Supported education provides services and supports to assist transitioning to school/college and successfully achieve one’s education goals.
This includes completing secondary and/ or entering or re-entering post-secondary school, and vocational training programs.
Comments/testimonials from two students (names changed for confidentiality) about the importance of support and help with dealing with anxiety and depression that affected their ability to cope with school:
Alicia’s Testimonial
I suffer from anxiety and depression and I am a first-generation college student from a family of minimal means. Decisions about what to study and what college to go to are big decisions with great expenses, all-the-while not knowing all of the hidden costs. Just learning about them only increased my anxiety and made me think that I should just give up.
I researched on-line for some kind of assistance for people like me, and I found information about peer support. I contacted the local agency about speaking to someone and from my first phone call with my peer supporter, I felt so supported. She made me realize that there are many people who faced the same challenges and they succeeded – and I can too. She made me feel a sense of support and understanding. She explained things to me and asked what kind of help I needed. I told her that I appreciated the opportunity to talk with someone who understands. But, I also told her that I cannot afford to buy the school supplies that I need. She said she would do her best to help me, and she did.
Within a couple of weeks, she reached out to me to let me know that she had a box full of the school supplies that I needed! This help was such a welcome surprise. We met and she gave me a box with all the supplies that I needed. This was so helpful to me and made me feel so supported! I now realize that reaching out for help and speaking about my mental health problems is the best thing I could do. I hope that other students and people who are suffering from mental health issues, will reach out for help and connect to peer support in their communities.
Are there other suggestions you can think of to help Alicia succeed in school?
John’s Testimonial
John is a 20-year-old male university student who was born in Sudan and in the second year of his studies. John thought he had been self-medicating with alcohol (actually had been recently hospitalized for alcohol poisoning) to mask the stress he had been feeling. He reported feeling discouraged about the future and felt significant pressure to find a job after graduation, pay off student loans, and get married to his long-time girlfriend.
Over the last two semesters, John’s symptoms became increasingly disruptive and disturbing. He often tried to continue studying in the library until 10 pm at night on a daily basis and had significant trouble sleeping. He reported feeling increasingly critical of himself and said the school work he was doing was not good enough. These feelings of anxiety fueled his drinking and he began to isolate himself more and more from his friends and loved ones.
Too afraid to seek advice from his advisor, fellow students, or his girlfriend, John floundered. His grades suffered and he received an unsatisfactory year-end review. Following his unsatisfactory review his advisor informed him that due to unsatisfactory performance he was going to decrease his stipend for the following year.
Overwhelmed with the anxiety of completing his degree, the news of increased financial burdens and growing feelings of helplessness, John contemplated dropping out of university. After disclosing some of his struggles to a fellow student, his friend suggested that he see someone in counseling services. However, John was embarrassed and felt that the stress he was facing was normal for students and it was just his own inability to cope that was the problem. He said that he was not comfortable seeking help because the information would get back to his advisor and he was worried about the fallout of appearing like he could not handle university work. John ended up not seeking any help and eventually received a second unsatisfactory progress report and was asked to withdrawal from his program of study.
What suggestions do you think could have been made to help John get the help he needed?