What support is there if I’m struggling with my mental health? | UCBloggers

July 2023

Blog | What support is there if I’m struggling with my mental health?

By Melanie Hall

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University is a hugely exciting period in a young person’s life, the chance to make lifelong friends and experience real independence for the first time as you look forward to the day you stand proudly in your graduation gown.

However, for many reasons, students can find themselves struggling with their mental health along the way, which can affect study, but also the ability to have a positive university experience.

Having really good mental health support from your university is absolutely vital and you should never feel you’re alone in what you are going through. Student wellbeing is paramount to us and we provide a wide range of award-winning support services, from counselling to healthy lifestyle advice.

We’ve got your back

The thought of opening up to someone you don’t know about your mental health may seem scary, but it can help enormously. As they say, a problem shared is a problem halved and sharing your worries and concerns with our experienced counsellors or mental health and wellbeing advisers can help you overcome any environmental and personal stresses you may have.

Whether this is concerns about relationships, sexuality and gender, accommodation issues, homesickness or anything else, someone from our mental health and wellbeing service is available to talk to face-to-face and in confidence in term-time and over the holidays. We see many students with a range of wellbeing concerns every year, you are definitely not alone.

There for you 24/7

If anything is getting in the way of enjoying uni, you can access mental health support through our free helpline and student assistance service, which is available 24 hours, seven days a week, and gives you up to six free sessions of 1-1 British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) accredited counselling. You might be feeling anxious or isolated, experiencing low mood, thinking about harming yourself or need help with a diagnosed mental illness or disability. Whatever it is, help is on hand.

Improving your self-care

Becoming a university student often means major changes to your lifestyle. Socialising and lack of sleep, for example, can impact on your physical health, but also your mental health. We help many students improve their self-care, which is crucial throughout your time at uni - and in life. This might be improving your diet, doing more exercise or joining one of our wellness skills workshops or pet therapy sessions. The cost of living is also a worry for many young people and we have advisers to help you access financial support such as our hardship fund. Read our tips here.

Community mental health

If you want to access community mental health services in Birmingham, there are lots off campus. You can find them at Forward Thinking Birmingham, who support young people with a variety of needs and have a link-up with Pause, a drop-in service for anyone under 25 with a Birmingham GP. We have many links to external charities to further support our students, including Student Minds, who are great if you are struggling or worried about a family member.

Feeling at crisis point?

If you are in need of crisis support, but it’s not an emergency, you should go to your GP or visit NHS 111 online. If it is an emergency, call 999 or go to A&E. The nearest are Birmingham City, Queen Elizabeth and Heartlands hospitals.

If you aren’t sure what support you need, students can contact Student Services at s.services@ucb.ac.uk ext. 2220 or pop into The Link between 9am-4pm Monday-Thursday (9am-4pm Fridays).

Students can book an appointment with the mental health and wellbeing team and access the helpline through the online portal, and find information in our health and wellbeing booklet.