SDG 3: GOOD HEALTH AND WELLBEING

3.3.5 Does your university as a body provide students and staff with access to free mental health support?

Deanship / Student Affairs

AlMaarefa University, through the Deanship of Admission, Registration and Student Affairs, provides mental-health promotion and counselling services to students and staff. The Deanship documents preventive activities, family counselling sessions, daily duty shifts and a system for referring cases requiring psychiatric intervention to hospitals, demonstrating institutional mechanisms to identify and support individuals in need at no direct cost to students [1].

Counselling Services

AlMaarefa University provides academic advising and psychological counselling as part of college-level student support. The College Student Handbook explicitly describes counselling services, academic supervision, emergency mental-health response procedures, and guidance to seek appropriate mental care — demonstrating institutional integration between academic supervision and psychological counselling for students [2].

Guidance and Counselling Services

Student orientation and guidance is an essential element of the educational process. Therefore, RCD will assign to each student an academic advisor who will act as a mentor, providing academic and career advice as well as general counselling. Counselling Services The College provides care, promotes each student's ability to seek appropriate mental care and treatment, respond to emergencies, and educates students toward balanced physical and mental health and wellness.

These are Guidance areas:

Academic advising

It is the main pillar of guidance, and it aims to provide the necessary support to the students during their studies so that they can complete the study plan within the time period in the easiest and most efficient way. Academic advisors will provide help in selecting students course of study and in planning their schedule. Advisors also approve students’ schedules each semester. However, students are responsible for selecting their courses, meeting course prerequisites, and adhering to college policies and procedures. The advisor’s role is to assist the student in obtaining a well-balanced education and in interpreting college policies and procedures. Students may also consult faculty, department or program chairs, program coordinators, and dean.

Psychological Counselling

It aims to guide the students’ personality in a proper direction, change their view of themselves for the better, and realize the relationship between them and others and improving it and enhancing their academic level, and being able to solve their problems by themselves, make their decisions efficiently, and overcome the psychological impediments that may impose them between success and distinction.

Social Counselling

It aims to prepare the students for positive interaction with their community, with its values, behaviors and diversity, and to adapt to that. Also, enhancing the students’ role in contributing to community service, development, and interaction with them in a way that benefits themselves and their community.

Educational and Preventive Counselling

Awareness and preventive counselling pursue a policy of “prevention is better than cure”, and in this way we prevent problems before they occur, by raising awareness of virtuous values and good principles, and strengthening them, and giving students a faithful dose in appropriate and modern methods, which helps them avoid problems they might go through at this age and current circumstances.

Career Advice

Career counselling aims to prepare the students to enter the field of work and professional career competently by developing and refining their personal and behavioral characteristics, and training them on the necessary skills for success and excellence in their professional job. In addition to helping them in job search skills such as writing CV’s, personal interviewing skills, respecting work, working in a team, teamwork ethics and the like.

World Mental Health Day

As part of the celebration of World Mental Health Day, the Wateen Al-Maarifa Student Club at the University of Knowledge organized a special event in cooperation with King Saud Medical City. The event included an awareness corner aimed at raising awareness of the importance of mental health and its role in the lives of individuals and society.

The informational corner that was activated provides important information on how to maintain mental health, and the importance of obtaining appropriate support in case of facing psychological challenges. It also allows visitors the opportunity to interact with specialists in this field and ask questions that interest them.

This event comes as part of the University of Knowledge’s keenness to participate in World Mental Health Day, which aims to spread global awareness about mental health issues and encourage the provision of necessary care to all those who need it [3].

World Mental Health Day — Awareness corner (event)

As part of World Mental Health Day activities (Oct 2024), AlMaarefa University organized an on-campus awareness corner distributing educational materials and providing open discussions with specialists. The initiative targeted both male and female students, reinforcing institutional outreach and early help-seeking behavior.

As part of the celebration of World Mental Health Day, the Integrity Club and the Capsule Student Club at the University of Knowledge activated an awareness-raising corner that aims to shed light on the importance of mental health and ways to maintain it. This corner was organized on the university campus as part of efforts to raise awareness among the university community about the need to care for mental health as an essential part of daily life [4].

