NWU helps students to cope during lockdown

Students who feel overwhelmed, anxious and worried during the current lockdown are invited by the North-West University’s Centre for Health and Human Performance to participate in an online mental health workshop on Thursday 14 May 2020 at 15:00.

Since the country has been on a nationwide lockdown, the NWU’s Centre for Health and Human Performance (CHHP) has hosted several webinars already for students across all three campuses as well as for Open Distance Learning (OUDL) students. These workshops aim to help students cope with the loss of everyday social connections, which is said to have left many feeling frustrated, angry and unmotivated.

Two sessions were held already, and there will be more, to allow as many students as possible to participate, said Pieter Kruger, clinical psychologist and director of NWU’s CHHP. “Once attendance starts to drop, we’ll start with the next topic on ‘staying motivated’,” he added.

Each webinar allows for 300 participants, and is 60 minutes long – which includes 15 minutes allocated for a question and answer session. The workshops are presented via the Zoom video conference platform. 

According to Juan-Ri Potgieter, industrial psychologist at the NWU’s Thuso Student Counselling and Development Services, students must have access to a computer or laptop, smartphone or tablet, and internet connectivity to access the webinar.    

“Students RSVP online, and then we email them the link with the webinar’s meeting ID and password. Only students who RSVP will receive the link. This is to ensure that we do not get participants who should not be there,” Potgieter said.

Kruger said that close to 70 students were in attendance at one of their previous sessions. “The participation and feedback was very good,” he said.

Students may use this link to RSVP for upcoming webinars.