What is your role as the Student Wellbeing and Support Service Coordinator and Counselor?
I have been a part of the Student Wellbeing and Support Service since its creation four years ago. I work in close collaboration with our Director of Human Resources, Claudia Saviaux Druliolle, and our Academic Advisor, Laurent Neury. My role is to manage and coordinate different activities that focus on our students' wellbeing, including organising talks and trainings, and collaborating on different initiatives with our internal and external partners. I also meet students for a chat, which may be helpful if they feel lost and lonely, and I can orientate them towards a specialised service if necessary. Students may also contact me while going through a stressful situation, and in this case I can provide them with coping mechanisms. Again, if the situation is urgent I would contact an emergency service immediately.
What support does this service offer to our students?
The mission of the Student Wellbeing and Support Service is to facilitate students’ access to the network of professionals working in the field of mental health in Geneva through active listening, needs assessment, information, counselling, orientation and contact support through the various available resources.
We may also propose punctual support (not prolonged therapy) but inform the patient they cannot be given a medical certificate.
Has COVID modified the needs of the service?
COVID has changed the needs of students drastically from one day to the next. Online teaching and restricted space, social distancing, isolation, changes in their financial situations and the ongoing uncertainty has affected students immensely. We do what we can to regularly remind students that we are here if they need our support to overcome this crisis. We have extended the number of sessions with our in-house psychologists from two to five per semester, and students can request unrestricted counselling sessions with me during these challenging times.
Do you work with other initiatives/organisations to do this important work?
The Student Wellbeing and Support Service counts 11 members from different services (Executive Direction, Direction of Studies, Student Services, Academic Departments, Housing, Scholarship and Antenne H) to respond to students' concerns and needs.
The Graduate Institute Student Association (GISA) and the Student Wellbeing and Support Service work hand-in-hand on different initiatives, such as the Solidarity Initiative (sharing time with a student), the Buddy Programme (connecting students), the Quarantine Buddy list (grocery shopping for students who are in quarantine or sick), and much more.
Other services, such as Communications and Logistics and IT, are supporting our work as well.
On questions related to mental and physical well being, we work closely with our in-house psychologists from the Geneva Association of Psychologists (AGPsy) , the Pôle Santé and HUG Division of Primary Care for student consultations.
We may also reach out to local associations and service providers, depending on the student’s situation and queries.
Find out more information about the psychological and medical support the Institute offers its students, as well as other resources.