Mental health and wellbeing

The Mental Health & Wellbeing Team is here to support every LSBU student. We offer a safe, inclusive and confidential space where you can talk openly about how you're feeling, celebrate what's going well, and explore any challenges that may be affecting your wellbeing or studies.

We're here to help you understand your options, access the right support and develop strategies to manage challenges, so you can feel confident, stay well and succeed in your studies.

Come and speak to us if you’re experiencing personal, emotional or social difficulties, especially if they’re affecting your studies. You don’t need to wait until things feel overwhelming.

We can support you if you’re experiencing things like:

Stress
Worry, anxiety or panic
Difficulties in relationships (with friends, family, partners or children)
Feeling low, unhappy or struggling with your mood
Loneliness or isolation
Bereavement or grief
Life challenges such as housing, money stress, or being affected by crime
Loss of interest or enjoyment in things you usually like
Low motivation or difficulty getting started with tasks
Experiencing things others don’t (such as seeing or hearing things)
Intense or rapidly changing emotions

If you are having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please seek immediate support and call 999 immediately. The Mental Health and Wellbeing team would also like to support you, but may not be able to respond to you straight away in an emergency. See more resources.

We particularly encourage you to speak with us if you have an existing mental health diagnosis (such as anxiety, depression, personality disorder, eating disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia).

Mental Health and Wellbeing Appointments

Because every student is different, the support we offer is tailored to your individual needs.

We’ll work with you to understand what you’re experiencing and agree on the most helpful next steps. This might include:

A confidential conversation with a Mental Health & Wellbeing Advisor
Creating a personalised support plan
Self-help resources and tools you can use at your own pace
Help accessing counselling services
Working with other university teams to support your studies
Referrals or communication with external services, such as your GP or NHS mental health services
Signposting to relevant specialist organisations and support services

You can arrange a Mental Health and Wellbeing appointment using MyAccount to discuss what support you need. Read more about this in our FAQs.

Check-in and Chat Appointments

Check-in and Chat appointments are shorter, 30-minute sessions that provide a relaxed, informal space for you to discuss any personal concerns, voice particular queries or request support for concerns that may not require a full hour.

These appointments can also be booked using MyAccount. Read more about this type of appointment.

Mental Health Mentoring

Is your mental health impacting on your ability to engage fully in university life and successful study? If so, you may benefit from our Mental Health Mentoring sessions.

Mental Health Mentoring will provide you with a safe, non- judgmental, confidential and collaborative space to explore the ways in which your mental health may create barriers to your learning and academic achievement. Your mentor will support you to identify relevant goals, develop coping strategies and greater confidence in managing your mental health. Read more about what this mentoring involves.

You can meet with a member of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Team who will discuss your eligibility and begin the referral process if mentoring is identified as a suitable support for you.

Find out how to book an appointment.

Find out more information about disability support.

If there is an emergency and you or someone else is at risk of immediate harm, do not hesitate to call 999.

If you are on an LSBU campus, you can also contact the security team on 020 7815 6666 or via the Safezone app. The security staff are all Mental Health First Aid Trained.

If it is not an emergency but you need to speak to someone immediately, please use one of the recommended support lines below.

CALM - Campaign Against Living Miserably – Charity that is dedicated to the prevention of young male suicide. Helpline number 0800 58 58 58 (5pm-midnight every day)
NHS 111 - Call 111 for health advice, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Papyrus - Prevention of Young Suicide – Confidential help and advice to young people and anyone worried about a young person. HOPEline number0800 068 41 41 (open 10am-10pm Monday to Friday and 2pm-10pm on weekends) or email pat@papyrus-uk.org
The Samaritans - Confidential support if you are in a crisis, despairing or feeling suicidal. Call free on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Mind - More resources and ways of receiving help in a mental health crisis

We want you to feel as prepared as possible to start your studies at LSBU, including knowing what support is available and helping us understand how best to support you.

Our Senior Mental Health Coordinator offers pre-entry appointments for applicants who may benefit from additional support when preparing to start university.

