What the Wellbeing Service offers

We offer individual sessions, either face-to-face, online or via telephone counselling during your time at university.

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.

Major changes are an inevitable part of university life and may 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.

You are able to access the Wellbeing Service throughout your studies. If for any reason you need to re-sit part of your course, you are able to access the Wellbeing Service whilst you complete your studies.

We also offer regular mental health support:

• Practical strategies to support your mental health
• Liaising with academic departments
• Linking with other support available within the University
• Liaising with local services including doctors and mental health teams

If applicable, the Senior Wellbeing Practitioner will discuss the support you could receive through the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA).

We understand that getting in touch can sometimes feel difficult so we aim to make these conversations as comfortable as possible.

If you would like support, please complete the wellbeing registration form. Or feel free to contact us for a conversation about how we can best support you.

We are unable to provide supporting evidence of personal circumstances for students who do not already attend the Wellbeing Service.

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

• you are currently engaging with a Wellbeing Practitioner for support
• the Wellbeing Practitioner assesses that it is likely you have a mental health condition.

If you would like to make a request for reasonable adjustments, please make an appointment to discuss this with a Senior Wellbeing Practitioner. Please contact the Wellbeing Service to arrange an appointment.

Please note: usual waiting times for appointments apply and the Wellbeing Service cannot request reasonable adjustments for illness, injury, or bereavement.

If you have not met with anyone from the Wellbeing Service, you do not need supporting evidence from this service to request reasonable adjustments. You can contact the Disability Service directly by completing the Disability Service Online Enquiry Form. When completing the form, please include a description of your mental health condition and how it impacts you and your studies.

Triage appointment

A triage appointment is an initial assessment of your needs with one of our Senior Wellbeing Practitioners. The appointment will last 50 minutes and is an opportunity to talk about your current situation, set goals for yourself and plan what other support may be useful for you to access.

You will be invited to book a triage appointment after registering with the wellbeing service.

Follow up appointments

Follow up appointments can be made by calling us on +44 (0)117 328 6268. If you are unable to call, you can book via email at wellbeing@uwe.ac.uk, but as we are unable to hold appointments, this may take longer.

Waiting times

The waiting time for an appointment with the Wellbeing Service will vary depending on current demand. As the Wellbeing Service is an appointment-based service, we are unable to offer same day check in calls.

If you would prefer an appointment earlier than the one offered to you, you can also ask to be placed on our cancellation list for appointment cancellations.

If you would like to speak to someone sooner than your appointment with us, you can contact the Chaplaincy who can provide pastoral support, including a friendly listening ear. If you have an urgent welfare concern about yourself or another student, please contact the 24/7 Student Support and Triage team on +44 (0)117 328 4000.

Attendance policy

If you can't attend an appointment for any reason we ask for 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 book a second, 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.

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-related 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.