the project wellness guide to university
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JECTWELLNESSPR
The Wellness Guide
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PR JECTWELLNESS
Taking care of your health and wellbeing is very important, but this isnt
always easy whilst away at university. Project Wellness is here to offer
someone to talk to about any problems or stresses, no matter how small, as
we are students who have been in similar positions ourselves. We are here to
support you and help you access any other support you might need during
your time at UCL.
It is so important to remember that your studies and grades do not define
your self-worth! They are one aspect of your life and do not reflect your
other talents or your personality.
The Project WellnessGuide toUniversity
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ContentsStress 5
Topic Page
GP Registration 6
Project Wellness 7Drop-in
UCL Psychological
9
Services
Personal Tutor
Seeing a GP
Student Disability
Services
Disabled StudentsAllowance
Adapting Your Studies
to Suit Your Needs
Talking to Academic
Staff about Wellbeing
Issues
8
10
11
12
13
15
Anxiety 16
Warnings Signs in 16Yourself
Panic 17
Depression 19
Warnings Signs in 19Yourself
Mental Health & University
When Stress becomes aProblem
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ContentsTopic Page
If Youre Worried About 22Someone
Suicidal Thoughts 24
If Someone You Know
is Suicidal
25
And Finally... 26
Useful Contact Details 27
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StressEveryone feels stressed at some point. Everyone.
Whether it be a stranger in the street, a friend, family
member, colleague or someone senior to you, everybody,
at some point, feels stressed. Its normal.
What isnt normal is to feel persistently stressed for a long
timeand for it to have a negative impact on your daily life.
If the stress you are feeling is having a significant,
negative impact on your daily life or wellbeing you dont
have to suffer in silence and we strongly advise that you
dont!
There are a lot of support services available to students
struggling with wellbeing issues and we hope that this
guide will encourage you to explorethe services availableto you.
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GPRegistration
To access the Gower Street Practice services
Registering with a GP will speed upthe process of getting medical help. For
most students studying at UCL, this would be the Gower Place Practice, but
if you dont live in the required area you may have to find another GP close
to where you live.
Not all local GP surgeries will be open for accepting new patients but
you can use the NHSFind a GP Servicesearch tool (http://
www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/GP/LocationSearch/4) to
double-check local surgeries prior to your enquiries.
As GP surgeries in more residential areas tend to be busier, please also be
aware that appointments may be scarce.
To register with Gower Place Practice you can go directly to the surgery
on the Second Floor of 3 Gower Place (between the George Farha
caf and the Gordon Street caf,opposite the Wellcome Trust).
1
Ask at Reception for theregistration form. This form will ask you things
like your height, weight, address, alcohol consumption, pre-existing
conditions, etc. Following registration, you will then be able to make
appointments at the surgery over the phone or in-person. However,
you can expect to have to make these around 3 weeks in advance.
2
Alternatively you can attend the walk-in from 9:30-10:30 and 14:30-
15:30, Monday to Friday. To attend the walk-in its best to turn up at
reception half an hour early. You can then ask to see a specific doctor or
nurse, but you will probably be seen sooner if you ask to see a nurse.
3
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Mental Health & University
If you have a problem that you dont want to
discuss with a friend or member of staff at UCL, then please feel
free to come to the ProjectWellnessDrop-in. This is a service
run by UCL Biological Sciences students for UCL Biological Sciences
students, which is completelyconfidential.
help!
UCLProjectWellness
UCLProjWellness
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UCL StudentPsychologicalServices
During the initial consultation you will be asked to
elaborate on your problems and asked about how you
hope to benefit from psychological/emotionalhelp.
If you want to or feel the need to discuss the problems
you are facing in detail with a trainedprofessional
then you may want to register with the UCL
PsychologicalServices.
To register, you have to fill-in an onlineformthat asks questions such as
the nature of your problems, how long they have affected you and whether
you have sought help for them before.
To register...Accessible via:
www.ucl.ac.uk/student-psychological-services/
register
After this you can expect to wait a fewweeksbefore
being offered an initial consultation with a
member of the UCL Psychological Services staff.
After this you may be offered short-term counselling, a place in a
personaldevelopmentworkshop, an appointment with a psychiatrist
or be referred to an externalservice.
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PersonalTutor
You may want to consider talking to your personal tutor
about the difficulties you are facing as they may be able to
advise youabout or help you access support services.
