Supporting Staff Mental Health through Professional Psychological Services, Stress Management, and Workplace Well-Being Initiatives

Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta demonstrates its commitment to the psychological well-being of academic and administrative staff through institutional psychological services, mental-health education, professional counselling resources, and healthcare-access initiatives. The University recognises that the mental health of lecturers, administrative employees, and support personnel is essential to maintaining a healthy, productive, and supportive academic environment. Workplace-related pressures, professional responsibilities, emotional difficulties, and personal challenges can affect employee well-being and performance. Addressing these issues requires access to qualified psychological professionals, practical stress-management knowledge, and institutional mechanisms supporting healthcare and employee welfare.

During 2024–2025, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta maintained professional psychological services, implemented mental-health promotion activities, strengthened the quality of its psychological service infrastructure, and expanded healthcare-access arrangements for lecturers and administrative personnel. These initiatives contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 3 by promoting psychological well-being, encouraging professional help-seeking, and supporting healthier working conditions across the University community.

1. Providing Professional Psychological Support through the Psychology Service Centre

A central component of the University's mental-health support infrastructure is the Pusat Layanan Psikologi (PLP), or Psychology Service Centre, operated under the Faculty of Psychology. The Centre provides integrated professional psychological services encompassing intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of well-being. Its services address psychological concerns affecting individuals, families, groups, communities, and working environments.

The Centre offers several professional services, including:

• Individual psychological counselling;

• Psychological assessment and testing;

• Professional psychological consultations;

• Training and psychological-development programmes;

• Seminars and workshops; and

• Competency assessment and workplace-related psychological services.

The Centre is supported by psychologists, professional counsellors, psychology lecturers, accredited assessors, and administrative personnel. Its facilities include dedicated consultation and interview rooms, psychological-testing facilities, assessment resources, and additional spaces supporting psychological services. The availability of these professional resources establishes an institutional pathway through which members of the University community, including staff seeking psychological assistance, can identify and contact qualified psychological-service providers.

The Centre's service scope includes personal, family, social, and workplace-related concerns, making it relevant to challenges such as occupational stress, interpersonal difficulties, emotional well-being, and professional adjustment. Through the Psychology Service Centre, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta maintains professional psychological resources capable of supporting staff mental-health needs and providing access to counselling and psychological assistance.

2. Actively Promoting Mental Health through Free Stress-Management Education in 2024

The University's commitment to mental-health promotion was demonstrated through a public psychological education programme organised by the Psychology Service Centre in June 2024. On 14 June 2024, the Centre organised a webinar entitled “Knowing Your Stress Language and How to Cope with Stress.” The session was delivered by Dr. Ilmi Amalia, M.Psi., Psychologist, a clinical psychologist and lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology. The webinar provided practical information about identifying emotional and psychological responses to stress and developing healthier coping strategies.

Topics included:

• Recognising emotional, cognitive, and behavioural responses to stress;

• Understanding personal stress patterns;

• Applying relaxation and meditation techniques;

• Managing everyday stress;

• Strengthening self-awareness and emotional regulation; and

• Developing confidence and healthier coping strategies.

The programme was offered online, enabling participation without requiring physical attendance at a campus venue. Importantly, the University explicitly announced that participation was free of charge. This initiative made professionally delivered mental-health education accessible to individuals seeking practical strategies for managing everyday psychological pressures, including members of the working academic community.

For lecturers and administrative staff, stress-management education provides relevant knowledge that can be applied to occupational responsibilities, workload pressures, professional relationships, and personal well-being. The June 2024 programme demonstrates that Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta actively promoted good mental health through free psychological education and practical stress-management guidance provided by qualified professionals.

3. Strengthening Professional Psychological Service Capacity in 2024

In addition to delivering psychological services and mental-health education, the University continued strengthening the professional quality of its Psychology Service Centre. On 25 October 2024, the Centre obtained Category A recognition from Indonesia's National Civil Service Agency (Badan Kepegawaian Negara/BKN) under Decision Number 442 of 2024 for its competence-assessment capacity.

The recognition, announced by the Faculty of Psychology on 30 October 2024, reflected the Centre's fulfilment of professional standards for conducting civil-service competency assessments. Although professional competency assessment is distinct from clinical psychological counselling, the recognition demonstrates the University's investment in qualified psychological personnel, standardised assessment procedures, and professional psychological infrastructure. The Centre's expertise extends to psychological testing, professional consultation, competency development, and other services addressing personal and workplace-related psychological concerns.

