Employees from the staff council and counseling services, as well as students from the student councils, were trained as “mental health first responders.”

Over the past few years of the pandemic, dual burdens—such as caring for family members, supervising a child’s homeschooling, or the lack of social interaction due to digital learning and working from home —have led to health issues among RPTU employees that, in some cases, may even be attributed to symptoms of depression or anxiety disorders. As shown by the regular health report conducted at RPTU in Kaiserslautern, an increasing number of students are also experiencing overwhelming stress and exhaustion.

Together with the Staff Council, the Occupational Health Management (BGM) and Student Health Management (SGM) teams held discussions with the program managers from the various departments. This led to the idea of offering targeted mental health support university-wide to all target groups seeking help. As a first step, the “Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)—First Responders for Mental Health” training program was selected, and the first session was offered in June 2022. This training program improves overall knowledge of mental health, reduces stigmatizing behavior, and builds confidence in participants’ own ability to provide support. A key component is training based on case studies, so that participants learn to respond to those affected in an appropriate, open, and effective manner, to support them, and, if necessary, to refer them to professional resources.

“Since the pandemic began, the BGM has seen an increase in inquiries from affected employees and supervisors regarding mental health challenges and the resulting absences among the workforce,” said Melina Hanyßek, project coordinator for the BGM. For this reason, TUK’s Workplace Health Management program offered another Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training session on November 3 and 4, 2022, conducted by the Central Institute for Mental Health in Mannheim. This time, the focus was increasingly on employee participation. In addition to student council members, several members of the staff council, managers, as well as representatives for employees with severe disabilities and addiction counseling participated. It is important to raise awareness not only among students but also among staff members. The goal is to reach and involve teaching and research staff, administration, and students—the university as a whole—in order to jointly maintain a healthier work and study environment in the long term.

“We hope that this very important exchange with the program coordinators—who serve as key liaisons between the departments, faculty, and students—will continue in the future, and that in 2023 we will be able to offer additional MHFA training for our counseling centers, student councils, faculty, administrators, as well as group, lab, and team leaders in 2023. “With this new first-aid program, we aim to establish a university-wide presence in the long term so that as many people as possible are aware of the issue of mental health and can provide appropriate first aid,” summarize Melina Hanyßek from the BGM and Diana Neben from the SGM.