You can tell them as much or as little as you feelcomfortable with. But the more they know, the more
appropriate the help that they can give you will be.
Your personal tutor should be able to help you with things
such as re-negotiating deadlines, applying for
extenuating circumstances and directing you to
appropriate support services. If you are struggling to receive
help from your personal tutor, dont forget that you can
always talk to the Head of Teaching, Dr.NikManiatis.
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Seeing a GPIf you feel that your wellbeing is suffering or
declining you may want to talk to a doctorabout
it. If your problems are non-urgent then you
may want to make an appointment with
Gower Place Practiceor attend their walk-inservice. A doctor may be able to:
1. Assess you for depression, anxietyor other mental health conditions
2. Prescribe you medication, if necessary and if you feel this would be
necessary
3. Refer you to the UCL Psychological Services
4. Refer you to NHS Mental Health Services5. Discuss other options for treatment/supportwith you
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Examples of support available are:
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Student Disability ServicesIf you have been diagnosed with a mental health conditionby a doctor then
you may want to register with the student disability services at UCL. To do
this you can make an appointment(RoomG16, SouthWing) or attend
their drop-infrom 2-4pmon Mondaysand Wednesdaysin the
StudentSupportCentre.
To register with the service you need to bring recentmedicalevidence, such as
a doctorsletterdetailing your difficulty or condition, after which you will be
given a simple form to fill in. You may then be invited to attend an appointment
with a member of staff to discuss the support available to you and which (if any) of
these you would like to pursue.
Help applying for specialexamarrangements
Advice on accessing localpsychiatricand psychological services
Liaising with StudentAccommodationabout requirements relating to your
condition
Academic mental health mentors
Access to the SEnITSuite(IT workroom for students with disabilities andlong-term health conditions)
Help with an application for the DisabledStudentsAllowance
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If you qualify for finance from Student Finance
Englandand live with a mental healthconditionyoumay be eligible for the Disabled Students
Allowance. This is a grant from the government, that
you dont have to repay, to fund extra costs incurred as a
result of a long-term health term condition.
Specialist equipment e.g. computers or
software to assist your learning
Non-medical helpers
Travel costs relating to your disability
Other disability-related costs
To apply for the DSA you have to submitrecent medical
evidence detailing your disability or health condition along with a
form found on the Disabled Students Allowance sectionon the gov.uk
website. After this, if found eligible for DSA, you will have to attend a Study
NeedsAssessment, where you will discuss the difficulties you face as a result
of your condition or disability and the support available to you
that you would like to receive.
www.gov.uk/
disabled-students-
allowances-dsas/
overview
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Adapting Your StudiesTo
Suit Your Needs
If you suffer from an acute episode of physical/mental ill health or serious
personal problems it may be possible to apply for extenuating
circumstancesif you are able to provide evidence, e.g. a doctors note.
To do this, you should submit an extenuatingcircumstancesformwhich
can be found on the Student Well-being and Extenuating
Circumstances Moodle page under useful documents and forms. The
completed form should be submitted to the Faculty Office
([email protected]) along with the relevant evidence/
documentation.
You should do this as soon as you are able to
- ideally this should be a week before the
assessment, deadline or exam occurring, but
the form can be submitted up to one week
afterwards.
Dont worry if you find the
process confusing, there is
lots of helpavailable to you.
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In some circumstances it may be in your best interests to
withdraw from some/all of your exams or interrupt your
studies (withdraw from all university assessment before resuming/repeating your studies
next year).
These options would need to be considered by the Head of Teaching, Dr. Nik
Maniatis, and you may have to attend a meeting with him and Dr. Hazel Smith
(FacultyTutor) in order to discuss your reasons for withdrawing. Your personal tutor
and the Teaching Office will be able to liaise with the Head of Teaching.
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Talking to AcademicStaff
It can be very intimidating to consider talking to a member of
staff about wellbeing issues, but it is sometimes necessary.
For example, if you need help filling in an extenuating
circumstances form.
Youare in control of howmuchinformationyou disclose,
but staff may be moreunderstanding if you describe the
natureand severityof the problems you are facing.
If you are unhappywith the way a member of
staff responds to you, then you may want to
consider talking to your personal tutor or the
Headof Teaching, Dr.NikManiatis.
If you would like to be accompanied to a meeting
with academic staff, you are perfectly welcome to ask
someone from Project Wellness. Although we will not
speak for you, we would be happy to providemoral
support.
