Thammasat Tackles Youth Mental Health: Elevating ‘TU Well-being’ to a National Standard MHCC Counselling Centre on Campus

HIGHLIGHTS

MHCC Certification: Thammasat University’s “TU Well-being: Counselling Centre” has earned official Mental Health Counseling Center (MHCC) certification from the Ministry of Public Health, establishing a standardized, secure, and trusted mental health framework for students.
Comprehensive Ecosystem: The center provides a dual approach combining proactive support—such as faculty outreach, self-assessment applications, and group therapy—with reactive care, including an on-site psychiatric clinic and discounted hospital referrals.
National Role Model: Serving as a model for educational institutions across Thailand, Thammasat treats youth mental health care as a vital investment in protecting the nation’s most valuable human resources amid declining birth rates.
Accessible Care: Thammasat students can schedule appointments directly via the TU GREATS App to access services at the Rangsit Campus (Student Activity Building B, 2nd Floor), open Monday through Friday from 08:30 to 16:30.

Amidst Thailand’s growing mental health crisis, with 13.4 million people having experienced psychiatric conditions and mental health issues, yet only 8.2% able to access the healthcare system, vulnerable groups such as adolescents and university students (aged 18-24) are of particular concern. They bear the brunt of academic pressure, competition, and the challenges of adapting to a new social environment at university. Recognising this, Thammasat University has identified an urgent need to develop a student mental health care system to support the increasingly high demand for assistance.

Elevating ‘Thammasat Well-being: Counselling Centre’ with MHCC Certification

Thammasat University has successfully developed and pushed the TU Well-being: Counselling Centre to achieve the ‘Mental Health Counseling Center (MHCC)’ certification from the Ministry of Public Health this year. Passing these standard criteria assures service users that the centre has a systematic service process, specialised personnel providing counselling, and strict health data security measures. These factors are crucial in breaking down walls of fear and anxieties about being stigmatised, encouraging students to step forward and seek help.

Comprehensive Care and Counselling Services

The operational model of the TU Well-being: Counselling Centre stands out by creating a comprehensive mental health ecosystem, balancing both proactive and reactive approaches to truly transform the university into a ‘safe space.’ Proactively, the centre dispatches psychologists to educate staff and students about mental health issues directly at their faculties, develops applications for initial self-assessment of mental health, and organises group therapy sessions. Reactively, it offers a mental health clinic staffed by psychiatrists and a team of medical personnel. Furthermore, it coordinates case referrals to network hospitals, complete with medical fee discounts to reduce the financial burden on students.

A National Milestone: Expanding the Mental Health Safety Net

On a national scale, the Ministry of Public Health is rapidly expanding the base of service units that pass the MHCC criteria. Currently, there are 776 such locations nationwide, with a proactive goal to cover 100% of state hospitals by 2027. There are also plans to push this standard down to the community level via Health Promoting Hospitals (HPHs), as well as educational institutions which serve as the frontline for adolescents. This direction aligns with Thammasat University’s proactive management model, which serves as a role model for other educational institutions to adapt in designing concrete mental health safety nets for youth.

Prof. Dr. Supasawad Chardchawarn, Rector of Thammasat University, reflected on this issue, stating that today’s students face an increasingly complex and pressured world. Leaving youth to cope with mental health problems without care inevitably leads to the unnecessary loss of the nation’s quality workforce—an incalculable loss, particularly given Thailand’s continuously declining birth rate. Thammasat University, therefore, drives its operations under the core philosophy that caring for students’ mental health is caring for the nation’s most valuable human resources. Elevating the TU Well-being: Counselling Centre, both in terms of treatment systems and an environment conducive to accessing services, is thus a highly worthwhile investment to guarantee that no student has to face a mental health crisis alone.

If Thammasat students are experiencing stress, pressure, or simply need someone to listen, the TU Well-being: Counselling Centre is ready to help. You can contact us for services through the following details:

Appointment Channels: Book an appointment to see a psychologist via the TU GREATS App (select the ‘TU Well Being’ service), then await an appointment confirmation from staff via phone or LINE OA.
Location: Student Activity Building B, 2nd Floor, Thammasat University, Rangsit Campus.
Operating Hours: Open Monday – Friday, 08:30 – 16:30 (Closed on weekends and public holidays).