Student mental health is a relevant aspect of the current academic context due to concerns regarding escalating mental health issues and because of an increasingly holistic perspective on education, learning, and personal development. This research investigates the perceptions of teachers in higher education regarding their roles in promoting student mental health, explicitly focusing on teachers who hold a tutor position. After following a strict procedure, the Mentor-Q questionnaire was designed to measure respondents’ perceptions of their role. This questionnaire was administered online to all Dutch University of Applied Sciences teachers for the study; 180 teachers finished it. Results were discussed and validated using a member check (n = 10). Exploratory factor analysis identified four role perceptions: connector, awareness raiser, referrer, and guardian. While all teachers endorsed these roles, the three clusters that appeared in a latent class analysis varied in their agreement levels. No background variables were significantly related to the role perception profiles. It seems that supporting teachers in recognizing and maintaining boundaries in their role in student mental health is crucial. This study highlights the complexity of the teacher’s role in supporting the student’s mental health and has implications for aligning their responsibilities with higher education goals.

Student mental health is a challenging topic in higher education, with institutions aiming to develop policies and practices to support students’ personal and professional development. This study examined students’ expectations of their tutors regarding mental health support. An adaptation of the Mentor-Q questionnaire, focusing on tutor role perceptions, was used to measure student expectations. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit of the adapted instrument. The questionnaire was completed by 869 students at a Dutch university of applied sciences, and the results were discussed with eight students. The findings revealed four role expectations of tutors: awareness raisers, connectors, referrers, and guardians. Latent class analysis revealed six clusters, with connector and referrer roles as well as awareness raiser and guardian roles being almost equally important within the clusters. The main difference between the clusters was the height of expectations. Satisfaction with the tutor was significantly related to cluster membership, such that higher expectations correlated with lower satisfaction. Additionally, students who discussed their mental health with their tutors were more represented in clusters with relatively low expectations. Discussions with the students highlighted the nuanced landscape of expectations and the importance of contextual factors and metacommunications. Implications for policy and practical development are also discussed.