If you are trying to contact a counsellor on an urgent matter DO NOT EMAIL. Please telephone the Counselling Service on +61 2 6201 2351. By telephoning the Counselling Service you can make emergency appointments. The counselling telephone number also provides 'out of hours' emergency contact numbers. We want to help, but counsellors are not always in a position to read their emails promptly, so please telephone us. 

Introduction

The Counselling Service is a place where students can talk in private to professionally-trained counsellors about personal problems. These problems may be little niggly ones or large overwhelming ones. Students may come to counselling for help dealing with the stresses of study, or to just get something off their chests. They may want to talk about their families, their partners or how they feel about themselves. They may be struggling with something big like relationship breakups, depression, traumatic incidents or unusual thoughts. They may be mature-age students returning to study after a long time. Whatever the issue, a counsellor can help. Students can also be referred to other services for additional help if that is required.

The university counsellors appreciate the different needs of students coming from other cultures and backgrounds. There is an International Student Counsellor and a counsellor who takes a particular interest in residential students.

The UC Counselling Service is free for all students. All sessions are confidential. Staff may consult the Counselling Service for advice on student or University matters. Staff counselling is available off-campus through the Employee Assistance Scheme.

The UC Counselling Service is located in the UC Health and Counselling Centre on Level B in Building 1. 

Making an appointment

You can make an appointment of 50 mins duration at the reception desk, or by ringing the Health and Counselling Services on ph: 62012351 between 9:00am-5:00pm on weekdays. Only one appointment is given at a time.

Drop in appointments of 30 mins duration are also available most days. Drop in appointments cannot be booked ahead of time. For a drop in come to the reception desk or ring after 9:00am and you will be allocated a time that day. It is a first-in first-served system so you are advised to contact the reception desk as early as possible on that day.

Cost

Counselling services are free to all University of Canberra students.

Confidentiality

All counselling sessions are strictly confidential. No information about you, including the fact that you have visited the counselling service, will be released to anyone outside the service without your permission (except in the case of legal subpoena). Ethically, however, we are required to disclose information if that is necessary to protect you or someone else from imminent danger.

If we leave messages for you

Telephone messages (eg. about a change of appointment time) may be left for you on the number you have provided. In keeping with confidentiality the message will not mention the Counselling Service, and will usually be in the name of a member of the Health and Counselling Services reception staff.

If you prefer that messages be handled in a different way, please discuss this with your counsellor.

Emergencies

If your need is particularly urgent, arrangements can be made to offer you an emergency appointment. This appointment will be made for the same day if at all possible.

Emergency assistance can also be sought from the following 24-hour 7-day services:

LifeLine Ph: 131114

Mental Health Crisis Service Ph: 1800 629 354

Postponing or cancelling an appointment

If you cannot attend your appointment, please notify the reception staff as early as possible so that the timeslot can be used by someone else.

Contact with the counsellor between counselling sessions

Contact with your counsellor between sessions is limited, since counsellors are often fully booked for counselling during the working day. However, you can leave a message with the reception staff for your counsellor to ring, and the counsellor will get back to you as soon as possible. If you or your counsellor are concerned about your welfare after hours, your counsellor will give you telephone numbers so you can contact 24-hour crisis or emergency services.

Suggestions for improvements in our service

We welcome your suggestions about any ways in which our service can be improved. Sometimes there are constraints on implementing some ideas and suggestions but all feedback will be considered and valued.

Please feel free to talk to your counsellor, the senior counsellor, the Coordinator of Health and Counselling or other members of the Health and Counselling staff about your suggestions and advice.

Contact us

Dr Jenny Weekes
Director, Health and Counselling Service
University of Canberra, ACT, 2601,  AUSTRALIA

Phone: 02 62012351
Fax: 02 62012352
E-mail:  Jenny.Weekes@canberra.edu.au
Room:  Building 1, Level B, room 123
Australian Government Higher Education Registered Provider Number (CRICOS):  00212K
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