Well-being in the Guidance and Counselling and Career Development programs at James Cook University

The post-digital fourth industrial revolution is already impacting heavily on university life. Traditional university classrooms are being replaced by an expanding array of blended learning options that include both face-to-face and rapidly transforming computer-generated possibilities. This is compounded by rising student numbers, wider cultural diversity, and student centred approaches to learning and assessment where simulation often replaces real experience. What it means to be a scholar is being redefined. Within this context students may be more actively engaged, independently and collaboratively, but for many, this is unchartered territory, alien and impersonal, with the potential to generate emotional insecurities and/or escalate pre-existing mental health conditions. In response to these challenges, we advocate promoting the mental health and well-being of students, deeming wellbeing foundational to meaningful student learning experiences, engagement, retention and academic success. Our roles as counsellor and career development educators, practitioners and researchers, commit us to integrating mental health promotion strategies within our programs, not as an optional extra, but as an integral, highly synthesised feature of the courses themselves