Counselling

What is counselling?

Counselling is a talking therapy which gives you the opportunity to explore issues which are causing you concern or distress. The Counselling Service can give you the space to find a new perspective on a problem or think about options for change. We won't tell you what to do but we will listen to you and help you find a way forward.

What will my counselling session be like?

Your counsellor will welcome you to the building, or to the online session - and once you're comfortable, you can start by telling them what has prompted you to arrange a session. If possible, we suggest that you identify in advance one main issue that you'd like to talk about in the session with your counsellor.

Your counsellor will listen to you, and maybe ask some questions - and working together, the two of you will try to make sense of how you've been feeling. Your counsellor may help you to come up with some practical ways to make a difference to your problem, if appropriate - or you might prefer to just talk and know that someone has really listened. What we want from counselling may vary, so it could be useful to identify this before your session.

How long will my counselling session last?

Each session lasts for 50 minutes and has definite start and end times (these will be in your booking email). If you arrive late, we still have to finish your session at the planned end time. If you arrive more than 20 minutes late, the session may be too short for any real therapeutic work to take place, and so your counsellor might advise you to book a session on another day instead.

What happens after my counselling appointment?

We encourage you to take some time to reflect on the work you and your counsellor have done together in your counselling session. There could be some ideas or techniques for you to put into practice, which might help you to better manage your issue. You may want to take some action regarding your situation (for example, speaking with your personal tutor, or contacting your GP). You might realise you're able to think about things differently, once a little time has passed.

If you decide you want to talk to someone again you are welcome to book another appointment, provided at least two weeks have passed since your last session.  

You can choose to see the same counsellor again, or you might like to book a session with another member of the counselling team. It's important that you felt you connected well with your counsellor - so if that didn't happen, please consider choosing another of our counsellors to speak with if you're planning to return.

How many appointments can I book?

We offer you one appointment at a time, which means you book an appointment when you need one. We don’t limit the number of sessions you can have, but we ask that you wait at least two weeks before making another booking to allow time to reflect on any learning or actions from your session.

Who are the counsellors?

We are a team of professionally trained and qualified counsellors. Between us, we have a range of different approaches, different training and different specialisms. All of us have a huge amount of experiences of working with a wide variety of clients, bringing all kinds of issues and difficulties. As a service, and as individual practitioners, we abide by the Ethical Framework outlined by the various professional bodies we are registered with (e.g. the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)).

Multilingual counselling

We can currently provide counselling in the following languages: Cantonese, Doric, English, Hindi, Malay, Mandarin, Polish, Singlish, Spanish and Urdu.

Couples' counselling

We can provide couples' counselling, and see you and your partner together, as long as you are both students or staff of the university. Please email counselling@abdn.ac.uk if you are interested in booking a couple’s session.

Comprehensive Resource Model/Deep Brain Reorientating

We are able to offer a limited number of CRM/DBR appointments. These sessions are body-based, focussing on the body’s reaction to distress, and have proven to be effective with traumatic experiences, severe anxieties and phobias. CRM and DBR sessions are 90 minutes and are delivered by our counsellor, Sha’yo Lai. Please email counselling@abdn.ac.uk if you are interested in booking one of these sessions with Sha’yo.

Counsellor Gender Preference

At the moment we only have female counsellors in our team, if it is important to you to see a counsellor of another gender, we can help with signposting to other services.

Cancellations

Please email us if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment: counselling@abdn.ac.uk. Please give us as much notice as you can so that we can offer your session to someone else.

If your counsellor needs to cancel your session, for example if they are unwell, we will email you to let you know as soon as possible and will look to reschedule your session.

Confidentiality

Counselling sessions are confidential. We work closely as a team and may consult with each other about your engagement with us so we can offer you the best possible support. This means the confidentiality loop covers the whole counselling team but, importantly, does not extend outside this team, without your consent or unless we have concerns about your wellbeing. The Counselling Service also works closely with the Student Advice and Support team, as well as the Specialist Mentoring team, and we may consult with them to ensure you are receiving the most appropriate support for your needs. 

Our professional body, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, requires all counsellors to have regular supervision with a qualified external supervisor. This may mean that the work between you and your counsellor may be discussed, in confidence, between your counsellor and their supervisor.

We do not pass any information to anyone else, including other University Departments, unless we have your permission to do so. This means we will not even confirm or deny your visit to a counsellor, without your consent.

However, rarely, there may be exceptional circumstances when the counsellor, or the Counselling Service, feels it is necessary to act without your permission, although we would seek to explain this with you first, if this was feasible or appropriate. At such times, the importance of preserving client trust and autonomy will be weighed against the importance of reducing the risk to you or to other people. 

The Counselling Service offers psycho-educational workshops to students and members of staff throughout the year. These are facilitated by experienced, qualified counsellors from the University Counselling Service. Details of upcoming workshops will be listed below. 

If you have any questions about our workshops, please email us: counselling@abdn.ac.uk.

Our appointment-based protocol means we have very limited scope to attend to any Crisis or Emergency.

If you are in Crisis or in an Emergency, please go to the Accident and Emergency Department of your local Hospital OR dial 999 and ask for an Ambulance.

Alternatively, please contact your GP Practice and ask for an Emergency Appointment.

