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Have you ever accessed mental health support services at University?

Poll

Have you ever accessed mental health support services at University?

Have you ever accessed mental health support services at University?

University Mental Health Day is on the 4th March, and we'd be interested to hear your experiences with accessing support services as a student.

Did you know where to go and who to speak to?

Did you find the advice and support given helpful?

How were the timescale from when you first met with them to you getting the treatment and advice you need/needed?

What was the follow up like?

Let us know your thoughts and experiences below :smile:
(edited 4 years ago)
Reply 1
ebic first

just started recently so can't give much of a comment
Did you know where to go and who to speak to?

At Oxford: not properly, no :s-smilie: I knew about welfare people within College, but had no knowledge of any uni-wide help other than the Counselling Service

At Goldsmiths and RHUL: yes, both times the disability office made contact as I ticked the box on the application form for mental health difficulties

Did you find the advice and support given helpful?

Oxford: :erm: I saw both the very best and the very worst of Oxford's "pastoral care" tbh :erm: The Counselling Service sadly fell into the latter :s-smilie:

Goldsmiths: My mental health mentor was probably one of the few reasons I actually came out of that place with a qualification. She was amazingly supportive and we got on well :yep:

RHUL: The disability office used to be absolutely fantastic about 4 years ago. For me, it peaked in 2016 before going quite a way downhill (in that these days, the staff keep changing rapidly, which is hugely disruptive for my care)

How were the timescale from when you first met with them to you getting the treatment and advice you need/needed?

Oxford: I was able to meet College welfare staff quite quickly, and then once I announced a potential psychosis diagnosis, other staff got involved very quickly too. So that was good :smile: That said, proper advice/signposting was lacking :s-smilie: The Counselling Service were fairly quick to respond but I think that's because I signed up during the summer holidays when few undergrads are around :colone:

Goldsmiths: It took a while to sort out my Disabled Students' Allowance but tbh that's because I was a huge hindrance and kept refusing to apply for it :facepalm:

RHUL: Was all fairly straightforward from what I remember


What was the follow up like?


Oxford: I did have a huge amount of contact time with two College welfare staff members, to be fair to them. The Counselling Service were only meant to see me 4 times maximum but the counsellor kept me on for a year

Goldsmiths: Mentoring every week for up to 50 weeks per academic year. I was very lucky that my mentor worked outside of term-time :love:

RHUL: I find the follow-up fine personally but I know that's not been everyone else's experience. I am generally quite proactive about getting my needs met, so I just badger people until they see me :ninja:
Reply 3
1) Yes but it was hidden and not very well publicised.

2) The counselling services - no, my programme support tutor got me through my 3rd year however, and I couldn't have done it with out her. I don't think they'll ever know how grateful I am for their support.

3) Timescales were fine, thankfully my university counselling service were pretty on it and again, programme support was there whenever I needed it.

4) Follow up services...didn't really exist.
UCL - more harm than good. Disgraceful behaviour, especially for a psychology department. To answer your questions:

1) nope. GP and CMHT were the ones to signpost me to uni MH services
2) as above, awful experience
3) no help so no timeline
4) follow up was just as bad as their 'intervention to stop me being a bad statistic'
Harper Adams, at least 5 years ago.

I spoke to my tutor about my ongoing depression and I was given the suggestion of taking a break from my course. I dropped out never to return.

1) No, it was not publicised or even talked about.
2) No, I was not able to access any help.
3) No help at all.
4) Never heard from the university ever again.

I would hope things are better now but I doubt it.
do you think we should be entitled to these type of services?
Reply 7
Original post by steamed-hams
do you think we should be entitled to these type of services?

I do personally. If we're paying £9,000 a year (roughly), student services including counselling are absolutely something we should expect.
I saw the counseling services like 5 times around November time in my first year and spoke to my personal tutor about how bad I was feeling. I then dropped out and was referred to EIT.
There was no mention of how to access mental health services at all when I was at Uni.
Original post by StrawberryDreams
Have you ever accessed mental health support services at University?

University Mental Health Day is on the 4th March, and we'd be interested to hear your experiences with accessing support services as a student.

Did you know where to go and who to speak to?

Did you find the advice and support given helpful?

How were the timescale from when you first met with them to you getting the treatment and advice you need/needed?

What was the follow up like?

Let us know your thoughts and experiences below :smile:

On the poll, you should really introduce the option of "I don't go to Uni" for those of us in lower education.
1. I can't remember if it was publicised or not, but I was made aware via my university disability support worker (who I worked with for the duration of my degree). She worked in the same department so it was relatively easy.
2. Yes.
3. I think it was about a week from presenting in the student support department to getting an assessment for counselling and then a couple more days before I started counselling.
4. I had extended sessions with the counsellor whilst my DSA was adjusted via a top-up assessment to include a specialist mental health mentor (second year). Around this time (latter half of second year and all of third year) I was also in contact with the local CMHT, and then I was transferred into the specialist trauma team there. I also intermittently followed up with my tutor and departmental disability liaison officer, particularly in my final year. Sorry if the time line is difficult to follow, it's hard to explain, basically I had a lot of support lol.

I can't fault them tbh, I would've failed had I not had that support considering everything that was going on for me. Granted though, I was already known to student support because of my physical disability so idk if that had any affect on how quickly I was seen, etc.
Yes it was horrible. He was islamophobic and threatened to report me because I had lived in the Middle East! 🤦🏻*♀️ I complained
I'm at Warwick and yes I've accessed the services a lot - the mental health team there literally saved my life. Here's a mammoth post about how amazing they've been and how I will always be so, so thankful to them...

I was aware of wellbeing services but wasn't sure exactly who to approach, I was also aware (or thought) they had weeks-long waiting lists. I went to my academic department's Senior Tutor/Director of Student Wellbeing and told him I was really struggling with mental illness (I was seriously depressed and getting so anxious I was struggling to leave my flat). He got me a same-day appointment (literally 90 minutes after I saw him) to go and see a well-being advisor. The advisor decided I was 'ill enough' to qualify to see one of the uni mental health co-ordinators and I got an appointment for the next day. These are full-time members of uni staff but all have a background as mental health nurses or mental health social workers (idk if this is the actual job? was a title similar to this - not sure exactly what).

My co-ordinator liaised with local NHS mental health services, made sure I was seen as a matter of urgency and that they kept me in their systems. He also did all the liaising with my academic department so I didn't have to worry about all that. At the time I was furious as I just wanted leaving alone but with hindsight, it is why I'm still around. When I took an overdose it was my co-ordinator who reaslied what I had done and that I was lying about being fine and called an ambulance. When I was sectioned my co-ordinator still stayed in regular contact with me and again liaised with my academic department to make sure I didn't have to do exams or essays in the summer. The fact that I had trained mental health nurses on campus that I was able to see regularly through wellbeing services was the main reason my appeal against my section was successful and I won discharge.

I saw the same co-ordinator at the uni every week for 3 months until the end of term. He helped me ensure that my exams were delayed to September sits and that I stayed in weekly contact with the local NHS crisis team. He also fed back to them what I was saying to him so if there was anything I was especially struggling to say to them or get my point across/heard, he'd help with it. If I was ever really struggling/bordering on a crisis again, I was always able to be seen in the uni by the co-ordinator the same day.

TL;DR: they could not do enough to help me and I am so, so grateful for them.

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