5 minute read
Compassionate Counselling Now Closer to Home for Vic Students
By Sally Szuster
When university students need mental health support, finding timely care in the community can be difficult. Wait times are often long and many hesitate to seek help. At Victoria College, a new initiative is making it easier for students to access compassionate care on campus when they need it most.
Recognizing this growing need, Victoria and Emmanuel Colleges, the two colleges that form Victoria University in the University of Toronto, collaborated to expand mental health supports. Since September 2023, graduate students in Emmanuel’s Master of Psychospiritual Studies program have provided supervised counselling to Victoria College undergraduates through a wellness initiative called Vic Well.
“Psychospiritual care is about tending to the whole person,” said Dr. Pamela McCarroll, acting principal of Emmanuel College.
“It is not only about addressing clinical needs or spiritual needs in isolation but also about integrating the two so that people can find healing and resilience in all dimensions of life.”
The MPS program includes a certificate in spiritual care and psychotherapy, recognized by the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. Counselling interns provide students with supportive care, mindfulness practices, and solution-focused techniques and are supervised by a registered psychotherapist and social worker.
“It has added a whole new level of support to our undergraduate students to have Emmanuel counselling interns here on campus,” said Dean of Students Kelley Castle.
“They help students with a variety of needs, including academic anxiety, grief, isolation, personal identity, depression and general concerns about the transition into and out of university. Their ability to weave spiritual care into it is an added layer that many students really seek out. We have expanded the service because it was such a success and this allows for access to counselling with little to no wait time—a terrific, timely, local addition to the services they already get from U of T.”
For Blair Niblett, a part-time MPS student who also works full-time as a professor at Trent University, participating as one of the counselling interns in the Vic Well program was both formative and meaningful.
“There were a handful of students who I saw on a regular basis over the months that I was there, and I was able to build supportive relationships. I could tell that there was value in what we were doing.”
Michael Burtt, who graduated from Emmanuel last year and now works in private practice, said the program was formative.
“Within the counselling intern program, which is entirely secular, I would work with undergraduate students who immediately recognized that I was religiousfriendly,” he said.
“One student in particular really felt he could discuss things with me that he was not entirely comfortable discussing with his religious leader, but he was still seeking someone who understood his inner spiritual life. Students told me they really appreciated having the counselling interns easily accessible in the Goldring Student Centre. It was often the first time that they were in counselling and it was comforting for them to know there wasn’t anything they couldn’t talk about.”
Hannah Athanasiadis, who is pursuing both a Master of Divinity and the Master of Psychospiritual Studies, brings another perspective. “Students who I’ve worked with tell me that it feels good to have someone to talk to and process their thoughts and feelings. In the therapeutic space, students can share what’s on their minds and hearts without fear of judgment, learn new tools and strategies to help cope with various stressors, and be empowered as they navigate university life. Students also get a sense that they are not alone in their struggles and that there is someone listening and validating their experiences.”
Emmanuel’s training model is multifaith and distinctive. Enrolment has tripled in the past decade, according to Andrew Aitchison, admissions adviser and strategic recruiter. “It shows us that the wider community recognizes the importance of psychospiritual care” he said.
Having Emmanuel College students serve Victoria College undergraduates “is a powerful example of learning in action,” McCarroll said.
“It not only prepares them for their professional vocations, but also it expands access to care for young people who might otherwise wait too long or go without support,” she said.
As Vic Well continues and expands, the benefits are clear: faster access to care for undergraduates and a real-world clinic for graduate learners.
“Psychospiritual care used to be a hidden gem in theological education,” McCarroll said. “Now it is clear that this is the future of integrated care, and Emmanuel is proud to be leading the way and serving Victoria College students.”
