Curriculum as Care: Embedding Wellbeing & Mental Health Literacy in the BSc. Speech Language Pathology Education

The mental health and wellbeing of university students has gained significant attention in recent years (Worsley et al., 2022). Integrating Mental Health Literacy (MHL) into the university curriculum serves as a creative and sustainable strategy to increase student knowledge of mental health (Kutcher et al., 2016; Reis et al., 2022 & 2023), as well as empowers students to effectively manage their own wellbeing and support others (Houghton and Anderson, 2017). For Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) students, developing MHL also serves the professional necessity of preparing them to work with populations that are particularly vulnerable to mental health conditions. This presentation will illustrate two initiatives within a BSc-SLP programme.

The first initiative involved a curriculum redesign of a first-year course, Human Development for SLPs (SLPC1031). To foster sustainable integration of MHL and resource awareness, a new Course Learning Outcome (CLO) and assessments were introduced. Students participated in a group project creating educational videos that taught peers about wellbeing challenges across the lifespan by analyzing case scenarios provided. To build practical resource awareness, each group identified high-quality, Hong Kong-based support options relevant to their case scenario. Complementing this, weekly individual reflections required students to analyze peer videos and connect wellbeing concepts to developmental milestones and theories learned in the course. By emphasizing this interconnectedness, students gained a deeper understanding of the impact of mental health and wellbeing across all domains of development. Students developed a broader perspective on their professional roles, recognizing the overlap of wellbeing and communication disorders. Furthermore, students also engaged in some reflections that were specific to their own wellbeing to promote self-awareness and goal setting.

The second initiative involved a small modification to a second-year course, Evidence-Based Practice for SLPs (SLPC2033). Here, mental health research—specifically regarding the wellbeing of university students and clinicians—was integrated into the reading list. This research was used to demonstrate critical appraisal skills taught in the course. This initiative suggests that courses seemingly unrelated to wellbeing can effectively embed these concepts into their course to promote an ongoing dialogue regarding MHL and wellbeing across courses in the programme.

While these changes in were meaningful and successfully implemented, further opportunities for development exist within the clinical years of the programme. Ultimately, curriculum-level integration of wellbeing-related knowledge and skills may allow the programme to cultivate SLP students who are resilient and empowered to promote wellbeing for both themselves and their future clients.