Student Perceptions of Carleton University Mental Health Services

This Honours thesis is an exploration of student perceptions of Carleton University’s mental health services. There are a variety of issues facing emerging adults, such as the transition to post-secondary education, changing social roles, and difficulties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and online learning. These factors increased the need for effective mental health services. The research questions revolved around if participants accessed mental health services, if they found them helpful, and what stopped participants from accessing them. The data were examined using the thematic analysis. Results were collected during COVID-19 restrictions and revealed that most students did not access mental health services. Students who did access these services accessed two forms of mental health services: the disability centre and counselling services. The disability centre was largely found to be helpful, whereas opinions of counselling services were mixed. Forty-three percent of participants who did not access mental health services stated this was because they accessed services elsewhere or did not need them. This demonstrates that at least some of the remaining 57% may have not been able to access services when they needed them. This Honour’s thesis addresses how these services can better meet student needs and improve accessibility. This is novel research, which has not yet been discussed, which provides important information about improving these vital services.