When your GP Practice is closed, please telephone NHS 24 on 111. NHS out-of-hours

University of Aberdeen Student Helpline - available 24 hours a day and offers free-of-charge counselling by arrangement.

Helplines include:

• Prevent Suicide - App

• Samaritans Tel: 116 123 (freephone 24 hours) or Email: jo@samaritans.org (response time: 24 hours)

• SHOUT provides free, 24/7 crisis support across the UK. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and need support, you can text SHOUT to 85258

• HopeLine UK Tel: 0800 068 4141 or Text: 07786209697 or Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org (10am - 10pm weekdays; 2pm - 10pm weekends; 2pm - 10pm bank holidays)

• Breathing Space Tel: 0800 838587 (freephone Mon - Thurs 6pm - 2am & Fri 6pm - Mon 6am)

• Nightline Instant Messaging only (8pm - Midnight term time)

• Rape Crisis Grampian Tel: 01224 590932 (local number, Mon - Thurs 9am - 5pm)

• Rape Crisis Scotland Tel: 08088 010302 (freephone daily 6pm - midnight)

The Counselling Service Team

All our counsellors are professionally trained, attend external supervision and are bound by the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) July 2018.

Please read our University Counselling Service Scope of Practise document for further information. 

Student Support Manager (counselling)/Head of Service: Lucy Arnot

Counsellors:

• Ania Perlinski
• Felicity Dutton (term-time ~ MS Teams)
• Gaby Valecillos
• Gidget Wong (term-time ~ Cantonese & Mandarin speaking on MS Teams)
• Jacquie Simpson
• Namrata Labroo
• Rhona Gough
• Sha'yo Lai

How much does it cost?

The service is free of charge.

Confidentiality

Counselling sessions are confidential. We work closely as a team and may consult with each other about your engagement with us so we can offer you the best possible support. This means the confidentiality loop covers the whole counselling team but, importantly, does not extend outside this team, without your consent or unless we have concerns about your wellbeing. The Counselling Service also works closely with the Student Advice and Support team, as well as the Specialist Mentoring team, and we may consult with them to ensure you are receiving the most appropriate support for your needs. 

Our professional body, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, requires all counsellors to have regular supervision with a qualified external supervisor. This may mean that the work between you and your counsellor may be discussed, in confidence, between your counsellor and their supervisor.

We do not pass any information to anyone else, including other University Departments, unless we have your permission to do so. This means we will not even confirm or deny your visit to a counsellor, without your consent.

However, rarely, there may be exceptional circumstances when the counsellor, or the Counselling Service, feels it is necessary to act without your permission, although we would seek to explain this with you first, if this was feasible or appropriate. At such times, the importance of preserving client trust and autonomy will be weighed against the importance of reducing the risk to you or to other people.

Privacy Notice

The University Counselling Service privacy notice explains how the Counselling Service collects and uses personal information.

BACP Ethical Framework

All members of the University Counselling Service adhere to the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions established by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Feedback

The Counselling Service welcomes feedback.

In some instances, we can provide a letter for students who have attended the Counselling Service. Our letters are brief and will only confirm that a student has engaged with our service. We do not comment on issues discussed in counselling sessions nor do we confirm any medical diagnoses. Please email requests to counselling@abdn.ac.uk

Who should I speak to about my difficulties?

The Counselling Service always encourages you to get in touch with the appropriate Academic personnel as soon as difficulties are impacting on your studies; this may include Personal Tutors, Regents, Course Coordinators, Programme Coordinators, School Administrators. Making contact early allows for more potential flexibility and options regarding how best to resolve the situation.

What can the Counselling Service write in a letter and what is not possible?

We can verify the dates when you attended counselling and, if you are happy to do so, include the main presenting issue that you brought to counselling. But you are under no obligation to verify the nature or purpose of counselling - that is your choice.

We cannot make or confirm any medical diagnosis, which can only come from your GP, Doctor or other medical healthcare professional. As counselling is subjective, and based on what you discuss with your Counsellor, we cannot provide evidence of what you have or have not experienced. We can only refer to what you have told us.

Do I need to see a Counsellor?

We cannot provide a letter of support if you are not known to the Counselling Service. Counselling is rarely appropriate if you are only seeking a 'letter'. However, students often find counselling can help to explore options and coping resources. The fact that you are seeing a Counsellor does not necessarily mean your circumstances are unusually distressing or extreme.

How long does a letter take to write?

We aim to draft this for you within a week. However, at peak times it may take longer.

How do I receive my letter?

We will email you a draft copy for your approval. Once you have confirmed approval, we will email you a signed PDF copy. You may wish to upload the letter to 'My Aberdeen', as appropriate. For security reasons, we only email letters to your University email address.

Who will read the letter?

We email you the signed PDF copy so that you can choose who you want to receive the letter. Once we have sent you the PDF signed copy, the onus for distributing the letter rests with you. The Counselling Service is not responsible for who reads the letter after we have sent it to you or any consequences of so doing.

Can I request a letter more than once?

You can, but we will only write one letter per semester unless your circumstances have changed.

If you are looking for some support outwith the university, you will find a selection of external resources on the Mental Health webpage

We have a great variety of wellbeing resources & self help guides available here.