Every year, 10 October is dedicated to mental wellbeing: on World Mental Health Day, proclaimed by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), attention is drawn to people’s mental wellbeing around the globe. It’s all about awareness, raising awareness and solidarity.
First aid for the mind
At Paderborn University, there are numerous research and teaching projects that promote both physical and mental health. With Mental First Aid, for example, students and staff have access to courses on offer where they are trained as mental first aiders. Among other things, they learn to recognise mental distress and overload, as well as the signs of mental health conditions, and to respond appropriately. In this way, they act as a ‘bridge’ to professional help. Together, the aim is to address and counteract the stigma surrounding mental health. The next courses for students will take place on 4 and 11 November. The next course for staff will take place on 6 November.
Psychosocial counselling focuses on loss of motivation during studies, feelings of being overwhelmed, stress, or coping with illness. Trained specialists from the Central Student Advisory Service work with those affected in confidential discussions to find solutions and offer support with study-related and personal problems.
The university’s designated mental health support contacts provide a permanent point of contact for university staff: these members offer advice to staff on a voluntary basis and have completed various training programmes in the field of mental health. A trusting environment in which those affected can speak openly about their concerns, combined with strict confidentiality, ensures that the support services for all academic and administrative staff are independent, confidential and easily accessible.
An overview of all services on offer for students and staff provides further guidance.
Mental health in research
Emails, social media, music: it is now well known that smartphones affect us in a wide variety of ways, and this is frequently the subject of research. A study by Paderborn University, for example, has shown that mobile phones distract us even when they are switched off and lying on the table. The study’s author, Prof. Dr Sven Lindberg, Head of Clinical Developmental Psychology at Paderborn University, has also investigated why we can hardly find peace and quiet withouta ‘second screen’. “Our brain loves new stimuli – but it also needs periods when nothing is happening. If we fill every gap with scrolling, streaming and a second screen, the brain lacks the time to clear its mind in peace: to sort through memories, process emotions and truly wind down. Multitasking feels as though we’re getting more done, yet it’s the surest way to get less done,” says Prof. Lindberg.
From 20 October, he will be appearing as an expert on the ZDF programme ‘37°: Our Class – Chaos and Opportunities in 1d”, where he will provide an external developmental psychological assessment of the children – using playful experiments on concentration, self-assessment and empathy.
The CARE+CONNECT project, based at the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, aims to improve mental health support at European universities by offering structured interventions to enhance students’ wellbeing and resilience. Key objectives include the introduction of an online tool for cognitive behavioural therapy, the establishment of peer support networks, the creation of safe spaces for discussions about mental health, the training of university staff and students, and the establishment of sustainable support structures. The project is being carried out in six EU countries.
A working group at the Department of Exercise and Health is also investigating the neurocognitive foundations of sport and physical activity. Four key research areas focus on the relationship between motor expertise and the integration of perceptual and motor performance; the neurocognitive foundations of motor learning and automation processes in motor control; the development of motor skills across the lifespan; and the relationship between sport and mental health.
Shared responsibility
Whether in teaching, counselling, the workplace or research: mental health is a top priority at Paderborn University. “We are actively committed to ensuring that no one has to face their worries alone – through courses, counselling, research and the simple yet crucial act of listening,” states Simone Probst, Vice-President for Finances and Human Resources.
This text was translated automatically.
