What is Counselling?
Counselling is a form of Talking Therapy. Talking therapy services are often recommended as treatment for a range of different mental health challenges.
Counsellors generally do not give advice, their role is to help you focus on and understand more clearly, the issues that trouble you. This process involves offering support, understanding, listening, and responding in a non-critical, non-judgmental way. Counselling can help you to make decisions and changes that are right for you.
Accessing Counselling
An independent and confidential counselling service is available via Student Advice at BGU. The counselling service is free and available to all BGU students, both full-time and part-time.
You can access counselling support by speaking to a member of the Student Advice team. Generally, we will encourage you to arrange an appointment with our Mental Health Adviser so that you can discuss how appropriate counselling is for you. This also helps us to ensure that all possible university-based support is put in place for you.
You can arrange an appointment with our Mental Health Adviser using our online booking system.
You can contact Student Advice by calling 01522 583600 or sending us an email- studentadvice@bishopg.ac.uk.
If you decide to go ahead with accessing counselling support, the Student Advice team will refer you onto ‘Park Practise’, an independent counselling service. With your consent, we will pass on your preferred contact details so your assigned counsellor can contact you directly to arrange your first session.
Students can access up to 7 sessions (inclusive of an initial assessment with your assigned counsellor) each academic year.
If you would prefer to not go through the university for counselling support, you may want to consider the free NHS talking therapy service, Steps2Change.
To access a copy of our ‘Counselling’ information leaflet, please click here.