project story
OCAD U Student Wellness Centre
Service Design Review
Transforming student mental health on campus through authentic student partnership
Accessing student mental health services that match student needs and reflect cultural background and identity should be a fundamental part of university life. Yet for thousands of students across Canada, resource-constrained post-secondary systems make this experience challenging.
OCAD University's Student Wellness Centre sought a partner to fulfil their deep commitment to truly understand and meaningfully engage with students to better support their needs while getting an education.
Challenge
Over the last decade, OCAD University's Student Wellness Centre has expanded its space, programs, support services and increased staff, outgrowing both its service delivery model and physical space. The team recognized they weren't reaching all the students they could within the context of increasingly complex mental health and wellness needs, growing demand, and budget constraints experienced by the post-secondary sector overall.
They were looking for a trauma-informed, inclusion-led design partner to develop a future service delivery model that was meaningfully informed by diverse student experiences and perspectives—particularly from equity-deserving groups who were not yet providing feedback through conventional methods like surveys.
Approach
This service design review took a student-led approach from the very beginning. We knew that meaningful change couldn't happen without students as true partners—not just consulted, but actively leading and co-facilitating the work alongside us.
To make this vision real, we embedded two recent OCAD U graduates directly on our project team. These team members were essential bridges to the student community, helping navigate campus culture, build authentic relationships, and ensure the approach and activities actually resonated. They weren't just advisors—they were co-designers shaping every part of the process.
Through meaningful engagement with the student community and key stakeholders, we prioritized participation from equity-deserving groups, including racialized students, LGBTQIA2S+ students, and students with disabilities. Over 250 students shared their perspectives and co-created solutions with us, moving far beyond traditional consultation toward genuine partnership.
This project tackles Social Challenges
Shifting from consultation to co-creation
To co-create solutions we worked with students to understand what a student-centred experience would feel like, what it would look like and what type of support would best meet their needs. This wasn't about extracting ideas from students—it was about building solutions together.
- Reduced barriers to participation: Drop-in co-creation sessions and participatory activities hosted by student leaders were designed so students could participate on their own time with low barriers to participation
- Feedback loops: Ongoing project learnings were shared with the student community through channels students were already familiar with, including the SWC Instagram page
- Prototype development with students: The project team engaged student leaders and staff to bring concepts to life and gather feedback
- Explore and test future service delivery models: SWC staff were invited to generate and test potential future service delivery models building on their strengths and identifying blockers to implementation so that recommendations would navigate barriers and respect the constraints they were working within
The goal was to expand beyond traditional clinical models to create inclusive spaces for sharing lived experiences, developing tailored support options that reflected diverse cultural needs and preferences.
Impact
Based on recommendations from the project work, the Student Wellness Centre is reshaping their service delivery model to rebalance professional support, self-care, and social support. This shift is contributing to significantly reduced wait times for counselling and more options for students seeking health and wellness services. As a result, students are able to access support when they need it most.
The SWC Student Living Room, a hub to support student community and host regular student drop-ins, was launched, creating an inclusive space that reflects diverse student needs.
Additionally, a Peer-led Mental Health Program was launched with funding support from the McCain McBain Foundation and is hosted in The Student Living Room. More than 3,000 student visits have been made to the Living Room space, which includes peer support sessions and facilitated group activities, outreach, and community building.
The SWC's commitment to ongoing and meaningful engagement with students continues to expand and evolve its services and supports in innovative ways that put the student experience at the centre. This includes intentional outreach to ensure diversity in lived experience and appreciation of and support for intersectionality. Learn more about the SWC team and Peer Health Promoters' work on the SWC Instagram page.
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Knowledge sharing within the post-secondary community
We've been honoured to co-present the OCAD University Student Wellness Centre story with our larger project team at conferences focused on student wellness including:
CACUSS Conference (Canadian Association of College & University Student Services)
June 8th - 11th, 2025, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Knowledge Exchange: Living Co-Design: Building Adaptive Mental Health & Wellness Support Through Continuous Student Partnership
Strategy Jam: Wisdom in the Room: The Power of Co-Designed Peer Support, From Gap-Filling to Service Transformation
Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health Conference
November 13th, 2024 (virtual)
Presentation: From student consultation to co-design: True confessions on what it takes
Project Leadership
Our work in social challenges often focuses on services, programs, and supports for people in vulnerable moments. This requires both specialized skills and deep humility. We ensure that project teams match each project's needs and context while recognizing the lived expertise within communities and organizations.
Karen Oikonen
Principal, Project Lead
Karen (she/her) believes that real change starts with deeply understanding people. A lifelong explorer and champion of the human experience, she is committed to creating inclusive, participatory engagement with diverse communities and thrives when exploring vulnerable topics.
Asra Khan
Design Researcher & Facilitator
Asra Khan (She/Her) graduated from OCAD U with a degree in Environmental Design. She actively contributed to the OCAD U Student Wellness Centre Service Design project, fostering community engagement. Now pursuing a graduate degree in Urban Planning and Development at Toronto Metropolitan University, Asra is committed to creating inclusive spaces and leveraging design for positive social impact and equitable urban development.