Acknowledgement
Mental health is broad and complex, and students experiencing psychological distress do not represent a single or homogeneous group. Their needs, coping strategies, and thresholds for seeking support vary widely. Any approach to accessibility in relation to student mental health must therefore be grounded in care, humility, and an acknowledgement of this diversity.
Ethical Rationale for Embedded Support
At the root of this action research are ethical concerns related to mental health and access. Embedding support within studio time is not intended as a pastoral intervention, but as an ethical response to inequalities of access. Some students may avoid optional or external support services due to anxiety, mental health difficulties, barriers related to commuting, or external commitments such as care responsibilities or part-time work.
Locating support within existing studio structures allows engagement to remain informal and voluntary, without requiring students to self-identify or take additional steps. It also enables in-person support to be linked directly to design tutorials, helping tutors guide students towards more targeted forms of technical support and reducing the burden on students to articulate complex needs.
Training, Preparedness, and Institutional Gaps
My role within the university is not pastoral. However, as a visible and embedded technical staff member, I am often more accessible than formal support structures. During the Year 2 ARP intervention, a student approached me in significant distress, requiring immediate support.
Rather than detailing the incident itself, its relevance lies in what it revealed: technical staff can become first points of contact in moments of crisis, despite not being positioned or trained as pastoral support. This raises ethical questions around preparedness, responsibility, and the emotional labour embedded in technical roles.
Following earlier incidents, I completed a mental health awareness training session, which proved useful. Since starting in this role, I have repeatedly requested Mental Health First Aider training. Although supported by my line manager, these requests have been delayed or cancelled at the institutional level, highlighting a gap between expectations placed on staff and the training provided.
The incident also revealed limitations within existing support systems. While Mental Health First Aiders are listed, only email contact details are available, making effective action difficult in acute situations. Being directed to a general front desk first aider did not meaningfully resolve the situation, exposing a disconnect between policy and lived practice.
Action Taken as a Result of the ARP
As a result of this action research, and following the incident, these concerns were shared with the union, particularly the lack of clear pathways for supporting students in crisis and the absence of formal support for staff. Staff wellbeing provision was found to be outsourced and difficult to access, raising further ethical concerns (UCU, 2022).
Drawing on Brookfield’s Four Lenses, this incident prompted reflection on my own practice, institutional expectations, peer experiences, and student perspectives (Brookfield, 2017). This ARP has reinforced that accessibility must be accompanied by boundaries, appropriate training, and institutional responsibility. Ethical practice in this context requires care not only for students, but also for the staff who support them.
References
Brookfield, S. D. (2017). Becoming a critically reflective teacher. 2nd edn. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Universities UK (2015) Student mental wellbeing in higher education: Good practice guide. London: Universities UK. Available at: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk (Accessed: 10 January 2026).
University of the Arts London. Student mental health and wellbeing: Guidance for staff. London: UAL. Available at: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk (Accessed: 10 January 2026).
University of the Arts London. Counselling and health advice service. London: UAL. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/student-services/counselling-health-advice (Accessed: 10 January 2026).
University and College Union (UCU) (2022) Mental health and workload in higher education. London: UCU. Available at: https://www.ucu.org.uk (Accessed: 10 January 2026).