“We had grown impatient”
This autumn, the school will post the open position, with the requirement that the new hire can start work in January 2020. Stúdentablaðið/Stefanía Stefánsdóttir
Translation: Julie Summers
On the Student Council’s statement regarding delays in hiring a new psychologist at the University of Iceland
This summer, the University of Iceland Student Council released a statement expressing concern about delays in the process of hiring a new school psychologist. In 2017, two then-Council members – Elísabet Brynjarsdóttir, who went on to serve as Student Council President from 2018-2019, and Bjarni Halldór – proposed a motion for the Council to demand additional funding for mental healthcare. Since then, the school has committed 20 million krónur to mental health resources and established a student mental health work group to decide how the funds should be allocated. The Student Council President is a member of that work group. Additionally, the university promised to hire two additional psychologists to join the sole counsellor working on campus at the time. One of these additional positions has already been filled, but there was no update regarding the third position at the time the Council released its statement this past summer.
Events leading up to the Council’s statement
Over the summer, Student Council President Jóna Þórey Pétursdóttir attended a meeting of the mental health work group, of which she is a member, and learned that a lack of office space was being cited as the reason that the school had not yet fulfilled its promise made in autumn 2018 to hire a third psychologist. She approached representatives of student political organizations Röskva and Vaka to discuss the issue. Jóna Þórey drafted the aforementioned statement along with Röskva spokesperson Eyrún Baldursdóttir and then-Vaka spokesperson Margrét Ósk Gunnarsdóttir. She then presented the statement at a meeting with the rector and prorector and explained to them the circumstances of the delay in the hiring process, including the lack of office space for the new psychologist. As a result of that meeting, the issue was discussed at another meeting of the mental health work group, and the school has now agreed to post the third psychologist position in autumn 2019, with the new hire expected to start in January 2020. When it comes to mental health resources, the Student Council has stood its ground since 2017, and this example clearly shows that their hard work has paid off.
Since the Student Council’s initial motion regarding mental health funding, there have been many positive developments. The Student Council launched an article writing campaign to raise awareness through local and social media, mental health education program Hugrún has been allotted grant funding from the school to support their work, clinical psychology students now offer consultations and group therapy through Sálrækt, and the school also offers group sessions in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
The Student Paper spoke with Röskva spokesperson Eyrún Baldursdóttir about the motion. “We agreed that this should continue to be a nonpartisan effort, since it was originally Elísabet Brynjarsdóttir and Bjarni Halldór who proposed the motion together,” said Eyrún. “Really, we had just grown impatient waiting for the third psychologist to be hired, especially since the university had been talking about all the great progress being made in the area of mental health, when in reality they hadn’t done everything they said they would.” Recalling the events leading up to the Council releasing its statement, Eyrún said that members of Röskva met with the rector two years ago and presented him with their demands regarding mental health issues.
One-third of university students exhibit signs of clinical depression
As previously mentioned, the university has now agreed to begin the process of hiring a third psychologist. Clearly, the response to the Student Council’s statement has been very positive. Asked about the reception she’s received following the release of the statement, Eyrún said she believes the administration’s response seems sincere. The students’ demands are not unsubstantiated; rather, there are multiple studies that demonstrate how important it is to better support mental health in academia. “For example, there was a study done in 2017, both at UI and the University of Akureyri, that revealed that one out of every three students showed signs of clinical depression. There’s so much out there to back us up. There’s another study currently being conducted, led by Jóhanna Bernharð, that was presented at the last Student Council meeting. That study also shows that anxiety, depression, and stress are huge problems for university students. Part of the study involves comparing the results to another study that Rúnar Vilhjálmsson conducted nationwide. The comparison revealed that university students exhibit more symptoms in these three areas than their peers across the country who are not students.”
