Support Service for Students with Mental Health Difficulties

Curriculum Support Service for Students with Mental Health Difficulties:

• At least one in four people in their lifetime will experience mental health difficulties
• Areas of difficulty in college often include concentration, staying in the classroom, changes in behaviour, difficulty in building on previous learning
• Common strengths are creativity, empathy for others and ‘thinking outside the box’
• Many students with mental health difficulties learn successfully without any additional support
• If you would like to discuss how we could help your learning please contact us

Support could include:

• Confidential enquiry service
• Screening assessments to identify learning support needs
• Study skills group support sessions
• Access arrangements & adjustments for exams
• Support for self-esteem issues and referral to the College Counselling Team
• Referral to specialist tutor for extra support
• Support to arrange assessments for students entering higher education
• Guidance for course tutors and staff development on including learners with mental health issues
• Liaison with external agencies, e.g. community psychiatric nurses (CPNs), social workers, support workers, occupational therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and GPs

Contact:
Dee Fearnhead
Head of Student Counselling
The Arts Centre
Liverpool Community College
7 Myrtle Street
Liverpool
L7 7JA

Telephone: (0151) 252 4444
Email: dee.fearnhead@liv-coll.ac.uk

Additional discrete provision for learners with mental health difficulties

The Entry Level programme provides learning opportunities for learners with severe and enduring mental health difficulties as a discrete provision both in and out of college, at Entry Level 1. Our aim is to remove barriers to further education for students experiencing mental health issues within an equal opportunities and inclusive framework.

The programme’s aims are:

• To encourage integration at all academic levels and throughout all facilities in the college
• To maintain and develop community liaison and inter-agency links
• To develop mental health awareness within Liverpool Community College

Due to the nature of the work, tutors are flexible and respond to students who may:

• Arrive late for class
• Take breaks in attendance because of the cyclical nature of their mental illness
• Demonstrate a change in behaviour
• Hear voices during class
• Experience side-effects of medication such as feeling sleepy, anxious, hyperactive, depressed, tearful, nauseous, paranoid, hot, cold or thirsty
• Have an inability to concentrate
• Need frequent breaks
• Take time out from periods of concentration
• Have difficulties building on previous learning

Full and part-time courses are provided in the College alongside a variety of outreach provisions in the community.  Some students may progress from outreach centres into college based or mainstream courses.  Students are involved in reviewing their own progress once a term. Small personal achievements are acknowledged and noted.  Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) are revised every term in the termly review.  Students who successfully complete their identified learning objectives are recognised by a college validated Entry Level award – currently the ASDAN Personal Progress Award.

Contact:
Leigh Forbes
Specialist tutor for students experiencing mental health issues
The Arts Centre
Liverpool Community College
7 Myrtle Street
Liverpool
L7 7JA

Telephone: (0151) 242 4023
Email: leigh.forbes@liv-coll.ac.uk

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