Wellbeing Service

You will need to book an initial triage appointment with the Wellbeing Service before you can access further support. A triage appointment takes 30 minutes and helps to make sure we get you to the right support at the right time.

Appointments are held over Microsoft Teams or telephone. If you have accessibility needs and can only attend an appointment in person, please contact us. 

If you would like to speak to someone sooner. you can now use the Wisdom app, which offers live chat and video calls with counsellors.

How to book your triage appointment

Book your wellbeing triage appointment via Infohub. 

1. Go to the Appointments tab 
2. Select the Wellbeing Service appointment topic
3. Look for an available wellbeing triage appointment. 

Let us know in the comments box if you have any accessibility requirements. Please contact us if you have any questions.

What to expect at your triage appointment

A typical triage appointment will ask you about mental health symptoms, risk and daily functioning to understand how you are impacted by what’s going on for you.

We will ask you lots of questions and might signpost you to other university or local support services depending on what you need. We understand that getting in touch can sometimes feel difficult, so we aim to make these conversations as comfortable as possible.

Following a triage appointment, you may access counselling. Appointments are offered as individual sessions in person, online or via telephone.

You might see a counsellor to understand why you’re struggling to contribute in lectures and where that low self esteem comes from. We focus on exploring your experiences to gain insight and understand patterns so you can do something about them.

Major changes are an inevitable part of university life and can come at a time when the familiar support networks of home, family and friends may be less accessible. Student counselling can help you as you adjust to these changes.

We can help you with:

• Adjusting to university life
• Feeling lonely or unsure about friends
• Feeling stressed, anxious, depressed or experiencing panic
• Coming to terms with bereavement or difficult things in the past
• Troubles with eating, self-harm or feeling suicidal
• Difficulties with confidence or low self esteem
• Problems in relationships with family, friends or partners.

You cannot access counselling from the Wellbeing Service if you are already receiving counselling from another provider, voluntary agency/service or private counsellor. These sessions must have ended before counselling sessions can begin with the Wellbeing Service. 

You may be referred for mental health support if you are having significant difficulties that are impacting your ability to function on a day-to-day basis.

Mental health practitioners deliver therapeutic interventions within focused and structured sessions to help you develop skills and strategies for managing your mental health at university.

Mental health practitioners can support you to develop your own safety plans to help manage things like intrusive thoughts and self-harming behaviours.

This support could also include:

• Developing a goal-focused Wellbeing Action Plan tailored to changes you want to make to support your mental health and wellbeing
• Psychoeducation around specific mental health conditions
• Referring or signposting to other university and external services
• Liaising with your department or other university services
• Safety planning and working positively with risk
• Supporting you to effectively manage your short- or long-term mental health needs.

If you require reasonable adjustments or extension to deadline, in the first instance please see your assessment support options.

You will find information about how to apply either via the Disability Service online enquiry form or via the Student Support Advice Team depending on your individual circumstances. 

The Wellbeing Service are unable to provide supporting evidence of personal circumstances if you do not already attend the Wellbeing Service.

The Wellbeing Service can only request that reasonable adjustments are put in place on your behalf if:

• you are currently engaging with a wellbeing practitioner for counselling or mental health support, and
• the wellbeing practitioner assesses that it is likely you have a mental health condition.

Usual waiting times for appointments apply. The Wellbeing Service cannot request reasonable adjustments for illness, injury or bereavement. 

The waiting time for an appointment with the Wellbeing Service varies depending on demand. During peak times you should expect to wait approximately four weeks.

If you would like to speak to someone sooner than your appointment with us, there is other wellbeing support available.

• Speak with a trained counsellor any time, day or night via our Health Assured Student Helpline: tel: +44 (0)800 028 3766.
• Chaplaincy can provide pastoral support, including a friendly listening ear. 
• If you have an urgent welfare concern about yourself or another student, follow the information at emergency and crisis support. 

If you can't attend an appointment for any reason, please cancel your appointment online via InfoHub or contact us with at least 24 hours’ notice so that we can offer the time to another student who needs our support.

If you miss an appointment or cancel with short notice and wish to re-book, our Administration Team will discuss this with you.

If you miss or cancel this second appointment with short notice, you will be asked to book an attendance appointment to discuss your needs.

Please read the Wellbeing Service privacy statement (PDF) for full guidance on how your information is stored and shared.  

You can also find information about how to Access your records.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

We are not able to offer:

• deadline extensions
• neurodivergence assessments or screenings
• reasonable adjustments.

Get in touch with a Student Support Adviser for any academic concerns.

If you have queries about neurodivergence and want to find out what support is available, contact the Access and Learning Strategies Team.

If you would like to apply for reasonable adjustments, contact the Disability Support Team.