Mental health support

We have a team of specialist advisers and practitioners dedicated to supporting students with autistic spectrum conditions and/or mental health conditions. You'll find the team in the Student Life building.

We can offer a free and confidential service which includes:

• working with you to set up your personalised Student Support Plan if you require reasonable adjustments for your course (see Disability Services for more information)
• providing advice and support to address any concerns you may have about your mental health during your time at university
• liaising closely with academic schools and staff regarding course related issues that may be having an impact on your wellbeing
• exploring other services within the university that may enhance your experience of university life such as welfare support, counselling, support with academic skills, wellbeing activities and services, lifestyle advice etc
• making referrals and signpost to external support services as required, such as NHS services or other specialist services

Mental Health initial assessment

A Mental Health initial assessment is a 20-minute appointment with a mental health adviser which includes a holistic assessment of your needs and current concerns to explore appropriate support. Possible outcomes of the assessment may be:

• Supporting you to connect with your GP
• Referrals into external services (NHS, counselling Student's union and specialist services)
• Referrals into internal services including counselling, welfare, finance, sleep and lifestyle clinics.
• Liaising with other internal departments such as international, accommodation, academic schools
• Access to further appointments for developing strategies to manage your mental health

Mental Health appointment

After your Mental Health initial assessment, you may be offered further appointments with a mental health adviser or mental health practitioner. A mental health appointment usually lasts up to one hour and can include working with you in areas of:

• Development of strategies to manage your mental health e.g., mood and anxiety management, motivation, confidence etc.
• Development of strategies if your mental health is having an impact on a study activities such as presentations and group work
• Supporting you through a referral process to specialist services
• Supporting you to create a safety plan
• Support with liaising with your GP or specialist to access appropriate support.

Appointments to discuss support for Autism

If you have autism and would like to arrange an appointment with a mental health and autism adviser to talk about your transition into university, transition after graduation or into the workplace, or any concerns you might have which are affecting your university experience you can request this by emailing studentlife@tees.ac.uk, and we will arrange an appointment which will be tailored to your individual needs. Appointments may include:

• Discussing strategies to support you to connect with peers
• Discussing communication strategies
• Exploring your needs and developing strategies for your transition into university, and after graduation. This might include signposting you to specialist external services
• Supporting you to connect with relevant services or your GP
• Supporting you to liaise with your GP regarding a diagnosis
• Discussing your individual needs or areas you may find challenging, and exploring support and strategies to help in these areas
• Supporting you to register with Disability Services if you feel there is an impact on study activities

Booking an appointment

You can book a Mental Health initial assessment or request an appointment to discuss any support queries by contacting the Student Life enquiry team via studentlife@tees.ac.uk or by calling on 01642 342277.

Further Mental Health Appointments are not bookable by students however if you feel you may benefit from this, please arrange to attend a Mental Health initial assessment.

24/7 Mental wellbeing support services

If you feel unable to keep yourself safe and are experiencing a mental health crisis such as feeling close to acting on suicidal thoughts, please contact emergency services (999) or your local crisis team.

The crisis team are available to speak to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if you require urgent assistance. You can call the Middlesbrough crisis team on: 0800 0516 171 .
Check your local crisis team number

The crisis team will talk to you about your current needs and explore ways in which you can be supported. Middlesbrough's local crisis team is also based in Roseberry Park Hospital.

We can also offer support and advice during office hours - please contact the Student Life Enquiry Team on 01642 342277 or come to the Student Life building reception.

If you are on campus outside of office hours, you can speak to our Security team who you will find on the ground floor of the Library, or by calling 01642 342086.

If you would like some self-help information or out of hours support, please refer to Urgent help and support for mental health

Coming to university is an exciting time however we understand that it can also come with some challenges. Please refer to our Transitioning into university life guide where you will find lots of hints and tips to help you get a head start.

If you have a mental health condition or autism spectrum condition and feel you may need some additional support with the transition into university life, we would recommend notifying us of a disability before starting your course to explore support and reasonable adjustments with an adviser. You can find more information about how to do this by visiting Disability Services

You can also request an appointment with one of our mental health and autism advisers to specifically discuss your transition (see Appointments to discuss support for autism)

• Urgent help and support for mental health
• Student Assistance Programme
• Disability Services
• Self-help leaflets (NHS)
• Recovery College Online Courses
• NHS Mental Health Crisis support
• NHS Listening Service
• Student Space
• Samaritans
• Papyrus
• Exam help guide
• Find your local mental health support services by postcode

Please click the following link to find self-help advice and guidance for managing low mood and anxiety: HELP when feeling low or anxious.

You can find some short videos below created by the North East and North Cumbria Suicide Prevention network which provide advice and guidance on how to look after yourself, others and getting help early.

Suicide Prevention Network

For more information you can visit the website: Suicide Prevention Network (stopsuicidenenc.org)

Weekly 'Students Supporting Students' sessions are hosted in the Students Union Activities Lounge (1st floor) every Tuesday, 4.30pm - 5.30pm. Please note that there may be times throughout the year (Summer period etc) when the group may not be running and so we advise you to check this on our Students Union Facebook page.

You do not need to book onto the sessions and can just turn up on the day.

The group provides a space for students to engage in general conversation, make friends with other students and talk to each other about mental health and wellbeing. Often, students will reflect on their week so far and any challenges they have faced alongside how they overcome this and any positive experiences.

We offer a space that is relaxed, enjoyable and informal. Students can drop in anytime throughout the session to talk about what's on their mind, or to provide support to others. Free hot drinks are available and it is an opportunity to meet new people and talk about interests and share new ideas!

As a University we are committed to supporting all our staff and students, including those who have a military background.

We have signed the armed forces covenant and are dedicated to provide fairness and support to the members of our University community who are veterans and ex-military.

In 2020, we received recognition for our commitment to the military charter

Our Student Wellbeing and Welfare teams can provide counselling and mental health support in addition to welfare and finance advice.

We have links with Op Courage, the NHS mental health and wellbeing support for veterans and ex-military and we recommend the following online support organisations:

Combat Stress

Combat stress is the UK's leading charity for veterans' mental health. They provide a range of mental health support services to veterans, including online self-help resources and a 24-hour Helpline (0800 138 1619) which is available to all veterans and their families for confidential mental health advice and support.

SSAFA

SSAFA are the longest running national tri-service military charity. They describe their mission as being "to relieve need, suffering and distress amongst the Armed Forces, veterans and their families in order to support their independence and dignity". They host a "live chat" service on their website and their usual reply time to this is within 5 minutes.

SSAFA also have a local Cleveland Branch that covers the Stockton, Redcar and Middlesbrough areas. They provide community-based peer support, disability support and mental wellbeing support for ex-military personnel. They are open Monday to Friday 10am - 12pm and can be contacted by telephoning 01642 217440 or emailing Cleveland.branch@ssafa.org.uk You can also connect with them and their local online community via Facebook

If you would like to provide any service feedback or make a complaint about the service you have received, in the first instance please contact studentlife@tees.ac.uk

If you would like to make a formal complaint, please refer to the information provided on the Student Casework Office (SCO) complaints page

Our service is confidential which means that any information you provide us can only be seen by appropriate members of staff involved in supporting you.

We will treat all information you provide sensitively. We may need to share information about you with others, within the University and sometimes outside. Please see our service privacy notice below for more information

Below you will also find our mental health service terms of access document. If you wish to access our services it is important that you read and agree to the information in both of the documents.

• Mental Health Services Privacy Notice
• Terms of access - attendance and cancellations