3. Good Health and Well-being

3.1 Research on health and well-being 3.2 Number graduating in health professions 3.2.1 Proportion of graduates in health professions 3.3 Collaborations and health services 3.3.1 Current collaborations with health institutions 3.3.2 Health outreach programmes 3.3.3 Shared sports facilities 3.3.4 Sexual and reproductive health care services for students 3.3.5 Mental health support for students 3.3.6 Smoke-free policy 3.3.7 Mental health support for staff 4. Events
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3. Good Health and Well-being

3.3.5 Mental health support for students

IGU provides free Psychological Counselling Services to support the psychological well-being of its students through the Psychological Counseling and Guidance Office. The service is delivered by two professionals, namely a clinical psychologist and a psychological counsellor.

Access to this support is designed to be simple from the moment students join the university. An online appointment system, integrated with the Student Information System (OBIS), allows students to schedule appointments easily by selecting a date and a professional. A comprehensive user guide has been made publicly accessible to facilitate its use, providing detailed information on the system’s functioning, usage steps, interface design and technical features. These services are also introduced to students at the beginning of each academic year. During the orientation programme organised by the Dean of Students on 15–18 September 2025, the unit presented its counselling services, and the Coordination of The Fight Against Addiction provided information on how to apply for individual counselling.





In addition to individual counselling, the Psychological Counseling and Guidance Office regularly provides informational materials on mental health to support students’ psychological resilience, offering awareness and coping strategies for common issues such as exam anxiety and anger management, as also set out in the university’s Mental Health Support Program for Students. This support was reinforced through events held throughout 2025.



The Dean of Students and the Coordination of The Fight Against Addiction also run “Healthy Development”, a regular workshop series held at the Gelişim Tower Student Center that brings students together around current psychosocial risks. In the fall semester, the series included the workshops “Cyberbullying and Its Factors in Adolescents”, which addressed the forms and consequences of online bullying, and “Technology Addiction”, which focused on the psychological effects of excessive technology use.





In 2024, IGU established the Psychology Practice and Research Center (PSIKOMER) to enhance the university’s scientific and social contributions in the field of mental health. PSIKOMER focuses on implementing applied and research-based activities across various subfields of psychology, supporting undergraduate and graduate students’ practical training, and fostering scientific productivity in psychology. The centre’s scope of work includes the integration of technology into psychotherapy processes, the development of mobile applications and software tools, and the design of virtual reality-assisted therapy models.

Beyond its own services, the university also directs students to external sources of support. At the “Getting to Know YEDAM” event, organised by the Department of Child Development and the Coordination of The Fight Against Addiction, students were introduced to the free and confidential counselling services of the Yeşilay Counselling Center and the 115 Counselling Hotline.



The Dean of Students organises weekly Coffee Talks open to all students, where topics related to personal development and well-being are discussed in an informal setting. One of these sessions, “Breathing Techniques in Stress Management”, held on 12 November 2025 at the Gelişim Tower Student Center, introduced students to practical breathing exercises they can use to cope with stress in daily and academic life.