Wellbeing Mental Health Mentor (Part time) - Dubai Campus

Heriot-Watt University; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates is seeking a Mental Health Support Specialist. The role encompasses assessing student needs, providing ongoing mentoring, and developing support strategies for those facing mental health challenges. Candidates should have a background in mental health with 3-5 years of relevant experience. This position offers the opportunity to make a significant impact on student wellbeing within a dynamic academic environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3–5 years’ experience in a mental health role.
• Experience in conducting psychosocial or mental health assessments.
• Ability to develop support strategies for diverse psychological needs.

Responsibilities

• Undertake assessments of individual support requirements for students.
• Provide professional support for a priority caseload of students.
• Develop bespoke strategies to support independent study and self-management.

Skills

Excellent case management skills

Risk management skills

Interpersonal skills

Cultural competency

Problem-solving skills

Education

Undergraduate Degree in a Mental Health related field

Postgraduate qualification (preferable)

Job description

Purpose of Role

Heriot-Watt University, in common with all other Higher Education Institutions, has seen a significant rise in both the extent and severity of mental health difficulties in the student community. The main purpose of student wellbeing is to provide advice, information and support to undergraduate and postgraduate students throughout the student lifecycle from enrolment to graduation.

The role involves assessing the needs of students referred to the service who present with emotional difficulties to ensure that appropriate interventions are delivered for students. Additionally, provide support for students with enduring mental health difficulties and with students of determination, working closely with other University services including the Determination Advisor and the Wellbeing Counsellors.

The successful candidate will carry a caseload of students who need ongoing support. Interventions will focus on providing on‑going mentoring, developing ongoing support plans to support academic success (including the development of organisational skills, personal motivation and time management); providing therapeutic support; making referrals to external agencies; and liaising with external professionals to ensure appropriate care and support.

There are no line management responsibilities for this role currently.

Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities

• To undertake assessments of the individual support requirements of students with enduring mental health problems or disability, and to co‑ordinate support in conjunction with the University support services and external practices.
• To accept referrals from colleagues and provide individual support to students, to enable them to manage their mental health and to help them realise their potential during their time at the University.
• To work with individual students on the development of bespoke strategies to support independent study, self‑management, time management and personal motivation.
• To provide professional support for an agreed priority caseload of students experiencing significant mental health difficulties and to deliver specialist individual sessions to assess and manage changing levels of risk.
• To work closely with colleagues to ensure a holistic approach for students who have disclosed a mental health disability, raising awareness of the support available to them to enable full engagement with all aspects of university life.
• To provide group support for students with mental health difficulties as agreed with the Wellbeing Manager, and in close liaison with the Determination Advisor.
• To maintain confidential client records to a professional standard and to liaise with other professionals to help manage risks faced by individual students.
• To communicate effectively across a wide range of audiences including academic colleagues and student bodies.
• To lead the development and implementation of university activities and campaigns to proactively promote mental health and disability inclusion through education and prevention‑focused strategies.
• To identify students who are returning from Temporary Suspension of Study owing to a mental health crisis and provide support for their transition back into study.
• To provide crisis response and occasional out of hours support, liaising with relevant staff and external agencies.

Education, Qualifications & Experience

Essential

• Minimum of an Undergraduate Degree in a Mental Health related field (e.g. Psychology, Counselling, Social Work, Mental Health Nursing, or a related field).
• A Postgraduate qualification is preferable (Master’s or Postgraduate Diploma).
• Minimum of 3–5 years’ experience in a mental health role, ideally within an educational or youth‑focused setting.
• Demonstrated experience in : Conducting psychosocial or mental health assessments. Delivering individual therapeutic or psychoeducational interventions. Supporting individuals with enduring mental health conditions and / or disabilities. Developing support plans that foster independence, academic success, and wellbeing. Risk assessment and management of students in distress or crisis.
• Making referrals and coordinating with external mental health or disability services.
• Experience in awareness‑raising initiatives related to wellbeing and disability support.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a Higher Education setting.

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent case management and risk management skills, with the ability to manage a complex caseload and intervene in crisis situations.
• Ability to develop support strategies for students with a range of psychological or learning needs.
• Cultural competency and ability to work with students from diverse backgrounds in a student‑centred approach to support.
• Excellent case documentation skills and familiarity with confidentiality protocols.
• Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment.
• Strong interpersonal, communication and problem‑solving skills.
• Demonstrable professional and proactive approach.
• Capacity to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team.

Heriot‑Watt University Values

With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot‑Watt University has established a reputation for world‑class teaching and professionally relevant, leading‑edge research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for business and industry.

We are a vibrant, forward‑looking university, well known for the quality of our degrees with employers actively seeking out our graduates. Heriot‑Watt is also Scotland’s international university with an unsurpassed international in‑country presence. We deliver degree programmes to circa 30,000 students in 143 countries around the world, have a further overseas campus in Dubai and boast the largest international student cohort in Scotland.

At Heriot‑Watt we’ve created an environment that nurtures innovation and leadership - where our researchers, staff and students can realise their potential and develop their ambitions.

We are proud of our collegiate atmosphere and integrated teaching and research approach which has helped to build a community of committed academics and highly motivated students. Our focus on careers delivers results and we’ve an excellent reputation for graduate employability.

In addition to the Edinburgh campus, we currently have campuses in the Scottish Borders, Orkney, Dubai and Malaysia. For all of our campuses we aim to provide stimulating, supportive environments conducive to effective learning and research, where staff and students can excel. At Heriot‑Watt, we have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership, and show our commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities.

Our values describe our deeply held beliefs and our community spirit. They characterise not only how we are as a higher education institution but also frame how we want to be.

Our values are :

• Belong
• Collaborate
• Inspire
• Celebrate

As learning, living and working institution, we use our values as the building blocks of how we go about doing our work and how we each conduct ourselves as members of Heriot‑Watt University. They represent what binds us together as a University community and help us to become the best at what we do.