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Counselling and mental health
Our Counselling & Mental Health team provide mental wellbeing support and individual counselling services to help you manage any challenges that you might face while you study with us.
We're still here
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 situation, we want to reassure you that you're still able to access our Counselling & Mental Health services. However, we are making changes to the way these services are offered, in alignment with government guidelines and to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
Our Drop-in Service has now changed to a Call Back service, offering you the chance for a one-time virtual consultation with a member of the Counselling & Mental Health team. Know more about this service and find the Request Form here.
If you are NOT registered with a GP, you can easily register online at The Uni Doctor.
How we can help
Coming to university can be an exciting and rewarding time. It is also a time of change which can be stressful and a range of difficulties and dilemmas may arise that can affect your life and studies. Talking to a trained professional can help.
The Counselling & Mental Health team is made up of counsellors, psychological therapists and mental health advisors (experienced mental health professionals).
We offer:
- One-to-one counselling/psychological therapy
- Mental health support and casework
- Group workshops, addressing such issues as starting university, stress management, overcoming procrastination and psychological blocks to study
- Referral to other services where appropriate
Contact us
Email: cmh@mdx.ac.uk
Tel: 020 8411 5366
Contact our Disability & Dyslexia Service if you are managing a longer-term mental health condition
How to get support
To access these services, you will need to refer yourself to the Counselling & Mental Health Service by completing the confidential form.
Please give as much availability as possible so that a suitable appointment can be arranged for you.
Once we receive your referral, we will offer you an initial assessment via email. Please check your junk/spam folder if you have not received this email.
The initial assessment will provide an opportunity to explore your reasons for contacting the service, and help build up a clearer picture. The practitioner who is meeting with you for the initial assessment will then discuss next steps with you.
For some students using our service, one or two sessions are all that is needed. For others, up to six sessions, in addition to the initial assessment, allow issues to be explored in greater depth. Sometimes a referral to another internal service or an external organisation is appropriate but this will be discussed with you and will be your choice.
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Counselling and therapy FAQs
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How long am I seen for?
This will depend on the issue you are bringing. After an initial assessment appointment you are offered up to 6 sessions but you may feel you need less than that. If you need ongoing support, your counsellor/psychological therapist will explore other sources of support and will refer you if necessary.
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I know what is wrong, so what good will talking do?
Knowing what is wrong is a very useful start to dealing with a problem, but may not always bring about the change you would like. Talking with a trained professional can provide a different perspective and help you gain greater understanding of yourself and the difficulties you are facing.
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Will anyone need to know that I am coming?
The service is confidential and we do not inform anyone of your attendance unless you want us to. We adhere to a professional Ethical Framework that guides our practice and, except in exceptional circumstances whatever you discuss remains confidential to you and your counsellor/psychological therapist (see Confidentiality page).
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How much does it cost?
The service is a part of the Student Support team and is free to all who are registered at the University.
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What do I do if I have a friend I think needs help?
It can be very hard to know how to help someone you know who is in difficulty. You may be left feeling concerned, unsure and even frustrated as to how to help. If you are worried, it can help to get a different perspective, by talking through your concerns with a friend, tutor, counsellor/psychological therapist or the Student Mental Health Advisor to clarify what are the best ways to help.
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Are members of the Counselling and Mental Health team professionally qualified?
All core Counselling & Mental Health staff members employed by the University are qualified and belong to professional bodies. All initial assessment appointments are carried out by one our core team.
We also have some psychological therapists in training offering 1:1 sessions, whose work is supervised by core team members. -
Will they tell me what to do?
On the whole it is not the role of a counsellor or psychological therapist to give you advice.
Their skills are primarily to help you explore and understand the issues affecting you and to facilitate you trusting and drawing upon your own wisdom and resources to overcome difficulties. It is a process that involves careful listening and consideration of what is being discussed. While your counsellor/psychological therapist will not tell you what to do, s/he may offer her/his thoughts and where appropriate offer relevant information. -
What kind of problems can I talk to a counsellor/Psychological therapist about?