Strengthening these capacities supports the University's broader ability to provide professional psychological services and maintain reliable institutional resources for psychological assessment and consultation. This development demonstrates continued institutional investment in professional psychology services during 2024, complementing the University's mental-health promotion and counselling resources.

4. Improving Healthcare Access for Lecturers and Administrative Staff in 2025

The University further strengthened employee welfare through improved access to healthcare services in February 2025. On 24 February 2025, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta published an official announcement concerning the improvement of healthcare facilities for lecturers and administrative employees. The announcement confirmed that lecturers and staff could access healthcare services at Syarif Hidayatullah Clinic and Hospital through the applicable national health-insurance arrangements.

Employees were instructed to transfer their registered primary healthcare facility to the University Clinic using the Mobile JKN application. The University also provided guidance to assist employees in completing the administrative process. This arrangement created an institutional healthcare-access pathway for academic and administrative personnel. Accessible healthcare is an important part of overall employee welfare, particularly when employees need professional assessment, medical advice, or further referral for health concerns.

While the announcement primarily establishes access to general healthcare rather than a separate staff-specific psychological counselling benefit, it demonstrates the University's continuing efforts to support the health and well-being of its workforce. The healthcare arrangement complements the professional psychological services provided through the Faculty of Psychology.

5. Integrating Psychological Services, Mental-Health Education, and Employee Welfare

Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta supports employee well-being through a combination of institutional resources and educational initiatives. These mechanisms operate at different levels.

Psychological Counselling and Professional Assistance

The Psychology Service Centre provides an identifiable source of professional counselling, psychological consultation, assessment, and related services. Its published service information enables staff to identify available psychological expertise and make enquiries about accessing appropriate assistance.

Mental-Health Promotion and Stress Prevention

The University's free stress-management webinar demonstrates active promotion of mental-health knowledge through evidence-based education. Such activities encourage participants to recognise stress, understand their emotional responses, and develop constructive coping strategies.

Professional Service Development

The University's investment in qualified psychologists, counsellors, assessors, and professional facilities helps maintain the institutional capacity needed to deliver reliable psychological services.

Employee Healthcare Access

The 2025 healthcare initiative strengthens access to the University Clinic and Hospital for lecturers and administrative staff, complementing the broader institutional approach to employee health. Together, these mechanisms demonstrate that psychological well-being is supported through professional expertise, preventive education, and healthcare-access resources rather than solely through occasional awareness activities.

6. Supporting a Healthier and More Productive Working Environment

The mental health of university employees influences the quality of teaching, administrative services, professional relationships, and the overall academic environment. Lecturers may face pressures associated with teaching responsibilities, research activities, supervision, academic administration, and professional development.

Administrative and support personnel may experience pressures related to operational demands, workload management, service responsibilities, and interpersonal relationships. Professional psychological services and stress-management education can help individuals understand these challenges and identify appropriate sources of assistance. By maintaining the Psychology Service Centre, providing free psychological education, and strengthening employee healthcare arrangements, the University creates opportunities for academic and administrative personnel to seek support and improve their understanding of psychological well-being. The University's approach also encourages greater recognition of mental health as an important component of workplace welfare and institutional sustainability.

7. Institutional Contribution to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta has established institutional psychological-service resources and implemented documented health and well-being initiatives relevant to its academic and administrative workforce. The University's Psychology Service Centre provides professional counselling, psychological assessment, and training services addressing personal and workplace-related concerns.

Its free stress-management webinar in June 2024 demonstrates active mental-health promotion through psychological education and practical coping strategies. The Centre's professional capacity was further strengthened during 2024, while the University's February 2025 healthcare arrangements improved access to medical services for lecturers and administrative employees. Through these institutional psychological services, mental-health education initiatives, and employee healthcare-access mechanisms, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta has implemented measures supporting the psychological well-being of its staff and promoting access to professional mental-health resources. These measures demonstrate the University's contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 3 by encouraging healthier working environments, promoting mental-health awareness, and maintaining professional resources through which staff can seek psychological assistance.

Source :
https://fpsi.uinjkt.ac.id/id/pusat-layanan-psikologi 
https://uinjkt.ac.id/id/event/webinar-knowing-your-stress-language-and-how-to-cope-with-stress 
https://pusatbahasa.uinjkt.ac.id/index.php/id/jaminan-dan-peningkatan-fasilitas-layanan-kesehatan-bagi-dosen-dan-tenaga-kependidikan 
https://fpsi.uinjkt.ac.id/id/selamat-untuk-pusat-layanan-psikologi-uin-syarif-hidayatullah-jakarta-atas-pencapaian-kategori-a-dalam-standar-kelayakan-penyelenggara-penilaian-kompetensi-asn