West Sussex Mind has teamed up with Northbrook College to provide on-site mental health support to students and mental health training for staff and students. The project, based at the college’s West Durrington campus, was launched in response to rising mental health needs among students, particularly since the pandemic.
With £11,500 funding from Worthing Borough Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Fund, the initiative has included:
- Fortnightly on-site support sessions for students with a West Sussex Mind peer youth mental health worker
- Youth Mental Health First Aid training for college staff
- Mental health workshops for students, focusing on social media, resilience and setting boundaries
- A student wellbeing event during Mental Health Awareness Week in May.
The peer support sessions were designed for students needing extra help with issues such as loneliness, online bullying, exam stress and relationship challenges. This informal, empathetic approach offered a safe space for students to talk openly and focus on their wellbeing.
Han Bachtiger-Millard, West Sussex Mind’s peer youth mental health worker who supported students on-site, said: “My role has been to build rapport and provide a dedicated space for students to talk about the issues they are facing at home or in college. The aim is not to solve problems, but to use my lived experience to talk, listen and focus on achievable goals.”
Feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive, with close to 100% attendance rates for students attending six fortnightly sessions and all rating the support highly.
Laura Roberts, mental health adviser at Northbrook College, said: “There is a lot of disconnect among young people – many of them are lonely and isolated and this is a theme that we’ve seen become more prominent each year. To be able to sit down with someone at college, who is more their age, is boundaried and gently challenges them, has been truly priceless for our students.”
The project also delivered specialist student workshops on topics including emotional resilience, healthy boundaries and the impact of social media – developed in response to real challenges experienced on campus.
West Sussex Mind and Northbrook College worked closely together to ensure the support had robust safeguarding procedures and met the needs of students. The strong partnership has helped create a successful model that could be used in other college settings across West Sussex.
Sarah Wood, youth mental health manager at West Sussex Mind, said: “Peer support at Northbrook College proved to be a big success with high levels of engagement from young people, who came back week after week for their sessions.
“This project is a testament to close collaboration between West Sussex Mind and the college’s wellbeing team to work out what their young people needed, agree safeguarding procedures and offer avenues for young people to come into our recovery services. It’s given us a great model that could be embedded elsewhere across West Sussex.”