Presentation
How can universities revolutionise student mental health support in the face of surging demand? Lancaster University tackled this challenge head-on by transforming their traditional Student Counselling Service into a comprehensive Student Mental Health Service.
At the heart of this innovation is Single Session Therapy (SST), now the primary service offering by the university. This strategic shift has dramatically reduced average wait times from 29 to under 10 days, ensuring students receive timely support when they need it most. By moving beyond the traditional counselling model, the university has created a more responsive and flexible system that better serves our diverse student population.
The partnership between Howden, Health Assured and Lancaster University has been crucial to this success. Health Assured have supported 2,395 student contacts in 2023/24, meaning the Student Mental Health Service at the university has been enabled to focus resources on urgent and priority cases, creating a more efficient and responsive support system.
This session shares their journey of transformation, including:
Jamie has over 12 years of experience in the education sector and has been instrumental in developing Howden’s Student Assistance Programme.
As the Client Director leading the Education team at Howden Education, Jamie collaborates with schools, colleges, universities, training centres, and accommodation providers across the UK to deliver mental health, counselling, and wellbeing support services.
In the past year, Jamie has successfully onboarded and supported 25 higher and further education institutions and their 200,000 students, providing ongoing support through close-working partnerships.
Jamie is passionate about improving mental health and wellbeing support for learners of all ages and backgrounds.
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https://www.howdengroup.com/uk-en/sector/education/student-and-pupil-wellbeing
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https://www.linkedin.com/company/howdencommercial/
Nathan is a registered social worker with extensive experience in child protection and risk management within the Local Authority setting. Over the last 10 years he has been increasingly concerned for the availability of mental health support and suicide prevention for young people.
In 2022, Nathan transitioned to a role within Higher Education, taking on the role of Head of Student Mental Health Service at Lancaster University. Since his appointment, he has led a comprehensive redesign of the university's mental health provision, moving it from a traditional counselling model to an innovative Single Session approach. This progressive system incorporates tailored pathways into broader support options including counselling, CBT, and dedicated key working services.
Nathan brings a strategic mindset to his leadership, open to challenging established practices to ensure all processes deliver meaningful value to students. His approach is characterised by a willingness to question traditional methods, focusing instead on evidence-based outcomes and student-centred care.
His work combines practical expertise with forward-thinking vision, helping Lancaster University's mental health services remain responsive, accessible, and effective for the diverse needs of the student population in today's challenging mental health landscape.
Richard has worked with Health Assured for over 12 years and is a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) member, with a Certificate in Critical Incident Stress Management. He holds a Combined Honours BA in Psychology and Counselling, as well as a Post-Graduate Certificate in Professional Counselling.
Richard is a Senior Clinical & Development Manager at Health Assured and, in his role, he has overseen the transition and implementation of several services across a range of sectors developing the necessary systems and implementing processes to ensure high quality service provision, as well as building an effective counselling team.
Richard has overseen the development of student support services provided by Health Assured in partnership with Endsleigh and is the clinical lead for a number of our clients across the education sector. With this experience, he has a sound understanding of the wellbeing issues faced by both staff members and students today.
