Mechanisms, Challenges, and Practical Pathways for the Integration of Mental Health Education and Ideological-Political Education in Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

Against the background of the mission of promoting virtue in higher education institutions in the future, the holistic integration of
mental health education and ideological and political education has been a key source of opportunities for more comprehensive educational
success. Inspired by whole person education theory, the paper proposes a "dual-wheel drive, four-dimensional coordination" integration model
from a perspective of structural issues in practice, including institutional fragmentation, insufficient faculty expertise, disparate courses and
low attendance by students, and in some cases for actionable initiatives like establishing institutional coordination programs, sharing teacher
capacities, developing integrated pedagogical techniques, and leveraging digital empowerment. Motivated by surveys and case studies, the
work provides practical solutions to the persistent "two separate tracks" problem, which in turn contributes to a distinctly Chinese "integration
of psychological and moral education" structure, and is both theoretically and informally helpful in developing a high-quality political education at universities.