National Standard for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students

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What is the Standard?

The National Standard of Canada for Mental-Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students — the first of its kind in the world — is a set of flexible, voluntary guidelines to help post-secondary institutions support the mental-health and well-being of their students.

• Access your copy of the Standard. Add the complimentary Standard to your cart and create a CSA Store account to download it.
• Download the Standard one-pager.

Where to start?

• Our Starter Kit is designed to help post-secondary institutions take their first steps in implementing the Standard — in the COVID-19 context and beyond.
• Learn more about the Campus Mental Health Action Tracker that allows your post-secondary institution to track its implementation of the Standard for free.
• Discover common barriers and enablers that post-secondary institutions are experiencing as they work with the Standard.
• Read a report about COVID-19’s impact on campus mental health from student affairs leaders.
• Our new Guiding Your Work resource will help ensure that your implementation efforts agree with its recommendations.
• Watch this video to learn more about the Standard and the resources that can help you begin your implementation journey.

Make connections and access practical guides within CORE

The Centre for Outreach, Resources, and Engagement (CORE) is an online community with even more resources to help you implement the Standard. Along with a Q&A and calendar of upcoming events, CORE features a series of compendiums with practical advice on the Standard’s recommendations. The range of topics includes privacy and confidentiality, data gathering and evaluation, crisis management, how to examine policies through a health and well-being lens, and more.

• Join the community to access supportive resources. Create a separate account to access the CSA Community, where related resources are available in the Centre for Outreach, Resources, and Engagement (CORE).

How does the Standard work?

The Standard is adaptable, so each post-secondary institution can decide what is achievable based on their situation, resources, and community context. And because it’s grounded in a commitment to continuous improvement, each can determine its own priorities for improving student mental health and well-being over time, no matter where they start.

• Watch this video about the importance of working with the Standard.

Key outcomes the Standard supports:

• raise awareness about mental health and decrease mental illness-related stigma
• provide healthier and safer institutional environments
• improve opportunities for student success and flourishing
• promote life and resiliency skills that students can use at school, at work, and in daily life

Additional information

• Read about post-secondary institution successes and lessons learned one year after the Standard’s October 2020 release.
• Learn how the Standard was developed.
• Browse the National Standard for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students – FAQ.
• Read the literature review summary on emerging and promising practices for the psychological health and safety of post-secondary students.
• Watch a video series featuring students with insights on a range of mental health topics, from life promotion and harm reduction to mental health supports, learning environment, and the interpersonal factors of mental health, as reflected in the Standard.

Student resources

• Learn how to better support students throughout the pandemic with our Post-Secondary Student’s Guide to Student Mental Health During COVID-19.

Get early access to resources to help you align your implementation journey with the Standard. Send us a request to join our mailing list.