The Project Wellness Guide to University

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JECTWELLNESSPR

The Wellness Guide


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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.

[email protected]


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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.

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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

Documents

The Project Wellness Guide to University