COUNSELLING SERVICE THIS IS AN INDUCTION PRESENTATION EXPLAINING

COUNSELLING SERVICE THIS IS AN INDUCTION PRESENTATION EXPLAINING ABOUT THE COUNSELLING SERVICE AND THE SUPPORT WE CAN OFFER. SUE LINE ONLY CONNECT MANAGER SEPTEMBER 2020

WELCOME TO LONDON • Firstly welcome to all students. • The transition of moving to University and in particular to live in London can vary for each student. • Some students cope well and settle down easily. • Others may take longer to settle down and may experience some issues that they find difficult. • The important thing is to know whatever your experience it can take time to adjust and should you experience any difficulties whilst you are studying we are here to support you.

TYPES OF ISSUES YOU MAY FACE WHEN TRYING TO SETTLE DOWN • Academic- you don’t like the course or you’re not coping with the work, you may be having a problem with your English. • Accommodation – you don’t like it, you feel lonely, you don’t like the people you are living with. • Financial – you are finding it expensive. • Homesick & Lonely- you’re missing home, finding it difficult to make friends, you’re feeling down or depressed and you’re worried about your family. • Cultural – you hate the weather here, the language is an issue, you hate the food. • London is too busy and noisy.

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER • Take your time to settle down. • Ask staff if you have any questions. • Understand we all adjust at different paces. • Try to keep a balance between studying and relaxation. • Understand that it is just as important to relax and have time out. • Don’t isolate yourself if you have a difficulty and make sure you ask for help.

IT IS AS IMPORTANT TO RELAX AS TO STUDY AND YOU NEED THIS TO HELP YOU SETTLE DOWN. • Ensure you do some form of relaxation every day. • Watch Netflix. • Running or walking or going to the gym. • Use these apps, either Calm or Headspace which give tips on reducing anxiety. • See friends. • Doing a hobby. • Talk to family. • Just remember that you will be able to study and focus better if you have a balance of studying and relaxation. • Meditation or yoga. • Listen to music

WHERE DO I GO TO GET HELP? • Should you be experiencing problems make sure you find out who to ask for help. • It may be your personal tutor or course leader. • It may be the support staff. • It could be a student on your course. • It could be a student in your flat. • It could be the student union. • It might help to see a Counsellor which is when we can offer help. • If it is a health issue you may need to see a GP so it is really important you are registered with a local GP where you live. • If it is a serious health issue you may need to go to the A & E department at your local hospital which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. • If it is a mental health crisis then you may need to contact the Single Point of Access on 0800 0234 650 and they can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

WHAT IS COUNSELLING? IS IT FOR ME? • Counselling offers the opportunity to talk confidentially to a professionally trained counsellor about any emotional or practical issue that might be worrying you while you are a student. • Talking about a problem often helps to better understand your emotional state of mind and to put your worries in context. • You will be offered a service by highly trained and experienced counsellors who have a vast experience of how your problems may impact on your learning at University. • Usually the sessions are face to face but they are currently online due to the pandemic.

COUNSELLING PROVISION • We are professionally qualified and accredited Counsellors with many years of experience of seeing students and are very aware of the challenges you face in Higher Education. • We offer a private, confidential space to come and talk to us about what may be worrying you. • We offer short term counselling and we will offer you an assessment and then up to a further 5 sessions. If you prefer less sessions then this can be discussed with your Counsellor in the assessment. • The service is free to you but is funded by your Institution and we do ask you to let us know if you can’t attend an appointment.

TYPES OF PROBLEMS FOR YOU TO COME TO SEE A COUNSELLOR • Struggling to settle down. • Feeling lonely and isolated. Feeling homesick • Struggling with relationships. • Struggling with addiction to alcohol or drugs. • Negative thoughts and lack of confidence. • Feeling depressed anxious, panic attacks. • Problems sleeping. • Feeling stressed. • Bullying. • Struggling on your course. • Gender identity. • Eating problems.

OTHER PROBLEMS • Sexuality • Abuse • Bereavement or loss. • Trauma • Sexual Assault. • Self-harm. • Suicidal thoughts. • These are some issues that students MAY face at times and I mention them to help you understand that should you be experiencing these issues you can contact the counselling service and ask for counselling support. If we feel you need specialist support then we may refer you to an external specialist agency.

IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS • Obviously there has been a significant impact on students with the Coronavirus pandemic. • Many students have become more isolated either living alone in accommodation or returning home and so they have put off dealing with issues that they have been struggling with. • We know that many students have been affected financially as well as there being an impact on their mental health. • We encourage you to seek help with the online counselling until we can offer face to face appointments and we urge you to contact us if you are struggling and not just leave it until it gets worse. We do understand that it may be difficult to ask for help but please do get in touch.

ACCESSING COUNSELLING • To access the counselling please email onlyconnect@westminster. ac. uk • We will send you a counselling registration form. • Please complete this and return it to us. • Once we have the form we will allocate you a Counsellor and send you the details of the day, the date and time of your appointment. • Whilst we are still in Lockdown sessions will be via Microsoft Teams, Zoom or on the phone. • We hope to return to the office in late January 2021 when we will offer face to face appointments. • From January 2021 you can call us on 0207 911 5000 ext 66899. • We aim to offer an appointment within a week but at times there may be a waiting list. We will let you know if this is the case.

WHERE IS THE OFFICE? • The office address is 35, Marylebone Road, London, NW 1 5 LS. It is on the University of Westminster Marylebone Campus but is at the side of the campus in Luxborough Street which is opposite Madame Tussauds. It is a stand alone building on the ground floor. • The nearest tube station is Baker Street which is a 2 -3 minute walk from the campus. There also many buses that go along the Marylebone Road. So the office is easily accessible once we reopen.