Wellbeing Service

UWE offers two key support services for student mental health and wellbeing. This outlines the differences between the Student Assistance Programme and the UWE Wellbeing Service, helping you choose the right support.

Student Assistance Programme (SAP)

The Student Assistance Programme offers flexible, accessible, and immediate support. It’s ideal for students who need out-of-hours help, multilingual support, or prefer digital or off-campus options.

Availability: 24/7, 365 days a year.

Access methods: App, live chat, video call,  or telephone.

Languages: Over 240 via Language Line, BSL, and Integrated Relay for deaf or speech-impaired users.

App features: Customisable language, font, size, colour, and personalised newsfeed based on preferences.

Face-to-face counselling:

• Off-campus (within five miles of Frenchay and Bower Ashton).
• Available seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm.
• Up to six sessions per issue each year.
• Counsellor matching: Students are matched with a counsellor based on their preferences and needs.
• First appointment is usually within five working days of triage.

UWE Wellbeing Service

UWE’s in-house Wellbeing Service provides professional mental health support from qualified counsellors and mental health practitioners. This service is ideal for students who prefer face-to-face support on campus and want to engage in structured, short-term counselling.

Location: Frenchay, Bower Ashton, or Glenside Campus.

Access: Through triage appointment.

Sessions: Up to six sessions per year.

Wait time: Usually within two weeks. 

Wait time for structured support: Up to four weeks after triage.

Availability: Weekdays during university hours.

Support type: In-person counselling and mental health support.

Once you have decided that UWE support is right for you, you can book an initial triage appointment. A triage appointment takes 30 minutes through Microsoft Teams. You can also contact us to request a face-to-face appointment.

The practitioner will explore your needs and make sure you get the right support. This may involve referring you to UWE counselling or mental health support.

How to book your triage appointment

1. Select 'Enter Student Services'.
2. Go to 'Get Wellbeing Support'.
3. Search for your preferred date and find a Triage Appointment.

 Following a triage appointment, you may be referred for UWE counselling.

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.

Major changes are part of university life and come at a time when the support networks of home, family and friends are less accessible. Student counselling can help 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.

Your appointments will be:

• Up to six 45 minute sessions, booked over a maximum of 12 weeks, either weekly or fortnightly.
• Taking place within office hours, Monday to Friday, throughout the year.
• On campus at Frenchay, Bower Ashton or Glenside.
• Can be over Microsoft Teams or telephone.

You cannot access counselling if you are already receiving counselling elsewhere.

UWE counsellors are registered with a professional counselling body and adhere to strict professional and ethical guidelines of conduct and practice. They use an integrative approach; your counsellor will use a variety of therapeutic models and integrate them based on what you bring to the session and what is agreed together. All counsellors will endeavour to support you in a non-judgemental way.

You may be referred for mental health support if you are having 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.

After your triage appointment

• If counselling or mental health support is appropriate, you will be placed on the waiting list.
• The waiting list is managed by our admin team, who match students with available counsellors.
• When a space becomes available, the admin team will phone you to offer an appointment. If you do not answer, they will email you instead.
• If you do not book within three days of the email, your place on the waiting list may be removed until you contact us.

Appointment wait times

• Students are usually allocated in order of who has waited the longest, though we also consider campus preference and need.
• If you have been waiting for one month, you will receive a 'waiting list update' email from us.

Managing appointments

• At your first counselling or mental health appointment, your practitioner will book your next appointment straight away.
• You can also book appointments yourself through InfoHub.

Book through InfoHub:

1. Log into InfoHub
2. Select ‘Enter Student Services’
3. Select ‘Get Wellbeing Support’
4. In the ‘Advisor’ box, find the name of your practitioner. They all begin with ‘Wellbeing Practitioner’.

Cancel through InfoHub:

1. Log into InfoHub
2. Select ‘Enter Student Services’
3. Select ‘Appointments’
4. Select ‘My Upcoming Appointments’
5. Select the appointment and cancel

If you have any issues using InfoHub, please contact us:

Email: wellbeing@uwe.ac.uk
Telephone: 01173 286268

Attendance policy

Our appointments are limited, and we want to make sure they’re available for those who need them. If you can’t attend, please give at least 24 hours’ notice and rebook within three working days.

Cancelled with more than 24 hours’ notice

• This will not count as one of your sessions.
• You can continue counselling if you rebook within three working days. If you don’t rebook, we’ll assume you no longer wish to continue. You can ask to be added back to the waiting list.
• A third cancelled appointment, even with notice, will end your counselling.
  You can ask to be added back to the waiting list.

Cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice

• This will count as one of your sessions.
• You can continue counselling if you rebook within three working days. If you don’t rebook, we’ll assume you no longer wish to continue. You can ask to be added back to the waiting list.
• A second late cancellation will end your counselling. You can ask to be added back to the waiting list.

Missed with no notice

• If you miss an appointment without notice, your counselling will end.
  You can ask to be added back to the waiting list.

After counselling or mental health support

• After your final appointment, you must wait 12 weeks before you can be considered for further support.
• If your support ends early due to absence or cancellations, you will receive a closure email from your practitioner.
• If you would like to return to counselling or mental health support, please email wellbeing@uwe.ac.uk.

Changing your practitioner 

If you'd like to change who you see for counselling or mental health support, please email wellbeing@uwe.ac.uk.

Support while you wait

Access immediate support through the Student Assistance Programme.

If you require reasonable adjustments or extension to deadline, please check your assessment support options.

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

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.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Deadline extensions

For any academic concerns, get in touch with a Student Support Adviser.

Neurodivergence assessments or screenings

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

Reasonable Adjustments

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