Congratulations to Dr. Matthew Leybourne, on being selected as a Mental Health Champion by the Queen's Student Mental Health Network.
With the Classroom Champion for Mental Health project, Queen鈥檚 is showcasing educators who demonstrate a commitment to supporting and enhancing student mental health and wellbeing.
The nomination for Dr. Leybourne reads as follows, 鈥淢atthew is relaxed with deadlines and is willing to move quiz dates if the class feels overwhelmed with other classes/commitments. He is a very caring and understanding person, especially when it comes to someone's mental health situation. Instead of putting you down about it, he empathizes, which is really important to me in a professor.鈥
Dr. Leybourne's response to the nomination was, "Mental health to me means the recognition that we all struggle with internal conflict and that this expresses itself as a variety of phenomena including self-doubt, loss of joy in the moment, withdrawal, and lack of productivity.
I think the main role for faculty is to recognize that students undergo mental health struggles and to provide appropriate accommodations, formal and informal, to alleviate the stress that comes with mental health issues. Directing students to appropriate resources is also key."
The Queen鈥檚 Student Mental Health Network is led through the Office of the Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs, with membership that includes the AMS, SGPS, and Student Affairs staff and many student clubs and organizations. Visit the Campus Wellness Project website for more information.
Congratulations, Dr. Leybourne!