Glasgow Caledonian recommits to promoting positive mental health
17th January 2024
Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH) and Glasgow Caledonian University have reconfirmed their commitment to work together to promote positive mental health and wellbeing amongst the university’s students, staff and wider community.
The university's Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Steve Decent, and SAMH Chief Executive Billy Watson met on campus on Tuesday 16 January to sign an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), consolidating the university's 13-year association with SAMH.
Their work together includes the secondment of a Mentally Healthy University Coordinator from SAMH to the university’s Glasgow campus, and a series of awareness, wellbeing and training events.
In addition, Glasgow Caledonian’s Department of Psychology has been appointed as SAMH’s academic partner for its Psychological Wellbeing strategy. The two partners work together on a series of mutually beneficial academic, research and service-delivery projects, including Time for You, an online wellbeing service operated by SAMH and supported by Glasgow Caledonian PhD students. The service was initially developed to support frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now available to the general public.
It is hoped the MoU will lead to further opportunities for SAMH and the University to work more closely.
Billy Watson, Chief Executive of SAMH, said: "We are delighted to be extending our partnership with Glasgow Caledonian, which aims to improve mental health and wellbeing support for students and staff, as well as furthering our collaborative research. Supporting young people, particularly after the turmoil of recent years caused by the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, is one of our core strategic aims and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the University to do this.”
Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Decent said: "Scottish Action for Mental Health has helped guide the University's support for the mental health and wellbeing of our staff, students and local community for more than a decade. I was delighted to welcome Billy Watson to the campus to celebrate and consolidate our enduring partnership with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding. We very much look forward to building on our relationship and further promoting positive mental health and wellbeing."
