The mental health of our staff and students is a top priority for McMaster University. Both staff and students have access to a wide range of free programs and initiatives.  The university actively promotes the mental health resources available, and it guides individuals to additional paid and free supports available beyond our campus in the community and nationally. 

McMaster’s Student Mental Health and Well-being Strategy

Our students’ mental health is a top priority at McMaster University. We have implemented a wide range of free programs and initiatives to support their health and well-being. In 2015, we introduced our Student Mental Health and Well-being Strategy. Since then:

• More than 400 students and staff have received specialized mental health training;
• More than 100 front-line staff have been trained to recognize and refer students who are showing signs of distress, whether in residence, in the classroom, or anywhere on campus;
• A series of e-modules has been created to help instructors improve theirmental health literacy and educate them on how to recognize, support, and refer students who are experiencing mental health difficulties; and
• An improved student accommodation policy is in place.

Student Wellness Centre

The Student Wellness Centre’s resources include a range of free counselling options, medical services, psychiatry, mental health support, and many wellness programs.

Two family physicians provide therapy for students with depression and anxiety. Two part-time psychiatrists provide consultation and follow-up visits for students with complex mental health problems. Counsellors are also available for the treatment and management of complex cases. Daily crisis spots are available with a physician for urgent mental health crises. The SWC has also newly launched a Counselling Walk-in Clinic. 

The health promotion team provides health and wellness prevention and awareness programs to connect students with information, resources and services in the McMaster and Hamilton community. The SWC has a medical team of doctors and nurses to provide a range of health services from health assessments, referrals, prescriptions, vaccinations, gender-affirming care and more. 

Student Support and Case Management Office

The Student Support and Case Management Office coordinates support and planning across multiple departments in highly complex cases that present higher risk to the individual and/or the community, including those that involve students who are at greater risk for suicide.

The office brings together partners including the Student Wellness Centre, Student Accessibility Services, Housing, Security, academic units, and external health-care providers. The office supervises Social Work placement students and facilitates a peer-to-peer program with harm reduction workshops for students.

Archway to student success

McMaster University recently launched Archway in 2020, a new support program that works with all incoming first-year students from the day they are accepted until their second year. Students are paired with an Archway Coach and Mentor, who connects them to the information, people, and fellow students they need to make their first year a success.  Since it’s inception, the program has connected more than 8,000 first-year students with mentors. More than 200 communities, which include a coach, a mentor and about 40 students are active on Microsoft Teams, and more than 4,000 one-to-one conversations between students and mentors have been logged so far.

Okanagan Charter

McMaster was one of the first Canadian universities to formally sign on to The Okanagan Charter, an international charter for health promoting universities and colleges. The charter  provides a framework to promote the importance of health and well-being on higher education institutions. Since joining in 2017, McMaster’s working group has focused on mapping out ways to ensure the charter’s principles are embedded in all aspects of campus life, identifying health supporting programs and activities, creating a searchable database to create widespread awareness of these supports and gaining campus-wide commitment to being a health-promoting university. For more on Okanagan initiatives from a Canadian campus wellness survey to a Campus Food Strategy, see the committee website. 

Chaplaincy Centre

The McMaster University Chaplaincy Centre provides pastoral support with personal counselling and bereavement support groups.

Student-run mental health initiatives

McMaster University student associations offer counselling programs over and above what is offered by the university — for example, COPE, a student mental health-oriented club that tackles stigma and raises awareness of mental health illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Through fundraising and local collaborations, COPE educates, engages, and supports students and mental health organizations.

Professor Hippo-on-Campus

Professor Hippo-on-Campus is an initiative of the McMaster Student Mental Health and Well-being Strategy that helps faculty and staff members feel more prepared to address student mental health issues.

The online program, which can be done anytime and anywhere, consists of eight modules, covering such topics as: creating mental health-positive learning environments, communicating with stressed and distressed learners, and recognizing and responding to students in distress and difficulty.

All McMaster employees, including student employees like teaching assistants and resident assistants, are eligible to participate in the program. The team behind the initiative also added a COVID-19 resources page with curated information, supports and services available during the pandemic.

Welcome Week at McMaster

During Welcome Week at McMaster University, activities promote responsible drinking, mental wellness, and sexual consent. From social pressures to academic challenges to issues of self-confidence, student facilitators offer on- and off-campus support to their peers. Extra supports are available for international students. 

Mental wellness for Indigenous students

Indigenous Student Services is a comprehensive centre created to support First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students attending McMaster University. It offers support services, wellness events, soup days, a library, a lounge, a ceremonial space, and access to Elders in Residence.

The Indigenous Students Health Sciences Office houses a Student Counsellor and Elders, and provides services and supports for the academic success and well-being of all First Nations, Inuit and Métis students in the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University. The McMaster Indigenous Student Community Alliance is a valued partner in offering workshops and training related to mental health. 

Integrated mental health strategy across the province of Ontario

McMaster joined other Ontario universities in calling on the provincial government to take immediate action on the issue of student mental health. In the report, the four partners – the College Student Alliance, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, Colleges Ontario, and the Council of Ontario Universities – state that providing effective support for student mental health is one of the most pressing issues on college and university campuses today.

