Mental Health and Higher Education in Australia

This book addresses a broad range of issues related to mental health in higher education in Australia, with specific reference to student and staff well-being. It examines the challenges of creating and sustaining more resilient cultures within higher education and the community.  Showcasing some of Australia's unique experiences, the authors present a multidisciplinary perspective of mental health supports and services relevant to the higher education landscape. This book examines the different ways Australian higher education institutions responded/are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, with reference to domestic and international students. Through the exploration of practice and research, the authors add to the rich discourses on well-being in the higher education.

• Student Well Being in Australia
• Student Well Being in higher education
• Teaching Staff Well Being in Australia
• Teaching Staff Well Being in Higher Education
• International Student Well Being
• Student Mental Health Strategies
• Mental Health Strategies in Higher Education
• COVID 19 and Student Well Being in Higher Education
• Higher Education and Impact of Mental Health
• Community Engagement and Partnerships
• Community Well Being and Education
• Community Resilience in Mental Health
• Resilience and Recovery of Students
• Resilience and Recovery of Teachers
• Mental Health Policies and Programes in Education
• Mental Health Intervention in Education
• Government Engagement and Positive Mental Health
• NGO Engagement and Positive Mental Health
• Innovations in Mental Health Services and Delivery
• Mental Health Research in Higher Education

• College of Arts, Society, and Education, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia

  Abraham P. Francis

• Australian College of Applied Professions, Brisbane, Australia

  Margaret Anne Carter

Dr Abraham P. Francis is an Associate Professor, Head of Social Work and Human Services academic group at James Cook University, Australia, Adjunct Faculty for MSW Programs, Prasanna School of Public Health (PSPH) (Manipal), and a research fellow at the  Department of Social Work, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He has worked with Government, Non-government, and corporate sectors, and has developed many international partnerships. He has extensively contributed to the literature on Social Work and social work practice in mental health through his publications, convening conferences, establishing research collaborations and developing consortiums. His other research interests are in the field of communities, criminal justice, international social work, and gerontological social work.  His excellence in teaching has been recognised on several occasions. In 2010, Dr Francis was a recipient of James Cook University’s Inclusive Practice Award for his “exceptional support for students with a disability”. In 2016, he received the University’s ‘Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning’ for his “leadership and expertise in social work education in mental health that inspires and nurtures students to be competent, confident and compassionate practitioners”. In 2018, Dr Francis received the NAPASWI (National Association of Professional Association Social Workers in India) lifetime achievement for his outstanding contribution to Social Work Education.

Professor Margaret Anne Carter commenced at Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP) in 2019 as Chair of the Discipline of Counselling for Australia.  Before coming to ACAP, Margaret Anne was employed at James Cook University as a lecturer since 2010, first in Singapore as a Senior Lecturer in Education (2010-2013) and then in Australia as a Senior Lecturer in Education, and then Associate Professor (2017-2018). Prior to joining James Cook University in 2010,  Margaret Anne worked as a School Guidance Counsellor at Brisbane Catholic Education, the CEO of M.A. Carter Consultancy, District Guidance Counsellor and Special Education Consultant Brisbane Catholic Education, and Pre-school Teacher. Margaret Anne completed her Diploma of Teaching Primary and Preschool at Brisbane College of Advanced Education, a Bachelor of Educational Studies and Master of Educational Studies at University of Queensland, and Doctor of Education at Queensland University of Technology. Margaret Anne is currently an adjunct professor with James Cook University and is a member of several doctoral supervisory teams. Margaret Anne’s scholarly work with higher degree research candidates, both locally and globally, focuses on leading socially sustainable change. Her scholarship and research in cyber safety and mental health is grounded in understanding that mental health is everyone’s business.