PR JECTWELLNESS
about WellbeingIssues
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WhenStressBecomes a Problem
you believe you are suffering from an
nxiety disorder then you may want to talk to
doctor about it in order to receive
reatment or access to psychological
herapies. www.mind.org.uk
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A panic attack is when you suddenly feel overwhelmed by
physicaland psychological symptomsof anxiety that
usually last between 5-20 minutes. They can be scary, overwhelming and all
consuming. Below is a list of symptomsto help you identify if you, or someone
you know, is having a panic attack.
www.mind.org.uk
Pounding heartbeat
Feeling faint
Sweating or hot flushes
Nausea (feeling sick) and/or vomiting
Chest pains
Feeling unable to breathe
Shaky limbs, or feeling like your legs are turning to
jelly
Feeling like youre not connected to your body
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Losing control
Going to faint
Having a heart attack
Going to die
During a Panic Attackyou mayfeel like you are:
For information on self-care during a panic
attack or when you feel anxious we
recommend the Mind webpage on anxiety
and NHSchoicesas good starting points.
What is essential though is to not
punish yourself for feeling anxious.
Nobody chooses to feel bad so
you need to be kind to and care
for yourself.
www.mind.org.uk
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in yourself
Feeling Low mood for much of the time, every day Restless and agitated Being easily tearful
Feeling numb, empty and full of despair
Feeling isolated and unable torelate to other people
Being unusually irritable or impatient
Finding little or no pleasure in life or things you usually enjoy
Feeling helpless
Losing interest in sex
Feeling like things are dreamlike or unreal
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Having difficulty sleeping
Sleeping much more than usual
Feeling persistently tired and having no energy
Loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss
Eating a lot more than usual and unintentionally putting onweight
Having physical aches and pains with no obvious physical
cause
Moving very slowly
Using more tobacco, alcohol or other drugs than usual
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If Youre Worried aboutSomeone
You might notice the following symptoms of
depressionin friends or housemates:
Withdrawal from social interaction Avoiding contact with friends or family and becoming isolated
Loss of interest in activities they previously enjoyed
Changes in their sleeping patterns and lack of energy
Changes in their eating behaviour
Persistent low mood and/or irritability
Evidence of self-harm
Low confidence or self-esteem
Increased tobacco, alcohol or drug use
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Stay in contact by messaging, calling or visiting
them - those with depression often find leaving the house
difficult which can contribute to their feelings of isolation
Keep including them in social events, even if you
expect them to decline invitations
Reassurethem that they cannot help being depressed
Encourage them to look after themselves by eating
well, exercising and trying to establish a sleep
routine
Depression and anxiety can cause a person to feel like a
burdenand increasingly isolatedfrom those around them. You
dont need to do a lot to support someone living with either of
these conditions the most important things are to show a
person that you careand only make promises that you can
keep.
Just let them know that you are there if they need youand
that you careabout them.
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Suicidal Thoughts
If you are thinking about killing yourself or actively planning a suicide attempt
then you are having suicidal thoughts. Even if you are not at immediate risk
of attempting suicide but are instead running through plansin your head
or picturing yourself attempting suicide you are still having suicidal
thoughts.
Suicidal thoughts are not healthy, they are
not normal and not everyone experiences
them. If you are having suicidal thoughts
then you should do at least one of the
following:
Tell someone you trust
Call the Samaritanson 08457 90 90 90any time of the day or night
Go to, or call (999), your nearest Accident and Emergency (A E)
department and tell the staff how you are feeling
Call NHS 111 (non-emergency number) See your GPas soon as possible
Suicidal thoughts can be complicated, confusingand scary. You may
not know why you feel suicidal or be completely sure that you do
want to die. We strongly recommend that you seekhelpifyouare having suicidal thoughts. You are important, you
deserve help and you deserve to live.
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And Finally...
We hope you never need any of the help described in this guide
but if you do, we hope you now know how to access it.
If you ever need any help, ple se dont hesit te to sk for it. We
all want you to succeed and believe that you can.
Lots of love from the Project WellnessTeam!
Deborah, Ellie and Sylvia
University can be brilliant but also incredibly stressful. Its notjust about academic achievement but also taking your first
steps into the adult world, which we know is sometimes far
from easy. We hope that this guide gives you some
information about the help available to you to enable you to
thrive while at UCL. Above all, the most important thing toremember is that you got to UCL as a result of YOUR
efforts because YOU ARE BRILLIANT!! You dont have to
accept feeling high levels of stress as inevitable because
there is help available.
