About the framework
The Mindapples Wellbeing Competency Framework is what holds our university programmes together. We developed it with our university partners to help them deliver an organisation-wide strategy for mental health and wellbeing promotion. It gives students, staff and senior leaders one shared language for wellbeing, and a clear way to see how confidence and skill build over time.
Built on evidence, shaped by universities
Our approach draws on peer-reviewed research in psychology and neuroscience. We do not hand people a fixed answer. We give them the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about their own wellbeing, and we look at the whole community, because staff and student wellbeing are closely linked. Independent evaluations by the University of York found statistically significant improvements in students’ wellbeing and ability to manage stress, sustained for up to six months. The framework is supported by extensive research and over 100 references.
Two strands
The framework has two strands. One builds the skills to look after your own wellbeing, and the other builds the skills to support other people.
Personal, self-management and resilience
The skills everyone can benefit from, useful for all students and staff, particularly during stressful periods. Self-management is the ability to manage our own emotions, thoughts and behaviours effectively. Resilience is the ability to find the resources to act, adapt and recover in the face of adversity.
Interpersonal, supporting the wellbeing of others
For anyone with a role or responsibility for supporting peers or colleagues, from student volunteers to line managers and senior leaders. It covers starting conversations about mental health, providing helpful information, responding to people who need support, and signposting confidently to formal help.
Two levels
Each strand has two levels. People move from aware and informed at Level One to resilient and self-managing at Level Two, building skill and confidence step by step. Because the language is shared, your institution can see where people are and how that changes over time.
For your whole institution
The framework applies across any role, department or discipline. Everyone can use the same language and see which competencies matter most for them. Here are just some of the people it works for.
It also supports the wellbeing and resilience elements of the University Mental Health Charter.
Skills that carry into work
The competencies map onto skills employers already value, such as handling pressure, staying motivated and supporting colleagues. That gives you useful language for employability and graduate outcomes. We deliver the same trusted content to major employers including Goldman Sachs, Tesco, Royal London, HS2, Bupa and Wellcome, so students preparing to enter the workplace learn skills that carry directly into it.
Get in touch
See how the framework is delivered, or ask us to send the full document.