This includes applicants who:

Have a diagnosed mental health condition, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychosis, a personality disorder, an eating disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Are currently receiving, or have recently received, support from specialist mental health services, including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), or a private mental health provider
Have spent time in hospital because of their mental health
Have current or previous experiences of self-harm or suicidal thoughts and behaviours
Have previously withdrawn from higher education due to mental health difficulties
Are receiving support from Social Services or another Local Authority service
Have significant health conditions, disabilities, or learning differences that affect their mental wellbeing

These appointments provide an opportunity to discuss any support needs before you start at LSBU and help ensure you have the right support in place from the beginning of your studies. Please email us at studentwellbeing@lsbu.ac.uk or call the Student Life Centre on 02078156454 to request a pre-entry appointment.

If you're not sure if you would benefit from a pre-entry appointment, please still get in touch and share a bit of information with us about what's going on for you - we can help you understand the best next step for you.

How to Get Support from the MHWB Team

Current LSBU students can send us an enquiry or book an appointment with a Mental Health Advisor via MyAccount. Appointments are available in person, via telephone or online. For more information, see What happens in a Mental Health and Wellbeing appointment?

How to book an appointment in MyAccount.

Check out these further Mental health and wellbeing FAQs to find information about specific concerns that you may have.

Rescheduling or Cancelling Your Appointment

Once you have made an appointment, if you need to check or amend the details, including rescheduling, you can find these under the 'MY SUPPORT' tab on the MyAccount homepage.

If you cannot make the appointment, please cancel this through MyAccount. We are a busy service, and this can free up space for those that need the appointment.

Waiting for Your Appointment

Before your appointment, we'll send you a short pre-registration form. Please complete this in advance- it helps us understand your needs and make sure you receive the most appropriate support.

If you have concerns about your safety, including thoughts of suicide, self-harm, or any safeguarding issues, please let us know. We have a duty advisor available each working day to ensure concerns are responded to promptly and appropriately. See here for more help options: I have had thoughts of suicide or self-harm. How can I get help?

At busy times of the academic year, you may need to wait up to 10 working days for an appointment. While you're waiting, there are a number of ways you can access support and look after your wellbeing:

Talk to your GP
Explore our wellbeing resources and self-help tools
Find out about support available from the Student Advice or Disability and Dyslexia teams
Speak to your Personal Tutor
Access support from our Multi-Faith Support Team and chaplains

Remember, you don't have to wait for your appointment to start getting support. Reaching out to the services above can help you feel supported while you wait.

If you're concerned about an LSBU student or fiend, you may have noticed changes in their mood, behaviour, wellbeing or engagement with their studies. They may seem withdrawn, distressed, or simply not their usual self.

The information in this article explains how to approach a conversation with this person, show your support and help them to access the help they need: I'm worried about another students' mental health. What should I do? - LSBU MyAccount.

NHS Good Thinking – information and resources, plus free access to wellbeing apps for London residents, aimed at helping you to improve your wellbeing in particular around anxiety, stress, sleep and low mood.
Check out the Being Well, Living Well modules on Moodle. These cover a range of topics from study-life balance to procrastination to financial awareness.
Black Students’ Mental Health | London South Bank University - information and resources developed by and for the Black community at LSBU. Find blogs, articles and podcasts about maintaining positive wellbeing and addressing challenges you may encounter whilst studying.
Togetherall is a safe place where you can connect with others about what’s going on in your life - big or small.
Students Against Depression - information and resources for students about, including downloadable self-help worksheets on Depression, Anxiety and Sleep.
Anxiety UK -Providing support and advice for those affected by anxiety. For further information you can call 08444 775 774 (Monday to Friday, 9.30am – 5.30pm).
Reading Well – Suggestions for self-help books, which can be recommended on prescription by a health professional or can be taken out of most libraries in England who are part of the Reading Well scheme.
Read this FAQ for more information: Where can I find resources to help me manage my wellbeing? - LSBU MyAccount

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