How we can help you

If you are experiencing emotional distress that is adversely impacting your life and studies, you may find counselling helpful. We offer therapeutic consultations, short-term counselling, self-help resources and workshops.

How can counselling help you?

• Our team of professional and experienced counsellors provide a space to explore your thoughts and feelings confidentially and without judgement. Talking to someone impartial can provide relief; the counsellor will not give you advice, but they will help to clarify your struggles and make connections between different aspects of your life. 

Issues brought to counselling

• Counselling can be useful for acknowledging a number of different issues, be it stress or anxiety, difficultly focusing on your studies, depression or low mood, difficulties within relationships, bereavement, sexual issues within relationships, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts. However, we also understand that you may just feel low but can’t be sure why. 

Initial consultation

• The experience of counselling will begin with an initial 50-minute consultation, where you will have the opportunity to talk through your difficulties and to consider the support that may be most appropriate for you. This may include directing you to relevant supportive resources, offering you short-term counselling, or a referral to specialist internal or external services. 
• Sometimes the initial consultation is all that is needed to help resolve immediate issues. Your counsellor may recommend longer term counselling and will support you in the interim, and help you locate suitable support.

Who we are

• Charlotte Williams, Counselling Service Manager
• Hanneke Kosterink, Counsellor/Supervisor
• Kristina Freris, Counsellor
• Jo Myddleton, Counsellor
• Thomas Samuels, Wellbeing Service Administrator
• Kathy McCready, Wellbeing Service Administrator
• Alex Allsopp, Wellbeing Service Administrator
• Samia Premjee, Sarah Jones and Rebecca Robertson, Associate Counsellors 
• Gail Simmonds, Counselling Supervisor
• Miranda Alcock, Managerial Supervisor and Organisational Consultant 
• Maria Papanastassiou, Consultant Psychiatrist

Staff credentials

• Each of our counsellors and supervisors are accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) or an equivalent professional body
• Each counsellor undertakes regular supervision with an experienced clinical supervisor. This takes place in line with the BACP Ethical Framework and our Confidentiality Policy. The counsellors have access to and meet regularly with an experienced consultant psychiatrist and can make referrals, with a student's agreement, to the psychiatrist for an assessment.

Documentation for Associate Counsellors

• Associate Counsellors Placement Scheme
• Associate Counsellor Person Specification
• Associate Counsellor Placement Agreement

Confidentiality

We are here to help you. As part of this, we comply with strict confidentiality guidelines - see our Confidentiality Policy for more information.