Seeking support can feel daunting and we’re pleased you’re considering counselling. Read this article before registering as it explains how our short-term counselling service works, what you can expect and how to make the most of your appointments.
Many students find that brief counselling helps them feel better, develop new perspectives and build practical ways of managing difficulties. However, some needs are better supported by a specialist or longer-term service. If this applies to you, we will help you identify more suitable support.
Our approach
The Counselling & Mental Health Support Service provides short-term therapeutic support to help students navigate challenges that may be affecting their wellbeing and ability to engage with university life and study.
Many students find that counselling helps them gain clarity, develop coping strategies and feel more confident in managing difficulties such as:
Stress and pressure
Anxiety and worry
Low mood
Relationship difficulties
Adjustment to university life
Life events and transitions
Our aim is to offer timely, focused support that helps students move forward positively.
Will everyone who registers be offered a counselling appointment?
Registering does not always lead to a counselling appointment.
We review each registration carefully so that we can direct you to the support that best matches your current needs. As we provide brief, focused counselling, we may recommend a different or specialist service instead. For example, you may:
Decide you no longer wish to access counselling
Be waiting for therapy or receiving support from a different service
Be taking a break from their studies or be dormant
Be better suited to a different type of support or specialist service
Where counselling with the Counselling & Mental Health Support Service may not be the right fit, we will provide information about alternative sources of support wherever possible.
How many appointments can I have?
An episode of counselling consists of up to five sessions. The number offered is based on your needs and is agreed with your counsellor; it is not an automatic allocation of five sessions.
You may find that one or two sessions are enough to work towards your goals, while others may benefit from more sessions within the same episode. You and your counsellor will agree how often to meet, based on your individual circumstances.
Please also keep the following in mind:
If you need further support after an episode of counselling, a longer-term service may be more appropriate than brief counselling.
We normally recommend no more than one episode of counselling in each academic year.
If you have completed two episodes of counselling during your studies and would like further support, we will help you find an external service that may be better placed to offer ongoing counselling.
If you have completed therapy with another service during the same academic year, we normally recommend waiting at least six months before starting counselling with us. This gives you time to reflect on and put into practice what you learned.
Thinking about your goals
Because counselling is short-term and focused, it can be helpful to think about what you would like to achieve before your first appointment.
You might consider:
What is the main issue bringing you to counselling?
What would you like to feel different by the end of counselling?
What small, realistic changes would make the biggest difference?
Short-term, achievable goals often work particularly well in brief counselling.
If you can't attend your first appointment
We understand that circumstances can change and that it is not always possible to attend an appointment that has been arranged.
If you can't attend your initial appointment and would still like counselling, you may ask for another opportunity to attend an initial appointment.
Because demand is high, we prioritise students who have not yet been offered an initial appointment. You may therefore wait longer for another initial appointment.
How can I request another initial appointment?
Another initial appointment is not arranged automatically.
If you miss or cancel your first appointment and would still like support, please let us know when we invite you to contact us.
We will close your registration if we do not hear from you within five working days of that invitation.
This approach allows us to make the best use of available appointments while ensuring that students who wish to continue engaging with counselling can do so.
What happens if I can't attend the rearranged initial appointment?
If you also miss or cancel the rearranged initial appointment, we will close your registration.
You will be welcome to register again the next time registration opens, provided you are still eligible for university counselling.
If you are studying on a one-year programme, graduating soon, or are no longer eligible for university counselling, you may still be able to access free NHS talking therapy. You can find your local NHS Talking Therapies service through the NHS website.
We will also provide information about alternative counselling and wellbeing support services that may be helpful.
Our counselling service is in very high demand, and we want to make sure that as many students as possible can access support when they need it.
Around 18% of students offered a first appointment don't attend and don't let us know in advance. Every missed appointment is time that could have been offered to another student who is waiting for support.
If you can't attend, please let us know as soon as possible. This helps us offer the appointment to another student and make the best use of our available counselling capacity.
We also encourage students to prioritise their counselling appointments wherever possible. Looking after your wellbeing is an important part of your success at university.
If attending counselling means missing a lecture, seminar or other teaching activity, we can provide a letter confirming that you attended an appointment. This may help you balance your study and wellbeing commitments. Read our cancellation and attendance policy for more information.
When might specialist support be more appropriate?
Our counselling service provides brief, focused support. We consider your current needs, the level of risk and the type and length of support that is likely to help you when deciding whether our service is suitable.
You may need more specialised or longer-term treatment than we can provide. This may be the case when your current needs include:
Complex trauma requiring specialist or longer-term treatment
A mental health condition for which specialist psychological treatment is recommended
Alcohol, drug or other addiction-related difficulties that require specialist support
Eating disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) requiring specialist treatment
Psychosis
Frequent or ongoing self-harm
Persistent suicidal thoughts or significant risk concerns
If another service is better placed to meet your current needs, we will help you identify appropriate specialist or longer-term support.
This does not minimise your experience or mean that you can't seek help. It's about connecting you with the type and level of support most likely to benefit you.
Getting the most out of online counselling
If your appointment takes place online, please help us create a safe and supportive environment by:
Joining from a private space where you feel able to speak freely and cannot easily be overheard
Using a stable internet connection where possible
Keeping your camera on where possible, as seeing each other can support communication and safety. Please speak to us if you need an adjustment for accessibility, cultural or personal reasons
Being open and honest about the issues you would like support with
These actions can help you and your counsellor create a safe, focused and supportive online space.
Asking for help takes courage. Whether counselling consists of one session or several, our goal is to provide a welcoming, supportive and non-judgemental space where you can explore what matters most to you.
If counselling is not the best fit for your current needs, we will do our best to help you identify other sources of support so that you are not facing challenges alone. Our priority is always to help you find the right support, at the right time, for your individual circumstances.
