Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) reaffirms its long-standing commitment to creating a sustainable, inclusive, and healthy work environment by expanding its mental health and psychological counseling services to academic staff and lecturers.
This initiative aligns with the university’s mission under the Green, Clean, and Healthy Campus framework and the national standards of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek), as well as the Ministry of Manpower, which promote equitable well-being for education workers across Indonesia.
UNNES’s proactive mental health program reflects the institution’s compliance with Rector Regulation No. 27 of 2020 on Employee Ethics and Well-being Guidelines, which highlights the importance of maintaining both professional integrity and psychological balance in the workplace.
This policy complements the broader directives under Ministry Regulation No. 30 of 2021 on Safe and Inclusive Campus Environments. It positions UNNES as a leading example of psychological care and workplace wellness among Indonesian public universities.
In a statement, the former UNNES Rector Prof. Dr. Fathur Rokhman, M.Hum. emphasized that “a healthy and happy educator is the foundation of a resilient and high-performing university.” The regulation underscores the responsibility of university management to ensure that all employees—teaching and non-teaching—have access to professional support systems for mental well-being.
Free Counseling and Psychological Services for Employees
The implementation of mental health services is regulated by UNNES Rector Regulation No. 117 of 2024, which affirms the right of all academic staff and students to access psychological support. Recognizing that mental balance is fundamental to achieving academic success, UNNES offers free and accessible counseling services through its Career and Counseling Center and the Faculty of Education and Psychology (FIPP), UNNES provides free psychological counseling sessions for lecturers, administrative staff, and education personnel. The services encompass:
- Individual and group therapy sessions, facilitated by certified psychologists and academic counselors.
- Stress management programs for educators balancing teaching, research, and administrative duties.
- Psychological first aid for crisis handling and trauma recovery.
- Work-life balance workshops, conducted jointly with human resource units and faculty-level well-being champions.
These programs are not merely reactive but designed as preventive interventions. All encourage self-awareness, emotional resilience, and mutual support among university employees. Staff members can register confidentially, either in person or online via dedicated university platforms (e.g., bit.ly/KonselingProfesional), ensuring a structured, confidential, and easily accessible system for enhancing the psychological well-being of all university employees.
Fostering a Safe, Inclusive, and Empathetic Workplace
UNNES has also established specialized facilities to protect the dignity and safety of its entire community. The recently inaugurated Safe House (Rumah Aman) serves not only as a response center for sexual violence prevention but also as a psychological support hub for survivors within the university, including faculty and staff. This initiative reinforces UNNES’s vision of a harmonious and empowering campus environment where emotional security is inseparable from professional responsibility.
