Madhani, Alyssa2025-09-112025-09-112025-09-112025-09-05https://hdl.handle.net/10012/22377Introduction: International students face numerous challenges when accessing mental health and social support services while studying abroad. These challenges are often compounded by cultural transitions, systemic barriers, academic pressure, and unfamiliar institutional environments. This thesis explores how international students in the Waterloo region experience and navigate access to mental health and social services, as well as how service providers perceive and respond to these needs. Methods: This study employed a qualitative thematic narrative design to capture the lived experiences of international students and the insights of institutional service providers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 14 international students and 3 service providers affiliated with local postsecondary institutions. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM), the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, and Ecological Systems Theory. Results: Through an inductive coding process, I identified six key themes from the data: Cultural Adaptation, Mental Health Access, Academic Pressure, Financial Constraints, Professional Growth and Community Building, and Institutional Roles and Service Gaps. These themes were organized into two overarching domains—Student Experiences and Institutional Responses—which revealed both alignment and divergence between international students lived experiences and service providers’ institutional perspectives. Common barriers included long wait times, cultural mismatch, financial burden, and difficulties navigating institutional systems. Students emphasized emotional impact and interpersonal disconnect, while providers often focused on structural limitations and programmatic efforts. Conclusion: Findings highlight the complex interplay between personal, cultural, and institutional factors shaping international students' access to mental health and social services. Addressing these issues requires multi-level interventions that prioritize cultural responsiveness, institutional transparency, and proactive support. This study contributes to a growing body of research advocating for equity-oriented improvements in international student support infrastructure across postsecondary contexts.enMaster Thesis