Third space professionals and academic collaboration to embed mental wellbeing in the curriculum

Collaboration between third space professionals and academics has facilitated the effective implementation of embedded mental wellbeing in the curriculum at a UK university. De Montfort University in Leicester aimed to achieve a whole provider approach to embedding mental wellbeing, bringing expertise, skills and knowledge from third space professionals and academics to the task.

A vital element of this activity was to develop face-to-face course-specific provision that had traditionally been delivered by third space professionals into a suite of downloadable teaching materials for academics to use in the classroom. This would facilitate the embedding of mental wellbeing content within the curriculum, aligned with taught academic content. This collaboration between colleagues developed a state of interdependence, with colleagues relying on one another to effectively implement embedded mental wellbeing. The benefits of mutual trust, a culture of collaboration, and empowerment developed across the teams (both academic and professional third space) who had hitherto not worked together.