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'This level of racism has always been there': clinicians' views on supporting racially minoritised university students - a qualitative study in student support services in North East England

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Mma YeeboORCiD, Dr Lucy Robinson, Dr Sarah Thwaites

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Abstract

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group. OBJECTIVES: To explore the experiences of clinicians providing pastoral and mental health services to racially and ethnically minoritised students (REMS) at UK universities, aiming to understand the challenges REMS face in accessing support and to identify ways to improve service inclusivity. DESIGN: Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. SETTING: Student health and well-being services at five universities in the North East of England, a region with comparatively low racial diversity. PARTICIPANTS: Ten clinicians (nine female, one male; nine White British, one other ethnic background; mean age 42.8 years) working in therapeutic roles with experience supporting REMS. Participants were recruited via opportunity sampling. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews, averaging 44 min, were video-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis to identify key themes. RESULTS: Six overarching themes were identified: (1) the chokehold of layered systemic challenges, (2) dynamics of power, (3) lack of safety for REMS, (4) "Am I really getting it?", (5) psychological therapies for white people by white people and (6) the thirst for expertise. Clinicians were enthusiastic about providing culturally responsive care but reported limited access to reflective spaces and training. Contextual factors-including racism, Brexit and the marketisation of higher education-were perceived to affect service delivery and REMS' engagement with mental health support. Business-model approaches to service provision were sources of frustration. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians face structural and systemic challenges in providing culturally sensitive mental health support to REMS. Enhancing staff training, reflective practice and service adaptation may improve access and efficacy. Findings offer practical insights for universities aiming to strengthen equity in student mental health services, and future work could evaluate interventions to increase clinician preparedness and REMS engagement.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Yeebo MF, Kunorubwe T, Robinson L, Thwaites S

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: BMJ Open

Year: 2025

Volume: 15

Issue: 12

Print publication date: 15/12/2025

Online publication date: 15/12/2025

Acceptance date: 23/10/2025

Date deposited: 16/01/2026

ISSN (print): 2044-6055

ISSN (electronic): 2044-6055

Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group

URL: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-092272

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-092272

Data Access Statement: Data are available upon reasonable request. No, a data sharing plan is not available to protect the anonymity and confidentiality of study participants.

PubMed id: 41401989

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