Following the Covid-19 pandemic mental health has taken center stage in socio-political agendas (WHO, 2022), research in the field has increased significantly and its impact in higher education has become evident (Allen et al., 2023, Chen & Lucock, 2022). This has probed building mental wellbeing
amongst academic students and faculty members, enhance support services and implement digital tools that can monitor and enhance mental wellbeing (Gast et al. 2022; Hammoudi et al. 2023; Morgan & Simmons, 2021). University educators and staff are faced with increasing students’ mental health challenges (Holzer et al, 2021), often without a formal preparation to successfully manage complex situations. Literature highlights how the acquisition of coaching techniques can have a positive effect
on the mental wellbeing (Hammoudi et al, 2022; Wolff et al., 2020), and some universities are starting to implement coaching skills in their curriculum to foster wellbeing and resilience (Lane & De Wilde, 2018). My PhD research explores how the use of virtual learning spaces for students, educators and staff to access synchronous and asynchronous coaching and mental wellbeing tools can play a key role in creating thriving academic communities.
Keywords: Mental wellbeing, Academic coaching
References
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[2] Chen, T., & Lucock, M. (2022). The mental health of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: An online survey in the UK. PloS one, 17(1), e0262562.
[3] Gast, I., Neelen, M., Delnoij, L., Menten, M., Mihai, A., & Grohnert, T. (2022). Supporting the well-being of new university teachers through teacher professional development. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 866000.
[4] Hammoudi Halat, D., Soltani, A., Dalli, R., Alsarraj, L., & Malki, A. (2023).
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[6] Lane, L. G., & De Wilde, J. (2018). The impact of coaching doctoral students at a university in London. International journal of evidence based coaching and mentoring, 16(2), 55-68.
[7] Morgan B., Simmons L. (2021). A ‘PERMA’ Response to the Pandemic: An Online Positive Education Programme to Promote Wellbeing in University Students. Front. Educ. 6, 642632. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2021.642632
[8] Wolff M., Hammoud M., Santen S., Deiorio N., Fix M. (2020). Coaching in
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[9] World mental health report: transforming mental health for all. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2022. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
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