Integrating Faith and Psychological Support: A Holistic Response to Mental Health Challenges among University Students at Bugema University

Mental health challenges among university students have become a major concern in African higher education, including in faith-based institutions. Students at Bugema University in Uganda negotiate academic pressure, financial constraints, social transitions, family expectations, and spiritual responsibilities that may affect psychological well-being. Yet, as in many religious institutions, professional psychological services may be underutilized because of stigma, limited awareness, cultural interpretations of mental illness, and the tendency to treat distress primarily through spiritual means. This article examines how professional psychological care and faith-based support can be integrated into a holistic model for addressing student mental health at Bugema University. Grounded in Seventh-day Adventist educational philosophy, which emphasizes the balanced development of mind, body, and spirit, the article employs a qualitative literature-review methodology with thematic analysis. The review synthesizes scholarship on student mental health, mental health in Sub-Saharan Africa and Uganda, Adventist holistic education, and integrative models of psychological and spiritual care. The paper argues that neither clinical nor spiritual interventions should function in isolation. Instead, Bugema University can strengthen student well-being through coordinated collaboration between counseling professionals and chaplaincy services, structured referral systems, mental health literacy programs, confidentiality safeguards, and institutional policies that normalize help-seeking. The article concludes by proposing a contextualized integrative framework that may guide Bugema University and similar Adventist universities in Africa toward a more comprehensive, ethically responsible, and faith-sensitive response to student mental health.