Counselling Service

The Counselling Service offers therapeutic support to all students at City Campus and Headingley Campus who are willing and able to benefit from it.

Why you might want Counselling...

The ability to study can be seriously affected when you are having to bottle up difficult feelings. The Counselling Service aims to help you get the most out of your time at Leeds Met, by assisting you to get back to full functioning as quickly as possible.

Anyone who is a student of Leeds Met, be they part time or full time, home or international, whatever age, race or belief, is welcome to use the Counselling Service.

Please read the remaining pages on this site for more information about the service or go directly to 'Opening Times/Locations' for times when you can meet a counsellor.

Help For Students

There are several levels of service available - dependent on your needs. All support starts at the OPEN DOOR (no appointment needed) where you can have a brief one-to-one meeting with a counsellor. This will allow us to assess and respond to your situation.

At the OPEN DOOR your options are:   

to sign up for a series of counselling sessions - the majority of students need several meetings   

to have a single session of counselling - where there is a decision to make and/or there is a high degree of urgency   

to use the service for drop-in sessions - a few people benefit from the informality of occasional meetings   

to get information from us about other services, in Leeds Metropolitan University and the community, where you can get help

City Campus in Portland Room 119

Monday     14.00 - 15.30

Tuesday     12.00 - 13.30

Wednesday 16.00 - 17.30

Friday         10.00 - 11.30

Headingley Campus at the Cottage

Wednesday 12.00 - 13.30 

(Campus Map)

Open Door 2012-13

Having difficulty getting started with your academic work?

Then come to our Open Door where you can find out about and be referred for Kick Start:

• discuss time management
• explore your assignments in order to clarify the themes
• break your work into bite-size chunks
• create a reward system to acknowledge your success

We also provide consultative support to staff who need it to support their students.Each of the four members of the Counselling Service Core Team takes responsibility for one of the Faculties; to act as Consultant to any individual or group of staff who has 'cause for concern' relating to an individual or group of students where Emotional Health and Well-Being are factors.We offer staff the opportunity to discuss concerns and to reflect on the best course of action in managing the situation.We can also provide follow-up discussion, meetings, staff briefings and sign posting to appropriate training opportunities.We also include staff in our training programme with professional development workshops and support groups. More details can be found here.If you require personal counselling contact the Employee Assistance Programme on 0800 716017.

Will I be seen as part of a group when I use the OPEN DOOR?

No. Several students might attend an OPEN DOOR session but your time with the duty counsellor will be in the privacy of a closed counselling room. This is normally your introduction to counselling prior to the allocation to one of the counselling team.

Will my attendance at counselling be noted on my student file?

No. The service keeps records but these are independent of the student record system. The service offers confidentiality except in cases where there is risk of harm to self or others or where the law requires it. No-one else need know that you have used the service unless you request it.

Do I see the same counsellor every week?

Yes. On average, students need about five sessions to work through a problem or difficulty. These meetings are always with the same counsellor; and normally on the same day, at the same time, and in the same place for the duration of the contract. Only two or three counsellors use a flexible meeting system, which enables them to attend to other duties for the service.

Will my counsellor be trained and experienced?

Yes. Although there will be some differences in length of experience, all counsellors on the team have trained for at least one year before undertaking therapeutic work with clients. Some counsellors may be extending that training to Advanced Diploma level or beyond but by far the majority have already achieved that landmark and gained several years experience of working with students.

If my tutor sent me because of my Extenuating Circumstances, will you be able to provide the supporting evidence?

Not necessarily. Unless you want and need counselling, we will not agree to work with you just for the purposes of providing evidence. In these circumstances, we would hope that you could identify another source of support. Only if you freely choose to have counselling and if we feel that you can benefit from it will we be able to support you with a statement of attendance. This is normally done at the end of the period of counselling.

Does my problem have to be serious before I use counselling?

No. In fact, we would encourage you to approach us before the situation gets out of hand and before you start running out of time. Many students say, "I should have come earlier" and often we would agree. It is easier to help you get back on track if you ask us sooner rather than later.

Is my problem too serious?

Rarely. The Counselling Service can help with most difficulties and we would only recommend alternative support/services if we felt that it would be in your best interests for us to do so and, where possible, with your full support and co-operation. For instance, if someone is experiencing an episode of difficulty managing their mental health, we would advocate a multi-agency approach that draws in the experience and expertise of other professional helpers. This may or may not include a counsellor.