At her laptop

Counselling


Our Counselling team are here to support with you with your personal & emotional wellbeing

The Wellbeing: Counselling team are here to support you with your personal emotional and mental wellbeing with the aim of helping you achieve the best you can in your academic studies and social experiences.   If you find yourself having difficulties you may find it helpful to speak to one of our professionally trained counsellors.  We work to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions and we are a BACP accredited service

How to contact us & make an appointment 

Email our Counselling Co-ordinators Helen & Faiza to request an appointment.  You will need to complete a registration form, which only takes a few minutes, and then we can make an appointment for you.  Appointments can be arranged as either face to face or on MS Teams. Please let the team know your preference so this can be accommodated.  

A counselling session usually lasts 45-50 minutes.  You may find one session is sufficient for your needs, or you might decide to attend further appointments.  Counselling sessions are free of charge for students.

If a year of your studies takes place abroad or if you're not able to physically come in to see us, you can contact us for counselling support over email, MS Teams or Skype. To arrange this, please email the Counselling team.

What we do 

Emotional worries can get in the way of your studies and life in general.  We are open to all students and provide short term therapeutic intervention to support you in making the most of the academic, social and personal opportunities university life provides. Careful listening is the biggest part of what all counsellors do.  They make sure you've defined the problem areas in your own terms, and then help you work out what you want to do next. A counsellor will never tell you what you should do, or ever make a moral decision about what you should do about any situation. 

Our professionally trained counsellors help students from all backgrounds and cultures.  Our counsellors strive to be anti-racist and aim to be culturally aware, to identify gaps in knowledge and unconscious bias and commit to work on this through professional and personal development.  In addition to developing cultural competence our counsellors recognise the deep impact of racism on mental health.  We value and respect the diversity of our student population and seek to ensure that every student, from all backgrounds and cultures, feels welcomed and supported by our team.  The core team are also supported by a team of sessional counsellors who provide additional counselling sessions during peak times.  

One at a Time counselling 

The most frequent therapeutic approach offered by counselling is the 'One at a Time' (OATT) model.  Many universities have adopted this method as the most effective way to support students.  It enables us to see students at the point of need rather than operate a waiting list.  The counsellor will  facilitate students to move forward to a solution focussed goal.  This approach is based on the assumption that students have internal strengths and external resources available to them to address their problems.  The opinion that counselling should always be long term has been repeatedly challenged and research indicates that 70% - 80% of clients find that a single appointment is all they need.  This is not the only approach used by the team and for students requiring ongoing support further sessions will be offered.  

I'm in distress and need immediate help 

  • Get help with an emergency - details of services who can provide help in the event of a mental health crisis or significant emotional distress.  

  • This includes the Samaritans who can be reached on 116 123 or the Surrey Mental Health Crisis Line on 0800 915 4644.  Both are available 24/7.
  • For incidents on campus you can contact campus security on 01784 443888.  Security can mobilise emergency support or guidance from staff as required.