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Job Role: Student Mental Health Adviser
University: Northeastern University London
Closing Date: 01/09/2025
About The Role:
The Student Mental Health Advisers’ primary duty is to provide support and advice to students experiencing poor mental health, including but not exclusively, to those with a diagnosed mental health condition. The role holder will provide individualised support and will assist students with accessing NHS services or other relevant specialist support. The role holder will work as part of the Student Mental Health Advice Team and the wider Student Support Team (which includes the Student Wellbeing Advisors), collaborating with other team members to provide both reactive and proactive support to undergraduate, postgraduate, degree apprenticeship and mobility students across a range of pastoral issues. This contract is initially offered on a 6-month fixed term basis.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide advice, information, and guidance to prospective and current students on the provision of mental health support available through in-person and online appointments, email and telephone.
- Effectively manage and prioritise a caseload of students with mental health issues/wellbeing concerns to include:
- Advice on techniques and strategies to self-manage mental health during university study.
- Support and guidance to access NHS or other relevant specialist services.
- Support where the University’s Safeguarding or Prevent policies have been enacted in close liaison with the University’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, Prevent Lead and external NHS, Local Authority or Channel staff.
- Support where the University’s Support to Study Policy has been enacted, in liaison with other team members and relevant faculty members.
- Assessment of students where there are concerns that they are at risk of harm to themselves/others and preparing safety plans.
- Working with students with previous experience of mental ill-health to agree an intervention plan to set out actions to be taken should faculty, staff or peers become concerned about a deterioration in their mental health.
- Liaison with GPs, crisis intervention teams, therapists, counsellors and other external clinicians to help ensure students are properly supported and safeguarded.
- Where appropriate, refer students to the external counselling services used by the University following internal processes and guidelines.
- Provide an effective and skilled ‘in the moment’ response to students who may be at risk to themselves or others, or who may be agitated, distressed or anxious, identifying student needs and addressing those according to urgency and priority.
- Provide advice to faculty and professional services staff who may have concerns about a student’s mental wellbeing.
- Maintain accurate records of all student interactions in accordance with internal guidance and protocols in compliance with GDPR.
- Assist with the promotion of good practice across the University in supporting mental wellbeing, including development and delivery of training and awareness workshops for staff and/or students in student mental health matters.
- Contribute to and help lead on promoting the initiatives of the University Mental Health Charter.
- Contribute to student mental health awareness-raising activities and events in collaboration with other departments across the University.
- Maintain a thorough and up-to-date knowledge and understanding of relevant University policies relating to student support such as Support to Study, Safeguarding, Prevent, Extenuating Circumstances and Break in Studies.
- Regularly review the mental health support being offered, identifying any gaps in the provision and making recommendations to the Lead Student Mental Health Adviser.
- Any other duties as deemed appropriate by the Lead Student Mental Health Adviser and/or Head of Student Support.
Person Specification Criteria
To undertake this role, the following should apply. Should you not have the experience below, please do highlight where transferrable skills would assist with you undertaking the role.
- Qualification in mental health nursing, social work, counselling or other professional qualification relevant to this role OR Undergraduate Degree (E).
- Experience of working with people from a range of ethnicities, socio-economic groups and nationalities (E).
- Experience of supporting people with mental health issues, including responding appropriately to people in crisis. (E)
- Experience of maintaining professional boundaries appropriate to the role. (E)
- Experience of working as part of a service team, preferably within a multidisciplinary setting. (E)
- Experience of working within organisational policies and procedures. (E)
- Experience of maintaining client/student/patient records. (E)
- Experience of working with FE or HE students in a college or university from ages 16+. (E)
- Ability to remain calm and professional when working with people in distress or who are at risk of self-harm. (E)
- An understanding of the challenges of studying at HE level and knowledge of the impact that mental health issued can have on a student and their studies. (D)
- Knowledge of a range of self-help strategies for managing, maintaining and improving mental health and how they can be utilised in an educational context. (E)
- A working knowledge of NHS mental health services and referral structures/protocols. (D)
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to be able to work on a 1:1 basis with a diverse range of students. (E)
- A good working knowledge of relevant legislation including the Equality Act 2010 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). (E)
For more information or to apply, click here
Cost
UMHAN member organisations
£50 for each role
- Addition to UMHAN website Jobs Board
- Role promoted on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, X, Bluesky and Facebook)
- UMHAN member-only Community Forum post.
Non-member organisations
£150 for each role
- Addition to UMHAN website Jobs Board
- Role promoted on social media (LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Bluesky)
- UMHAN member-only Community Forum post.
Jobs marked as 'UMHAN members' are from organisations who demonstrate their commitment to supporting Mental Health professionals in education.
By encouraging and funding membership of UMHAN they recognise the need for ongoing staff supervision and appropriate CPD to provide the best support to students.