There are no rigid rules about this. If something is troubling you it can be worth spending some time thinking about why this may be happening. There are however a number of issues that frequently come up, for example:
- Relationship difficulties: family and friends, colleagues, commitment, jealousy, abusive and/or violent relationships
Family issues: partners, children, parenting, separation and divorce, homesickness
Lack of confidence: fear of 'failing', not feeling good enough, feeling judged
Depression: feeling isolated, lonely, empty, tearful, unloved
Self-harming behaviour and addictions: self-harm, alcohol and drug use
Exam, assessment & study stress: feeling out of control, panic attacks, feeling inadequate
Bereavement: feelings of loss, anger, loneliness, sadness and depression
You can also see one of our practitioners for a 'one off' session to help you decide whether or not it is something you wish to pursue. One of our counsellor/psychological therapists can also direct you to other services that may be useful to you.
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Will it go on my academic records that I have seen someone?
No. All information recorded by your counsellor/psychological therapist remains within the Counselling & Mental Health team. Any statistical data the service collates or is required to provide for monitoring purposes is recorded anonymously.
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Self-help resources
We offer a number of support resources for you to access at any point during your student journey at MDX.
Fika
Fika is an evidence based mental fitness app which is inspired by Scandinavian culture and draws on scientific evidence from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Mindfulness and Positive Psychology to build emotional fitness.
Download on the App Store or Google Play to access short and snappy 5 minute workouts to improve your confidence, motivation, positivity, employability, focus, sleep and to decrease stress. Use your MDX email address to unlock all premium features and content for free.
Togetherall
As an MDX student you have free access to Togetherall; a well-established online platform that gives you the opportunity to connect emotionally and anonymously with others, in a safe forum with 24/7 moderation by trained professionals.
Accessible any time of the day or night, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, Togetherall has a range of resources and programmes to enable you to express yourself in any way you choose.
Wellbeing webinar series
We run a series of webinars to support you with overcoming procrastination, isolation, anxiety and mindfulness.
First-year wellbeing webinar - What makes it hard to ask for help?
This webinar will give you the opportunity to hear about some of the common concerns for new students and how you can get access to help.
Postgraduate Research Degree webinars
We’ve created a series of webinars specifically designed for those currently on a Postgraduate Research Degree.
For full details, please see our Research Training and Development page.
Confidentiality
All of the help and support we offer remains confidential within the Counselling & Mental Health Team. This means we do not disclose verbal or written information about you to others without your consent. Details of your contact with the service are not recorded on your medical or student records, unless you ask us to do so.
There are rare instances when we are unable to maintain total confidentiality. In such circumstances, we would aim to discuss with you first our reasons for considering an extension of confidentiality to include relevant others. Examples of this would be:
- A member of the Counselling & Mental Health Team has good reason to believe that you or others may be at risk of serious imminent harm. The practitioner may also have reason to believe that you are not in a position to take responsibility for your actions
- A member of the team would be liable to civil or criminal court procedures if relevant information was not disclosed.
In such circumstances, additional information is kept to a minimum and only disclosed to relevant others on a 'need to know' basis.
Counselling/Psychological Therapy and the Data Protection Act
Counsellors and psychological therapists keep brief notes that might include background information. All such notes are confidential and are only accessible by the team.
Under the Data Protection Act, you have the right to access your records. If you wish to do so for any reason you should discuss this with the practitioner working with you. Where information from a third party is included, this cannot be disclosed without prior consent from that individual.
Records and notes are kept by the service for a period of 6 years before being destroyed. This is in line with the advice of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy to retain notes only for as long as reasonably necessary.
Services standards
Clinicians within our service are held accountable by the regulatory body that monitors them, including the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
We have ethical frameworks for good practice which guide our clinical interventions, maintain standards of practice and inform and protect members of the public seeking and using services.
Get in touch
Our Counselling & Mental Health team are based in Sunny Hill House which you can access via Greyhound Hill or through the Williams Building car park.
Use the postcode NW4 4JS on Google Maps to find us.
Postal address
Sunny Hill House
Middlesex University
The Burroughs
London
NW4 4BT