The event, which coincided with World Mental Health Day, saw wide participation from male and female students, where awareness materials were distributed and open discussions were held on how to maintain mental health and achieve psychological balance in academic and personal life. Advice was also provided by specialists on the importance of psychological support and seeking help when needed.

This corner is part of a series of activities organized by the University of Knowledge to promote awareness of mental health and encourage the creation of an integrated educational and healthy environment that supports student success and development.

Workshops series - "AI for Mental Disorders" & related sessions

AlMaarefa University faculty led workshops on AI applications for mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities, integrating academic research with mental-health capacity building. The workshops reflect institutional investment in skills and services that can strengthen mental-health screening and support.

Applications for Supporting and Treating Individuals with Disabilities” will be held from December 1 to 4, 2024. These workshops, taking place on campus, will bring together local and international experts in artificial intelligence and healthcare [5].

Workshop Details

The series includes nine workshops focused on AI applications for supporting and treating various types of disabilities. These sessions will showcase the latest research and innovative technologies in the field. The workshops are scheduled as follows:

December 1, 2024:

AI Applications for Supporting Individuals with Visual Impairment (8:00 AM – 1:00 PM), led by Dr. Amani Badawi from AlMaarefa University, with participation from Mr. Mohammed Saad and Mr. Abdulaziz Al Shamasi, Digital Transformation Executives.

Supporting Individuals with Hearing Disabilities (1:00 PM – 6:00 PM), led by Prof. Ameen Bawazir from AlMaarefa University, with contributions from Dr. Abdullah Madhesh and Dr. Omar Alawaji from Shaqra University.

AI for Psychosocial Disabilities (6:00 PM – 11:00 PM), led by Prof. Ashit Kumar Dutta from AlMaarefa University, with Dr. Rafat, a psychiatrist from King Fahad Medical City.

December 2, 2024:

AI for Speech Impairment (8:00 AM – 1:00 PM), led by Dr. Mohammed Alzahrani from AlMaarefa University, with Ms. Noha Halawani from King Fahad Medical City.

Training Course on AI and Sign Language in Health Communication (1:00 PM – 6:00 PM), led by Dr. Mohammed Alzahrani from AlMaarefa University, with Dr. Ali Alhazani from the Sign Language Society.

AI Applications for Learning Disabilities (6:00 PM – 11:00 PM), led by Prof. Syed Basheeruddin Asdaq from AlMaarefa University, with Dr. Ali Alasmari from Prince Sattam University.

December 3, 2024:

AI for Mental Disorders (8:00 AM – 1:00 PM), led by Dr. Shahabuddin Shaikh from AlMaarefa University, with Dr. Hamed Askar from the Sign Language Society.

AI for Autism Spectrum Disorder (1:00 PM – 6:00 PM), led by Dr. Khaldoun Marwa from AlMaarefa University, with contributions from Prof. Laila Al-Ayadhi from King Saud University and Dr. Abdulrahman Wahab from King Faisal University.

December 4, 2024:

AI Applications for Physical Disabilities (1:00 PM – 6:00 PM), led by Dr. Fuzail Ahmed from AlMaarefa University, with Dr. Faisal S. Al-Dahmashy, Assistant Deputy Minister for Hospital Services.

Target Audience

These workshops are aimed at researchers, academics, healthcare practitioners, and developers, with the goal of enhancing knowledge about using AI to support individuals with disabilities and exploring new avenues for improving their quality of life.

Registration

Registration is open on the university’s website. For more details about the workshop schedule and additional information, please visit: http://ai-disability.um.edu.sa.

Stress among Al-Maarefa University female students

Academic research conducted on AlMaarefa students documents the prevalence and factors associated with stress, and recommends counselling and preventive mental-health services — providing an evidence base for institutional mental-health programming [6].

Intelligent Student Mental Health Assessment Model

Applied research developing a student mental-health assessment model references AlMaarefa University participation, showing engagement in technological approaches to screening and assessment which can support early detection and referral pathways [7].

References