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ContactUseful
Details
Project WellnessEmail: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/UCLProjectWellnessTwitter: www.twitter.com/UCLProjWellnessDrop-in: 1pm-2pm every Monday, Foster Court B24 and B25
Biological Sciences Teaching Office
Email: [email protected]: Medawar G10Telephone: 0207 679 1330
Biological Sciences Bsc/MSci
Name: Dr. Nikolas Maniatis
Email: [email protected]: 020 7679 3360
Head of Teaching
Life Sciences Faculty Tutor
Name: Dr. Hazel Smith
Email: [email protected]: 0207 679 0882
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UCL Student Psychological ServicesWebsite:www.ucl.ac.uk/student-psychological-services/index
Address: 3 Taviton St, London WC1H 0BTRegistration Form:www.ucl.ac.uk/sps/scsreg/register/Enquiries: [email protected]
UCL Support Services DirectoryWebsite: www.ucl.ac.uk/current-students/support
Email: [email protected]
UCL Students for StudentsPeer Support Group across all of UCL
Website (inc. list of meeting dates):
Facebook: www.facebook.com/UCLUMentalHealth
home
Telephone: 020 7679 1487Information for Staff Concerned about Students:www.ucl.ac.uk/student-psychological-services/staff/#worry
UCL Student Disability ServicesWebsite: www.ucl.ac.uk/disabilityDrop-in: Mondays and Wednesdays 2pm-4pm held in
Student Support Centre at the Institute of Education,
Address: Room G16, South WingTelephone: 020 7679 0100
Bedford Way (level 4, opposite the Core A lifts)
uclu.org/whats-on/meetings/students-for-students-peer-support-
group-meeting
Meeting Location: Room 40, 425 Gordon Street (Fourth Floor)
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UCL Student MindsSupport Group for students affected by Eating Disorders
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/studentmindsucl
Nightline
Website: nightline.org.uk/
Telephone: 0207 631 0101Email: [email protected] Phone: londonnightlineSkype Chat: chat.nightline
Listening and support service for London students, 6pm - 8am,term-time only
Text: 07717 989 900
Walk-in Surgery Times: 9:30-10:30am, 2:30pm-3:30pm,
Gower Place Practice SurgeryWebsite: www.gowerplacepractice.nhs.uk/Registration Form: gowerplacepractice.nhs.uk/website/
F83043/files/Local%20Resident%
Address: 3 Gower Place, London, WC1E 6BNOpening Times: 9am-5:30pm, Monday-Friday
202015%20form14.7.2015.pdf
Monday-FridayEmail: [email protected]: 020 7679 2543, 020 7387 6306
BeatInformation and support for those with Eating Disorders
Website: http://www.b-eat.co.uk/Helpline: 0345 634 1414
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NHSNon-Emergency Number: 111 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year)Website: http://www.nhs.uk/Pages/HomePage.aspx
Samaritans
Phone: 08457 90 90 90Website: www.samaritans.org/Email: [email protected] (Central London Samaritans Branch):
Branch Telephone: 020 7734 2800 (9am to 9pm, no
24-hour Listening Service
appointment necessary)
Emergency Number: 999
Disabled Students Allowance
Website: www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowances-dsas/overview
46 Marshall Street, London, W1F 9BF
CALM
Phone: 0800 585 8585Phone (London only): 0808 802 5858 (5pm-midnight,
Website: thecalmzone.net/2011/12/calm-london/
Helpline for Men at risk of Suicide, or wishing to talk to
CALM 1)
someone (also available to anyone)
everyday)
Webchat Service: Available through CALM website (5pm-midnight, everyday)
London Text Service: 07537 404717 (start first message with
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Mind
Website: www.mind.org.uk/Legal advice email: [email protected]: [email protected] Line (about Mental Health Problems & Help Available)
Information and support for those with Mental Health Issues
Number: 0300 123 3393 (9am - 6pm, Monday-Friday)
British Association for Counselling and
Website: www.itsgoodtotalk.org.uk/therapists/
Psychotherapy
Email: [email protected]: 86463
Searchable Directory of Private, BACP-accredited Therapists
Royal College of Psychiatrists
Website: www.rcpsych.ac.uk/expertadvice.aspx
Information about Mental Health Problems and Support Available