The resources that are available at UI today have all been introduced as a result of students’ fight for better mental health services, which the administration has always made clear. The university emphasizes that they’re proud of these efforts, but they haven’t forgotten who put the pressure on them to improve in the first place. I asked Eyrún what the situation is today and what resources are available for students: “There are currently two psychologists working half-time at the university. They offer both individual counselling and CBT group therapy. Private sessions are free, but the CBT courses cost 4000 krónur. All services offered through the Counselling and Career Centre are free. Clinical psychology students also offer services; a private session with one of them costs 1500 krónur. They also offer Sálrækt, a group therapy option based on cognitive behavioral therapy, but it’s set up a bit differently than traditional CBT therapy.”
I also spoke with Vaka representative Azra Crnac, who recommended that students check their school email regularly, as mental health resources are often advertised there. She believes students are talking about these resources more openly now: “I’ve heard my friends say that they’re thinking of making an appointment. I myself have thought about it.”
Eyrún and Azra agreed that the delay in hiring a third psychologist at UI is unacceptable, particularly given that there was already funding involved. “We shouldn’t have to be pushing constantly to make things happen,” said Azra. Eyrún and Azra also agreed that the Student Council’s fight for more mental health services has been an unquestionable success. “Students who use these services fill out a short survey before and after treatment. These surveys have shown that the treatment is successful. These services, which are increasing, are benefiting students. That’s a good enough reason to continue the fight,” said Eyrún.
The government must do better by students
As already described, the Student Council’s statement expressing concern about the delay in hiring a third psychologist and the Student Council President’s persistence in the matter have produced results; this autumn, the school will post the open position, with the requirement that the new hire can start work in January 2020. We asked Azra and Eyrún what the Student Council’s next steps will be when it comes to improving mental health services at the school. Azra said one basic step that must be taken is increasing the number of full-time equivalent psychologist positions and ensuring access to services. Eyrún commented that more treatment options mean more students benefiting from the services. “I’d also like to see the Student Council push for a campus healthcare clinic, where we’d have doctors, school nurses, and psychologists. That way, for instance, the school nurses could do a lot of prevention and early intervention work. There are so many students who move to the Reykjavík area and suddenly find themselves away from their family doctor and regular clinic. It would be amazing if they could make appointments with a doctor, school nurse, psychologist, or even a physical therapist at a clinic right on campus. It would also be great if the dental students could offer their services there. Then we’d have comprehensive healthcare services for students. That’s my vision for the future, anyway.”
Eyrún believes there are a lot of different factors that explain why students are struggling so much, as reported in the previously mentioned studies. “We’re in demanding programs. On top of that, there’s a major housing shortage for students; we’re paying way too much in rent – even those living in student housing are paying exorbitant amounts. We’re spending over 40% of our monthly income on rent, even if we’re getting maximum support from the Icelandic Student Loan Fund (LÍN). But that’s because maximum support from LÍN isn’t enough, and LÍN is not doing its job as a student fund. If the government truly wanted to help students so we could live well without a housing shortage, without sky-high rent, and with sufficient support, then symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress would probably decrease considerably,” said Eyrún. Azra said that technically, if everything were okay, students wouldn’t have to seek these services: “We shouldn’t have such a huge need for these services. The fact is, if support from LÍN were truly in line with the cost of living in Iceland, then maybe we wouldn’t be as frustrated by how much we pay in rent and how difficult it is to be a student here.”
We all need psychological care
We asked Eyrún and Azra if they’d like to add anything in closing. Eyrún said that people are most likely to be diagnosed with mental health disorders between the ages of 18 and 25 – the age range into which most university students fall. “That’s why it’s important that there are appealing resources available nearby. Young people are more reluctant to seek healthcare services. The resources available at UI are mostly free, and most students can probably benefit from them. If they don’t think so, there are a bunch of other resources available, like workshops on tackling test anxiety, and so on. That’s something we all have a need for.” Azra added, “Our brains are not fully developed until after the age of 25, so this is a really challenging time to be battling stress, anxiety, and depression. This time period plays a large role in shaping our futures. It’s also important for everyone to have the chance to get things off their chest now and then, even if they’re not necessarily struggling with a serious mental health issue. Sometimes we just need guidance, and psychologists are very good at pointing the way.”