MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT GROUP’S EXPERIENCES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

Purpose. The aim of the publication is to promote the perspective of creating a health-conscious highereducation. The results of the SMART goal-setting and SWOT analysis shows the mental health supportgroup’s possibilities in higher education. The theoretical part of this article deals with those points of view and theories, which can be found in the international special literature about the mental health of the teenagersand in accordance with the central theme of the study.In the course of our practice we find out that the stress in the daily life of students is inevitable. There aremany opportunities to organize various preventive programs, the creation of which offers the possibility foracqusition of effective coping strategies and prevents from the recording of harmful behaviour traits. The studyemphasizes on the supporting power of the community. Since the human is a social being and the community isa secure-base for the teens, we should offer for our youth opportunities in which they find out a new perspective.The start of a mental health program called Mental Nest, organized on the base of the Ferenc Rákóczi IITranscarpathian Hungarian College of Higher Education, was an innovational initiation, since there was noprecedent for starting such a mental health group from the existence of the college.Methods. On most of the support group sessions we followed the aspects of the training method, we workedwith group-dynamics techniques, stress and conflict management exercises as well as effective communicationactivities and games.Based on the needs assessment, the media method was used during the movie watching. For the purposeof intervention we used art therapy exercises and projective drawing techniques. The evaluation of the mentalhealth project was performed by impact assessment, SMART goal-setting and SWOT analysis.Results. We concentrated on a regular weekly meatings running for 8 weeks. The initiation of the supportgroup was considered as a desired mental health project. In the article the evaluation was carried out also inthis regard with the help of SMART goal- setting and SWOT analysis.According to the revealed needs we developed a further project to establish a mental health support group.The aim was to create a closed group on the base of our higher educational establishment, where the firstyearstudents become emotionally strong, their self-esteem becomes more positive, thus enabling them toredistribute their energy effectively for coping with stress and conflicts.Conclusions. The success of the project is confirmed by the fact that it can be the first step of supportsthe concept of health-conscious higher education.