According to a study published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2023, 40% of Australians aged 16–24 experienced a mental disorder within the last year. This was a 14% increase compared to the last time the survey was conducted in 2007.

“Many students don’t seek help, and those who do often experience prohibitive barriers to accessing and receiving help,” The University of Western Australia team shared in its 2022 Circle of Excellence Awards submission materials.

To mitigate these barriers and address the increasing student mental health crisis amid the pandemic, UWA launched The Living Room in 2021. It’s a program that provides students with a well-being “safe space” that offers low-barrier, peer-to-peer student support and access to in-house clinical psychologists. The initiative includes activities like yoga and “Pause with Paws,” at which students can take a break from their studies to play with dogs. More than 3,000 students have accessed TLR’s services to date.