ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY

Mental Health and Wellness Policies

Introduction

Ateneo de Manila University believes that the primary responsibility of giving care remains with the parents and/or family of the students enrolled in the University. In support of this, driven by the Ignatian charism of cura personalis, the University endeavors to foster a community where the students are healthy and well both in mind and body (mens sana in corpore sano), and are able to make good use of their education, thus embodying the University’s Catholic, Ignatian, and Filipino character.

Moreover, the Ateneo de Manila University is committed to creating and maintaining a community that is mindful and responsive to the mental health and wellness needs of members who need special attention and care, such as students and employees in crisis, by putting in place proactive measures that will help our students and employees manage everyday stressors and prevent them from becoming at risk.

The aim of this policy is to facilitate the psychoeducation of all its stakeholders and follows the policy guidelines of the Mental Health Law of 2018.

I
Ateneo Wellness Unit

Ateneo Wellness Unit refers to any of the offices under the Central Administration, Basic Education (Grade School, Junior High School, and Senior High School), Loyola Schools and Ateneo Professional Schools (Medicine and Public Health, Law School, Graduate School of Business, and School of Government) responsible for the mental health and wellness of their respective communities. This includes but are not limited to the Office of Guidance and Counseling, Office of Health Services/Infirmary and Office of Student Affairs/Services and Security Office/Ateneo Risk Management Unit.

II
Scope

All members of the Ateneo de Manila University community, whether currently enrolled or on leave of absence (LOA), and inclusive of the period in which they are in between academic terms, are part of the scope of this policy.

Each Ateneo Wellness Unit across the university endeavors to educate its students, employees and parents regarding the importance and promotion of mental health, covering proactive measures of prevention, intervention, and postvention.

Security and support units like the Ateneo Risk Management Unit (ARMU) are instructed in mental health issues, and taught proper handling of students particularly during breakdowns, panic attacks, meltdowns, and running amok.

This policy extends to aliates of the Ateneo de Manila University such as Pathways to Higher Education participants, provided that they are currently part of the program, and are within campus.

III
Risks of Self-harm and Suicide

The Ateneo Wellness Unit takes any and all declarations of self-harm and suicide seriously, monitoring the situation and the individual at risk. In the event of an attempted suicide situation, the Ateneo Wellness Unit provides guidance to the offices and individuals involved. Offices responsible and accountable for emergencies of this nature attend to the incident as long as the individual is within campus. For off-campus activities, the Ateneo Wellness Unit will guide responders regarding the above incident.

The affected Ateneo Wellness Unit shall ensure that the individual receives immediate and appropriate medical care, and makes itself available to members of the community which may need primary psychological care because of the incident.

The Ateneo Wellness Unit attends to any consummated suicide that has come to the knowledge of the school authorities, taking into account the wellness not only of the person concerned, but also that of the larger community. The Ateneo Wellness Unit debriefs students, faculty, personnel, and staff in a deliberate and timely way.

IV
Documentation

All Ateneo Wellness Units shall maintain updated, but strictly confidential records of their students. Every high-risk incident should be recorded by the Ateneo Wellness Unit concerned, for the purpose of providing:

a verifiable account of the event, and of actions taken so that the legal rights and personal well-being of the students, staff, and others are protected; and
records that can be individually and collectively analyzed to identify areas of concern and develop successful strategies to prevent future incidents.

V
Referral to External Specialists

All psychological cases and incidents pertaining to students in official school activities, brought to the attention of the Ateneo Wellness Unit’s mental health practitioners will be assessed; and if found to be in need of expert advice and attention from specialists, will be referred accordingly.

VI

Turnover to Parents, Guardians, or Next-of-kin

The parents and/or guardians remain the primary and official caretakers of our students.

In high risk situations where the respective Ateneo Wellness Unit has custody of the student, the Ateneo Wellness Unit mental health practitioners will turn-over the custody of the student to the parent/guardians, next-of-kin, or authorized guardian upon their arrival.

A Turnover of Information is executed and given to the receiving parent/guardian/next of kin to ensure compliance with the agreed upon interventions and treatment requirements.

VII

Information Sharing

The Ateneo Wellness Unit will share information regarding cases and incidents within and outside campus that has come to the knowledge of school authorities, with vigilant observance of the Data Privacy Act of 2012, the Mental Health Act, and other relevant laws.

VIII

Research and Evaluation

The University values continual learning and retooling in handling psychological emergency cases among students. The university is likewise committed to the continuous education and training of the community, especially helping professionals tasked to respond to such critical incidents.

The University prioritizes research on student wellness and seeks to provide baseline data for planning opportunities for wellness activities in their units.

To aid the University in creating baseline data on the mental health and wellness needs of students, concerned offices in the different units conduct yearly needs analyses among students, in line with research ethics policies of the university and all the requirements set by the University Research Ethics Office and the assessment and reporting of results thereof should be in accordance with the guidelines set by such office.

IX

Facilities and Security

The respective Facilities office of the school units in coordination with the Ateneo Wellness Unit ensure that all the facilities of the University are safe and secure, in compliance with the government mandated laws (e.g. Building Code, Fire Code).

The respective Facilities office of the school units in coordination with the Ateneo Wellness Unit shall also implement additional safety and security measures that will prevent or delay suicide attempts and deter acts of violence.

X

Policy on Addressing Students with Special Needs

Consistent with its values and tradition as a Filipino, Catholic, and Jesuit institution, Ateneo de Manila University promotes inclusivity, and respects the right of all persons to access quality education without discrimination of any kind.

The University will provide the appropriate resources to raise the awareness of the school community concerning relevant laws, issuances, regulations, and University policies and procedures on persons with special needs.

This Policy is applicable to all student applicants and to all current students of the University, regardless of which unit or program applied with or admitted to. However, where international students are accepted to study in the University or where students study offshore through a partner institution, the admissions policies and procedures will depend on the signed agreement between the partner and the University.