Studying at university can be challenging- you have deadlines to meet, revision that needs doing and quite often, you are also having to juggle these things alongside social commitments and day-to-day chores. It is not surprising that from time to time, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed.
For this reason, it is so important that you look after your mental health and wellbeing and make this a priority throughout the entire duration of your time here at Bishop Grosseteste university.
You may have previous experience with accessing mental health support, or this may be your first time. Regardless of your previous experiences, we understand it can be difficult to talk about how you are feeling. To make things a little easier for you, we want to provide a brief overview of some of the support available, so you are better informed about your options. Read through the information below.
Contacting Student Advice
Student Advice offers a confidential and non-judgmental space for you to discuss any of the challenges that you may be experiencing. As well as offering a listening ear, the Student Advice team will be able to advise you on the support available and help you to get this in place.
Appointments with our Student Advisers can be arranged using our online booking system.
The Student Advice team can also be contacted by:
- Visiting the centre based in The Cornerstone Building.
- Calling 01522 583600
- Emailing studentadvice@bishopg.ac.uk
Typical Student Advice office hours are:
- Monday- Thursday: 08:30am – 17:00pm
- Friday: 08:30am – 16:30pm
Appointments with our Mental Health Adviser
If you are experiencing any challenges with your mental health, you may find it helpful to speak to our Mental Health Adviser. Whether you just need a one-off chat, or you require ongoing support, our Mental Health Adviser is here to listen, offer confidential advice, and help to coordinate the necessary support for you- this may include referral to external services.
Our Mental Health Adviser can be contacted via the Student Advice team. If using the online booking system, please specify that you want to discuss your mental health.
Togetherall
Togetherall is an award-winning digital mental health service that offers 24/7 support with trained clinicians, as well as a range of helpful tools and resources. The service also offers anonymous peer and community support, moderated and facilitated by their trained clinicians. Togetherall is widely commissioned in the NHS, as well as by local authorities, employers, universities, and the Armed Forces.
BGU students can create a FREE account with Togetherall using their university email address.
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.
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.
Accessibility & Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)
If you are formally diagnosed with a mental health condition and you have shared this information with us, we will make every effort to introduce reasonable adjustments for you straight away. Once Student Advice have received medical evidence of your mental health diagnosis, you will be invited to speak with one of our Student Advisers, who, after discussion about your circumstances, will then create a personalised Support Agreement for you. With your consent, this will be shared with relevant members of staff across the wider university.
With a formal mental health diagnosis, you could be eligible for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) provides extra assistance for students who have an accessibility need and this is usually non-means tested. Our Student Advisers can support you with completing a DSA application.
For more information about BGU Support Agreements or DSA, please contact Student Advice.
Student in Crisis
If you or someone you know is in crisis and urgent support is needed, it is so important that you access the necessary help as soon as possible.
If you need to speak to someone urgently and it is within the Student Advice opening hours, our Mental Health Adviser or one of our Student Advisers will be available to talk with you.
- Present at Student Advice based in The Cornerstone Building.
- Call 01522 583600
- Email studentadvice@bishopg.ac.uk
It may be necessary to contact one or both emergency services:
- NHS- Call 111 (option 2 if related to Mental Health) for non-urgent medical concerns, or 999 for a medical emergency.
- Police- Call 101 for non-urgent matters, or 999 in the case of an emergency.
Here are some other support services that you can use in a mental health crisis:
- Samaritans- Talk to someone about how you are feeling. You can call freephone on 116 123
- Shout- Get 24/7 help from a team of Crisis Volunteers by texting 85258
- Lincolnshire’s Mental Health Helpline- If you’re feeling low, anxious or stressed and you think that talking to another person may help you cope you can call 0800 001 4331
- NHS Single Point of Access– Contact your local mental health care team on 0303 123 4000 or e-mail Lincs.spa@nhs.net and explain you need to speak with somebody about your mental wellbeing
- GP- Request an urgent appointment
- A&E- You can attend Lincoln County Hospital (or your closest hospital)
- Campus Security- If you are on the BGU campus, you can call the university Security Team on 0785 001 5713
You may also find it helpful to take a look at the following Student Advice leaflets:
Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources
Challenging Unhelpful Thoughts
Confidentiality
Student Advice’s services are delivered to students on a confidential basis, in line with our Confidentiality Policy. This means that any information that you disclose to the Student Advice team will be handled sensitively and will not be shared with anyone outside of the department unless there is evidence of significant risk to self or others.
Where there is evidence that a student is at significant risk to themselves or others, Student Advice will contact relevant parties in other departments (usually the Governance and Policy Office in the first instance) to keep them informed of the situation. Public authorities may also need to be contacted.
If you have any further questions about confidentiality, please get in touch with Student Advice.
Useful Links
Togetherall - Togetherall
Student Minds- Home (studentspace.org.uk)
Mind- Home - Mind
Papyrus - Papyrus UK Suicide Prevention | Prevention of Young Suicide (papyrus-uk.org)
Beat- The UK's Eating Disorder Charity - Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk)
We Are With You- Home - With You (wearewithyou.org.uk)
Stonewall- Stonewall
