Wellbeing Advice

What is wellbeing advice?

Wellbeing advice offers students a confidential space in which they can explore issues that are impacting their mental health, wellbeing and academic performance. While wellbeing advice is NOT counselling, student wellbeing advisers are able to talk about:

• Student life e.g. transitioning to university, housing, independent studying
• Academic issues e.g. procrastination, perfectionism, imposter syndrome
• Lifestyle issues e.g. sleep hygiene, daily routines, physical activity, food & diet, drugs & alcohol, social media
• Emotional issues e.g. anxiety, depression, grief, loneliness, coping strategies
• Relationships e.g. family, sex and relationships, estrangement
• Managing moderate suicidal ideation and self-harm (please note we are not a crisis service)

Where appropriate wellbeing adviser can or may signpost or refer to relevant internal and external services such as:

• Counselling
• Welfare
• SAHA
• DDS
• Housing
• Student Support Officers
• Library
• Careers

We may make a referral to counselling if we feel this support would be beneficial to you and if you meet the eligibility criteria.

What to expect

Appointments can take place either in person (Mile End campus) or online.

In your first SWA appointment, there will be an opportunity to discuss your wellbeing goals. Your adviser may ask questions relating to your current lifestyle, mental health and wellbeing. We may ask questions relating to your askQM enquiry.

At the end of the first session, we will discuss next steps and agree on a plan for wellbeing support moving forward (if it is appropriate), the date of the next session, the number of sessions and the frequency.

Book an appointment

For confidential Wellbeing Support (Counselling, Mental Health Advice and Wellbeing Advice), please log an enquiry via AskQM. 

• Log into AskQM, click on the Home tab at the top of the page followed by the ‘new enquiry button’. Select Counselling as the enquiry category then select from the drop down list Self-Refer for Wellbeing Support (Advice and Counselling) as your subcategory. You can then proceed to answer the questions. 

Attend a drop-in appointment 

Our advisors offer drop-in sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 2pm each week. These do not require booking in advance and are accessible by visiting the Advice and Counselling Reception Desk during opening hours.

Students can expect to speak to a Student Wellbeing Adviser for up to an hour during a Drop-In slot and ask questions about how to access support, or what might be the right type of support for them. 

*Subject to Drop-In availability on the day. 

Group work

Student Wellbeing Advisers run groups throughout the year. Some groups we have organised include the Procrastination Bootcamp, Men’s Mental Health Walking Group, Peer Support for Sexual Violence, ADHD Support Group, Global Café, Physical Activity planning etc.

More information about our groups can be found here.

Other Projects

Student wellbeing advisers also collaborate with the Queen Mary Student Union to help run Study Well which provides workshops and guidance to support your academic life and wellbeing: https://www.qmsu.org/studywell/

We deliver bespoke presentations to the academic schools about managing mental health whilst studying and how to access support services.

We provide activities and advice for supporting your mental and physical health to promote Mental Health Awareness Week and the annual Wellbeing Fair. We also take part in university open days to share information about what our service provides.