Good mental health is essential for all students to achieve their academic success. Many people experience mental health difficulties. It is quite common that students experience psychological distress or mental health difficulties, such as acting inappropriately or in disruptive ways; exhibiting aggression and disrespect and so on. For international students, there are additional sources of stress, both acute and chronic. Such as dealing with the disorientation of cultural shock, the challenges of adapting to a new environment and the demands of language barriers. Mental health difficulties can significantly reduce a student’s capacity to meet their course requirements, it can also highly impact their personal lives throughout all aspects.
IMC has various activities available to help promote mental wellbeing and facilitate a healthy student’s life cycle, such as Stress-Free Week before the exams each semester, Mental health campaigns and workshops. If you need any assistance, or you would like to just chat with someone about your situation, please do not hesitate to drop into Student Services. Our staff can listen to your story and give you support. This can include a hot tea and/or chocolate.
Student Wellbeing Activities
IMC holds several activities on campus to promote a healthy wellbeing and facilitate a positive student’s life cycle. In 2019 Student organised several mental health-related activities, such as International Day of Happiness, R U OK Day and International Mental Health Month.
In 2020 due to COVID we promoted online awareness which included a #IMCmentalhealth competition. See our student winners here!
Individual Counselling Services are also available
IMC Student Services provide a free and confidential counselling service. Our counsellor can help students adjust to their new environment, deal effectively with difficult personal situations and advocate on behalf of students.
It is important for you to know that you are not alone in dealing with the pressures you may face as part of your studies. There are a lot of IMC staff members that are willing to offer guidance and support if required. Our Student Services, Academic and Administration teams have an open-door policy and are willing to talk to you about any matters you may be facing.
Our student counsellor can also provide students with short-term (1-6 sessions) individual counselling sessions, which may help with the following issues:
- Stress, anxiety and mood management
- Motivational support
- Post-trauma distress
- Family/social relationship conflicts
- Homesickness and cultural disorientation
- Psychotic break
- Suicide ideation
- Referral to external specialised counselling services
If you need psychological counselling services, you can book a session directly with our student counsellor via counselling@imc.edu.au. We provide free and confidential counselling services in a comfortable and private environment. Our counsellor also can refer you to more appropriate services available.
Self-health resources and e-mental health
The below resources provide various ways that you can get more of the kind of help you may need:
Beyond Blue
- Beyond Blue provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health, whatever their age and wherever they live.
- They also provide a simple checklist aims to measure whether you may have been affected by depression and anxiety during the past four weeks
- https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety/anxiety-checklist
Headspace
Headspace provides free online and telephone support and counselling to young people 12 - 25 and their families and friends with mental health concerns.Headspace provides free online and telephone support and counselling to young people 12 - 25 and their families and friends with mental health concerns.
Reach Out
Reach Out is Australia’s leading online mental health organisation for young people. They provide practical support, tools and tips to help young people get through anything from everyday issues to tough times.
The Black Dog Institute
The Black Dog Institute is dedicated to understanding, preventing and treating mental illness. They are about creating a world where mental illness is treated with the same level of concern, immediacy and seriousness as physical illness. You can also download the following app on your smart phone to access daily support and information Black Dog Snapshot.