Bidart: Estia engineering school invests in the mental health of its students

On the Estia campus in Bidart, student mental health is taken seriously. With psychologists, mandatory training, and a reporting platform, the school is deploying a comprehensive strategy to prevent situations of distress.

"Having a good student life means finding a balance between classes, personal life, partying, and sleep," summarizes the psychologist at the Bidart campus (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), affiliated with the École supérieure des technologies industrielles avancées (Estia). For almost four years, Isabelle Etcheverry has been ensuring the mental well-being of students. Her office, nestled in a small, colorful room in the main building, has become a landmark. Her role: to help budding engineers maintain this delicate balance. Starting next year, the mental health awareness pilot program will become permanent.

Welcoming a psychologist (in this case, two) to campus is paying off, the professional believes. This year, 183 students came for consultations—nearly a fifth of the school's total. A figure she interprets positively: "These are young people who needed a space to express themselves. Now, that's done. The advantage of having a psychologist working directly at the school is that the meetings are more accessible," analyzes Isabelle Etcheverry. Appointments are free and the setting is more familiar, according to the health professional.

“Several young girls thanked us, saying they didn’t even know what they were doing there.”

Among its patients, just under half were seen at least three times. And 24 students received follow-up in situations deemed "critical." These data echo a broader trend. In 2022, one in five students suffered from a mental health disorder, according to the European University Association.

Faced with this observation, Estia has chosen to also take action upstream. From the beginning of the year, all students attend awareness sessions on hazing, harassment, discrimination, consent, etc. The Student Union (BDE) receives more in-depth training. Two modules are on the program: one on mental health (mandatory), the other on addictions, in partnership with the Bayonne addiction center.

At Estia, female students remain a significant minority: they represent less than 20% of the student body. This imbalance has led the school to strengthen its policy against sexist and sexual violence (SGBV). During the traditional induction weekend, a team of students visited the rooms to verify that everyone present had consented. "Several young girls thanked us, saying they didn't even know what they were doing there," confides Isabelle Etcheverry. For the rest of the year, an internal reporting platform was set up in collaboration with the IT department. Any student can report, anonymously or not, a situation of violence or discrimination, directly to the school's psychologists.