Mental Health Resources
Here you can see a number of videos recorded as part of our Mental Health Awareness Week activity in May 2022 and May 2021 which highlights some of the resources available within the University. Videos include a 2022 recording from the talk by Graham Thew on "Understanding loneliness: Awareness and Action". 2021 videos include "Supporting Staff Wellbeing", "7 Key Tools to Overcoming Stress", "Support provided by the Work+Family Space", and "An Overview of Togetherall". Below these videos are a number of additional resources.
RECORDING: UNDERSTANDING LONELINESS: AWARENESS AND ACTION
Join Graham Thew, Senior Academic Clinical Psychologist at the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, on a talk about loneliness. Loneliness, the Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 theme, is a common experience with a range of causes. This talk will provide an overview of loneliness and its links to mental health problems, as well as considering actions we can all take to prevent loneliness, both for ourselves and others.
RECORDING: SUPPORTING STAFF WELLBEING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Les Wright, Interim Director of Occupational Health and Safety, gives a short talk about the current support for staff and the Wellbeing Programme Board work plan.
RECORDING: OVERCOMING STRESS: 7 KEY TOOLS
Dr Jennifer Wild, Associate Professor & NIHR Oxford Health BRC Senior Fellow, Department of Experimental Psychology discusses how certain people overcome enormous stress and anxiety, while others struggle. She presents seven key tools that can help us manage stress and anxiety in our own lives and examine the science of why they work.
RECORDING: AN OVERVIEW OF SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE WORK+FAMILY SPACE
Join our session to understand how the University’s Work+Family Space can work for you! The Work+Family Space platform is available to all University Staff and provides a wealth of wellbeing resources and information for everyone (not just those with caring responsibilities)!
RECORDING: AN OVERVIEW OF TOGETHERALL
All students and staff at the University of Oxford can access Togetherall’s 24 hour, safe online mental health support. Pete Mandeville from Student Welfare and Support Services gives an overview of the service with opportunity for Q&A afterwards.
Other USEFUL RESOURCES
Guidance for working from home
- Working from home guide for University staff
- HR Support: Tips for working from home
- HR Support: Your home office
- HR Support: Guidance for employees and managers
- IT Services: Adjusting to working from home
- IT Services: Guidance for teaching remotely
- IT Services: making the most of Chorus
- Information Security: Advice
- Information Security: Phishing and email
- How to work from home, the right way (BBC)
- Staying Focused When You're Working From Home (MindTools)
- Supporting your mental health while working from home (Mental Health First Aid (England))
Your health and wellbeing
- Thriving at Oxford - Wellbeing Programme introduced at the University in October 2022
- Occupational Health at the University of Oxford
- HR Support: Sources of support for wellbeing
- Guidance for the public on mental health and wellbeing (gov.uk)
- Suggestions from Dept. of Experimental Psychology on looking after our mental health
- My Whole Self: Support your mental health whilst working from home (MHFAE)
- Oxford Mindfulness Centre - free online Mindfulness sessions open to all
- Oxfordshire Mind: Coronavirus and your wellbeing
- As University staff members, you can join the University Sports Centre on Iffley Road at a discounted rate
- Employee Counselling Service - free to all University staff and your families
- Understanding and managing eating disorders
- Overcoming sleep problems
- Togetherall - an online peer-to-peer support community offering discussions mediated by mental health professionals, self-learning courses and resources. Register for free and select "I'm from a University or college"
- Oxfordshire Mind - for additional practical resources to support your wellbeing during coronavirus
- Headspace - learn to manage feelings and thoughts with the lifelong skill of everyday mindfulness. Headspace offer free taster sessions, some basic introductions and practices, and resources ranging across guided meditations (a new one every day), animations, articles and videos.
- Virtual tours of the Botanic Gardens
- The Lockdown Walks series
Useful links for your family
- Work and Family Space (formerly My Family Care)
- Resources for children & families (Bright Horizons)
- OxfordOwl - free online books for children from Oxford University Press
- Supporting children and young people with worries about COVID-19 (Emerging Minds)
- How to Talk to Your Child about Coronavirus(UNICEF)
- Take part in a new Psychiatry & Experimental Psychology study - tell us how your family is coping with challenges of COVID-19 so we can understand how to help
Additional links and resources
- Specific advice and support for students
- Information for staff with pre-existing mental health conditions and for those in the neurodivergent community
- HR Support
- Using HR Self Service - Access your payslip online | Update your contact details
- Safety Office: Advice & FAQ's
- Bodleian Update - Online Access | Ebooks | ORLO | Support
- Government guidance on coronavirus