to behave badly, and get >> to feel a lot more certain when we have to take decisions on whether >> students stay at university or go. Because, then it is just a matter of >> deciding: with everything else going on, are they still capable of learning >> in this community? >> >> >> >> OK, I’ve simplified it. But I do believe it is possible to focus on >> student wellbeing without becoming therapeutic about it. >> >> >> >> Best wishes, >> >> >> >> Juliette >> >> >> >> *Dr Juliette Smeed* >> >> Academic Skills, Business School >> >> University of Buckingham, Hunter St, Buckingham MK18 1EG >> >> Room 126, AdR Building >> >> [image: Buckingham brand logo] >> >> Tel: 01280 827540 Email: [log in to unmask] >> >> >> >> *Visit the University's pages on Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism >> <http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/life/library/authorship-plagiarism>* >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> *From:* learning development in higher education network [mailto: >> [log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *John Hilsdon >> *Sent:* 14 July 2017 16:20 >> *To:* [log in to unmask] >> *Subject:* "we are not a therapeutic community" >> >> >> >> 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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