Second year Art and Design student Janae Gartly regularly visits The Well, but she never leaves with water; however, she does leave feeling relaxed and fulfilled.
“Living on campus, life is very fast-paced and people-filled. I was struggling to find a space where I could not only relax and clear my mind, but also rest and recharge. The Well has become the oasis of Trinity Western for escaping the busyness of student life and community living,” says Gartly.
The Well at Trinity Western University is a different kind of wellness centre. It is a self-directed, non-tech quiet space for students to use as it’s meaningful to them. No computers, phones or tablets can be used in The Well. Instead, the space provides a homework-free zone with massage chairs, adult colouring books, fidget toys, phototherapy light (SAD) lamps, origami paper and other creative supplies, and tea. It is a space for students to relax the body and re-center their emotions. It provides a dedicated space to clear their mind of stresses and re-charge their spirit.
“Having struggled with stress and anxiety myself and knowing many friends and family members who have also struggled with this, I value the initiative that The Well has made to not only bring to the surface the reality of metal health struggles, but also provide an accessible, welcoming, and judgement-free space for students to seek help and gain the resources they need to live a healthy life. The Well is more than just a space to get a massage every now and then, The Well is a symbol of support for students. It shows that Trinity cares about its students, and cares for their needs,” adds Gartly.
Between 2015 and 2017, the Wellness Centre saw a 35% increase in the number of students submitting intake forms requesting counselling services. This figure speaks to a trend seen at Canadian universities today and the need for self-directed spaces like The Well. TWU opened The Well in November 2017 to complement the interdisciplinary services of physicians, registered nurses and counsellors at The Wellness Centre on campus. In its first four months of operation, there were over 1,000 student visits to The Well.
“We wanted to create The Well as a quiet space for students to practice mindfulness, as well as, provide them with tools and skills to build resilience by learning to observe and regulate their emotions”, says Kurt Lundberg, Registered Clinical Counsellor and Director of The Wellness Centre at TWU.
Awareness of mental health issues has skyrocketed, and universities are facing it head on. Studies show mental health diagnoses are most prevalent among adults age 18 to 25 years old, the years students typically attend university. Universities, including TWU, are seeing higher numbers of students come to university with a pre-existing mental health diagnosis.
About 42.2% of university students feel stress has impacted their academic performance and 64.5% of university students report feeling overwhelmed by anxiety in the last 12 months, according to a report on Canadian student health (2016).
“There are really no other places on campus where students can go to be quiet and mindful, and there is definitely nowhere students can go to be free of the bustle of homework and university stress.”
Designed to complement other student services, and inspired by pioneering efforts elsewhere, The Well is proving so successful others are beginning to look at this model. Additional Canadian universities and a college in Singapore are already in touch about The Well and looking to follow in the footsteps of TWU.
In addition to offering a self-directed space, The Well has also experimented with holding workshops on mental health topics, bringing in therapy dogs for students, and offering massages.
Coming in September 2018, The Well has hired five student leaders as Well Assistants, who will host the space and plan mental health focused events (e.g., Mental health movie nights or panels). The university hopes to see The Well increasingly become student driven in terms of operations and programming, to provide student leaders (such as nursing or psychology students) with opportunities to participate in promoting mental health and well-being on campus. Although it is not a clinical placement, it will provide them with a chance to impact their peers. The Well Assistants will be supported by Ryan Schutt, The Well’s Mental Health Coordinator.
“So many students go through life so stressed and anxious, and without relief or a space to clear their minds. The Well is such a beautiful initiative to provide students with a free service aimed completely at caring for their mental health and well-being. I personally will be volunteering with The Well in the coming academic year, and support them in any way that I can,” says Gartly.
