CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

BUSU plans fall launch of app to improve mental health

The Brandon Sun - 6/26/2017

Brandon University will be starting the school year this September with a new initiative aimed at improving mental health on campus.

Brandon University Students' Union will be launching a mental health app called I.M.Well -- available for iOS and Android free of charge to students.

The app -- which will be a BU-specific version of an app developed and maintained by Aspiria -- is still in the development stage as students have the opportunity to weigh in on what they'd like to see included.

"We're very excited to have this, the university is very excited to have it, and we're already getting really good feedback from students regarding it (on Facebook)," said BUSU president Nick Brown.

I.M.Well will feature around-the-clock counselling in 180 languages, as well as breathing exercises for stress relief, a resource directory and a mood log.

Almost 300 students have contributed to an online poll put on BUSU's Facebook page asking what they would be looking for in the app, with others commenting suggestions like adding yoga poses to the exercise section and allowing the mood log to be accessed by the counsellors when needed.

The introduction of the new app is an effort to lend a hand to the overwhelming need for mental health resources on campus, Brown said.

"Currently ... we have two counsellors who are available 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day -- and they are booked solid. They barely have enough time to meet the needs of the current students on campus, and the university does not have the money to hire another counsellor as the provincial government is not increasing funding to anyone," Brown said. "So this app is a solution to part of that problem ... it will cover some of the holes that need to be filled."

It will also add a resource for international students, who will now have access to counselling in their own language.

"We're very excited about the language option ... a lot of our international students deal with homesickness and loneliness in Canada, so those 180 languages being available ... removes a barrier they might have to get care," Brown said.

BUSU and BU have been working on getting the app in place for about six months now, Brown said, with BU setting aside $20,000 in the budget to pay for the app this year.

A soft launch of I.M.Well will take place during orientation week in September, with a full launch following in October.

» edebooy@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @erindebooy