Abstract
Alarming numbers of university design students are experiencing significant issues related to their mental health and wellbeing. While the conditions affecting their mental health are systemic, universities play a key role in addressing academic related factors. This paper aims to better understand the stressors impacting design students’ wellbeing and identify strategies for addressing them. It reviews general academic and design-specific stressors highlighted in the literature. Drawing from a small sample of European design schools, the paper also shares promising practices for addressing these stressors. Kick-starting cross-institutional sharing, it offers a starting point for further collective efforts to improve student wellbeing.
Keywords
mental health, wellbeing, students, design education
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/servdes2025.58
Citation
Sangiorgi, D., Čaić, M., Götzen, A.d., Neuhoff, R., Prices, R., Caba, N.S., Vink, J.,and Ali, H.(2025) Mental Health and Wellbeing Practices in Design Education: A Call for Action, in Mahamuni, R., Onkar, P. (eds.), ServDes 2025: Empowering Diversity, Nurturing Lasting Impact, 6–10 October, Hyderabad, India. https://doi.org/10.21606/servdes2025.58
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Mental Health and Wellbeing Practices in Design Education: A Call for Action
Alarming numbers of university design students are experiencing significant issues related to their mental health and wellbeing. While the conditions affecting their mental health are systemic, universities play a key role in addressing academic related factors. This paper aims to better understand the stressors impacting design students’ wellbeing and identify strategies for addressing them. It reviews general academic and design-specific stressors highlighted in the literature. Drawing from a small sample of European design schools, the paper also shares promising practices for addressing these stressors. Kick-starting cross-institutional sharing, it offers a starting point for further collective efforts to improve student wellbeing.