Mental health research

Arrive and Thrive is an 18-month project funded through the Mental Health Innovation Fund from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The goals of the project are to examine patterns of coping behaviours and then test the effectiveness of a series of brief interventions targeting how students cope with the stresses of student life. McMaster University is the lead institution working with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Alternatives for Youth, St Joseph’s Healthcare, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and Hamilton Family Health Team.

A student’s best friend

McMaster brings therapy dogs to campus to visit students and help relieve stress throughout the year, especially during exam time.

Thrive

Thrive is an annual week to promote mental health awareness on campus. It is about promoting self care and building better habits.

Student Urgent Response Team 

McMaster University received $100,000 in 2022 from Bell Let’s Talk to enhance mental health supports and to establish a Student Urgent Response Team (SURT). The idea for SURT came from a group of students who asked for a campus response to mental health crises to provide the least intrusive support, minimize stigma and maximize use of on-campus resources. 

Mactivate your mind body & spirit 

Mactivate is a program that features a proactive approach to mental health. It is a partnership between Athletics & Recreation, Student Wellness, and other student service areas, to support McMaster students by providing them with opportunities and access to consistent and regular physical activity, with the goal of improving their overall mental health.  

#TakeCareMac campaign 

The Student Wellness Centre launched Welcome Week 2022 #TakeCareMac to encourage students to explore self-care, community care, self-reflection and reaching out to others in a caring and supportive way. 

LGBTQ+ Services 

McMaster also supports the LGBTQ+ community with information on crisis and supportive resources for health, social services, legal advice, parenting and peer supports. 

Student Wellness Centre free programs 

The Student Wellness Centre has a wide variety of programs designed to cater to the wellness needs of the student population. Some programs are drop-in, others do require registration, but they cover topics ranging from mindfulness to anxiety, cooking classes and healthy relationships. 

Okanagan Charter

McMaster was one of the first Canadian universities to formally sign on to The Okanagan Charter, an international charter for health promoting universities and colleges. The charter  provides a framework to promote the importance of health and well-being on higher education institutions. Since joining in 2017, McMaster’s working group has focused on mapping out ways to ensure the charter’s principles are embedded in all aspects of campus life, identifying health supporting programs and activities, creating a searchable database to create widespread awareness of these supports and gaining campus-wide commitment to being a health-promoting university. For more on Okanagan initiatives from a Canadian campus wellness survey to a Campus Food Strategy, see the committee website. 

Chaplaincy Centre

The McMaster University Chaplaincy Centre provides pastoral support with personal counselling and bereavement support groups.

Professor Hippo-on-Campus

Professor Hippo-on-Campus is an initiative of the McMaster Student Mental Health and Well-being Strategy that helps faculty and staff members feel more prepared to address student mental health issues.

The online program, which can be done anytime and anywhere, consists of eight modules, covering such topics as: creating mental health-positive learning environments, communicating with stressed and distressed learners, and recognizing and responding to students in distress and difficulty.

All McMaster employees, including student employees like teaching assistants and resident assistants, are eligible to participate in the program. The team behind the initiative also added a COVID-19 resources page with curated information, supports and services available during the pandemic.

Mental wellness for McMaster faculty and staff

McMaster University’s Healthy Workplace programs strive to advance the well-being of all faculty and staff through year-round holistic wellness programming that covers topics such as physical health, psychological wellness, financial literacy, and work-life balance. Mental health resources are also available from SunLife, McMaster’s extended health provider, and coverage for a wide range of services is included in the Ontario Health Insurance Program (OHIP), the province-wide universal health coverage.

Mental health training for faculty and staff

McMaster University offers Mental Health First Aid training to help faculty and staff recognize individuals in distress, provide assistance, and support positive mental health. Funded by the university, the two-day course teaches practical skills and promotes mental health literacy to help individuals lead healthier lives in and outside of the workplace. Previous experience dealing with mental health issues is not required.

Employee and Family Assistance Program

Employees in the McMaster University Faculty Association (MUFA), The Management Group (TMG), and Uniform members, along with their partner/spouse and children, may access McMaster’s Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP). Employees have access to a variety of in-person and online resources, including mental health and crisis counselling. Homewood, a newly relaunched member services website, provides enhanced access to expert health and wellness tools, resources, and “click to chat” immediate support – anywhere, anytime. EFAP has also enhanced its Health-e Multimedia Centre, which provides value-added health and wellness content in audio podcasts and videos on various topics.

Mental health research

Arrive and Thrive is an 18-month project funded through the Mental Health Innovation Fund from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The goals of the project are to examine patterns of coping behaviours and then test the effectiveness of a series of brief interventions targeting how students cope with the stresses of student life. McMaster University is the lead institution working with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Alternatives for Youth, St Joseph’s Healthcare, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and Hamilton Family Health Team.  

Thrive

Thrive is an annual week to promote mental health awareness on campus. It is about promoting self care and building better habits.