FAQs

After we’ve assessed your registration we can then work with you to decide the next best steps for internal or external support, no matter the nature of your problem. However we are not a crisis service – if you’re in a crisis please contact your GP or access crisis services.

We help students with personal, emotional, and psychological concerns through ongoing counselling and psychiatric support.  We do not offer diagnoses of any conditions.  All our counsellors and psychiatrists are accredited by recognised professional bodies. 

Extenuating Circumstances letters can only be provided for students who are already engaged with ongoing counselling or psychiatric support. If you are not engaging with SPCS, please contact your GP to provide the evidence you need.

Our department is not involved with providing SoRAs. To obtain a SoRA you need to visit DMHW.

We need this information should we need to contact your GP for additional support. If you’d like to know more about our data sharing policy, you can find out more here. 

Your information will stay private and confidential, and we will not discuss anything about you outside of Student Support & Wellbeing (SSW), except in exceptional circumstances to ensure safety. If you’d like to know more about our data sharing policy, you can find out more here. 

Our first contact with you will be confirmation of your registration. All students are triaged within 24 hours of registering with SPCS and subsequently, you will receive an initial consultation offer. 

The initial consultation is to ascertain your needs and then find the best support route for you. If we have any concerns upon reading your registration form, we will contact you by phone, email and/or text.

Our waiting time for an initial consultation is two to three weeks. This can sometimes rise in times of high demand on the service.

Please allow about 10–20 minutes to complete the registration form.  As well as providing personal contact details, you’ll also be asked to provide some other information which is needed for SPCS to understand your needs as much as possible and respond in a way that is most helpful for you.

You can start the form and come back to it later if you’re unable to fill it out in one go - just don’t close the tab it is on, or you will have to start again.

SPCS does not run a drop in as we are an appointment only service, You will need to register first in order to get an appointment. 

Whether you see a psychiatrist or a counsellor, SPCS does not give diagnoses.

Students can access the service for up to 6 counselling sessions or for psychiatric support once every academic year. This is to ensure all students are able to access our service.

Students can request a preference for their therapist on their registration form, e.g. BAME, male or female. We might not be able to fulfil your request, and this may mean a longer waiting time, but we aim to meet requests as much as possible. 

In the rare event that you feel that the therapeutic relationship between you and your counsellor is not working for you, then please get in touch with us. We can discuss this with you.