Farrer, L, Gulliver, A., Chan, J.K.Y., Bennett, K., & Griffiths, K.M. (2015). A virtual mental health clinic for university students: A qualitative study of end-user service needs and priorities. JMIR Mental Health, 2(1), e2.
University students have high rates of mental health problems, but often won’t seek help. To provide more accessible care to this population, the authors proposed creating a virtual mental health clinic. This study describes the results of four focus groups with university students who provided input on the functions and features of the potential virtual mental health clinic. Nineteen students at an Australian university were involved in the focus groups. Overall, students liked the accessibility of a virtual mental health clinic, and felt that having a variety of mental health resources in one location was beneficial. Privacy was a major concern to students, who worried about sharing information over the internet. In terms of content, the students felt it was important to provide information on mental health symptoms, tips to improve mental wellbeing, and tailored information specifically for students of different genders and sexual orientations. Using the virtual clinic to access additional resources was another important feature to students. Students like the idea of using the clinic to schedule appointments or access help through the web. Finally, students wanted the capability of having peer-to-peer interactions through the website, although they advocated for a moderator in any focus groups, forums, or questions-and-answer sections.