In 2025, METU gave its staff access to mental health support and promoted their well-being as part of its Strategic Plan.

A strategic commitment with a measured target

METU's 2023–2027 Strategic Plan, approved at the joint meeting of the University Senate and the University Administrative Board on 26 April 2022, sets Objective 3.3: 'Introducing practices to protect the general well-being of employees'. One of its strategies is to raise awareness of the psychological counseling services the university provides. Its performance indicator is the number of staff who apply to units providing psychological support: the 2025 target was 560 and the actual figure was 564 (METU 2025 Administrative Activity Report).

https://sgdb.metu.edu.tr/sites/sgdb.metu.edu.tr/files/odtu2025yiliidarefaaliyetraporu.pdf

https://sgdb.metu.edu.tr/sites/sgdb.metu.edu.tr/files/odtu2025yiliidarefaaliyetraporu.pdf

Where staff can get support

• METU Health and Guidance Centre: serves academic and administrative staff and their dependants; its psychiatry service handled 1,935 consultations in 2025.
• AYNA Listening Point: crisis line for all METU students and staff, weekdays 08:00–23:00, run by clinical psychologists who refer callers to suitable support.
• AYNA Clinical Psychology Support Unit: psychotherapy at reduced fees for METU members.

Promoting well-being in 2025

• Free weekly yoga sessions run by the METU Yoga Society were open to all METU members, including staff, on the lawn of the Culture and Convention Centre throughout the spring semester of 2025 and on 9 August and 6 September 2025.
• Republic Run, 29 October 2025: the METU Sports Directorate's traditional run at Devrim Stadium, with a children's run and a 5 km course, brought together more than 10,000 participants from across Ankara, including METU staff and their families. It serves Strategy 3 of the Strategic Plan's employee well-being objective: expanding participation in social, cultural and sports activities.
• 29 April 2025: clinical psychologist Dr. Ali Bayramoğlu gave a seminar on behavioural flexibility for the staff of the Health and Guidance Centre, part of the Centre's 2025 staff seminar series (which also covered ergonomics and posture, oral health, and hygiene).
• Regular yoga workshops through the METU Sports Directorate in the spring and fall semesters, open to staff.
• •From 23 October 2025, staff can see a dietitian at the Health and Guidance Centre every Thursday, on physician referral.
• Campus Well-being Training for METU staff, 'Creating supportive spaces with a trauma-informed approach' (six hours over two days), delivered by a PDRM psychologist: 29–30 May 2025 for 16 administrative staff and 18–19 June 2025 for 14 academic staff.
• 28 November 2025: within the Academic Development Programme, a one-hour session on supporting students with emotional difficulties, which also introduced PDRM's services, for 28 academic staff.
• 12 and 15 December 2025: within the Administrative Personnel Development Programme, 'Coping with Stress' training (six hours over two days) for 30 administrative staff. In total, 88 staff took part in these well-being trainings in 2025, delivering Strategy 1 of the Strategic Plan's employee well-being objective: training programmes to maintain general well-being (METU PDRM, 2025 activity data).

https://srm.metu.edu.tr/tr/duyurular/2025-yili-srm-faaliyet-raporu