Student welfare

Student Wellbeing Advisors can offer practical and emotional support to students experiencing a wide variety of problems that are affecting their studies and/or mental health and wellbeing. Wellbeing Advisors are members of Professional Services Staff. They are not students, nor are they teaching or academic staff. They work within departments but are independent of teaching and assessments. Wellbeing advisors may come from varied backgrounds within supporting professions but will be trained and experienced in providing pastoral care. Wellbeing advisors undergo regular professional development to ensure they have up-to-date knowledge of wellbeing issues and support and are carrying out best practice.

The Wellbeing Advisor can help with anything that is affecting a student’s wellbeing. This might include settling into university, stress, anxiety, panic, time management, sleep problems, low mood, relationship issues, family issues, problems in accommodation, nutrition, lifestyle, homesickness, loneliness, bereavement, and addiction. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. The Wellbeing Advisor can also offer support if you are concerned about another person such as a fellow student.  

The Wellbeing Advisor can usually arrange to see students within 1 or 2 working days. They typically work Monday-Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM.  

Wellbeing appointments can take place in person, in a private room, or online. They typically last between 15 and 45 minutes. Wellbeing appointments are safe, confidential, non-judgemental spaces where students can freely disclose anything that is affecting their wellbeing. The Wellbeing Advisor will listen and discuss the issues with the student. Sometimes, talking a problem through is enough.  The Wellbeing Advisor may signpost to other services or share useful resources with the student to help them move forward. They might develop a wellbeing plan with the student containing agreed strategies and actions.  

The Wellbeing Advisor will not disclose this information nor anything you discuss in the appointment unless there is as serious risk of harm to yourself or another person. You can read our Confidentiality Policy here:  The Wellbeing Advisor doesn't even have to acknowledge you if they see you on campus. If you would prefer your SWA not to acknowledge you around campus, please let them know.

Counselling is a talking therapy that involves a trained therapist listening to you and helping you find ways to deal with emotional issues. The therapist can help you gain a better understanding of your feelings and thought processes, and find your own solutions to problems. But they will not usually give advice or tell you what to do. You will likely explore issues at a deeper level and there will often be an emphasis on understanding thought patterns and the beliefs and assumptions that underpin them.

College and NHS Counselling are usually limited to 5 or 6 sessions whereas wellbeing support can be ongoing. There is often a waiting time before counselling can be accessed.

If you aren’t sure whether counselling is the right option for you, you can discuss this with the Wellbeing Advisor. In some cases, counselling might be suitable, but the timing might not be ideal as counselling can sometimes bring up deep emotions that will need to be processed. It may be better to allow some time to elapse before counselling will be effective, such as following bereavement, That doesn’t mean that talking won’t be beneficial and the Wellbeing Advisor can still support you until therapy becomes available or is appropriate.    

Some students will only see the Wellbeing Advisor once to get the support they need. Others will see them sporadically during the course of their studies. Some students will see the Wellbeing Advisor regularly. The benefit of having a Wellbeing Advisor in the department is that the support can be flexible and tailored to the student’s needs.   

It can sometimes be difficult to open up, especially if you aren’t used to talking about emotions or personal issues. The Wellbeing Advisor is aware of this and will do their best to put you at ease, but you don’t have to disclose anything you are not comfortable sharing. Sometimes a student may need a few sessions before they can open up, and that’s fine. 

Although the Wellbeing Advisor may not share the same culture, background, gender, faith position, ethnic origin, sexuality or disability.as a student, they have been trained to respect equality and diversity and not to make assumptions. They will listen to you non-judgementally and withhold applying their own frame of reference to your situation. 

However, if you do wish to speak to someone who is more likely to share your frame of reference, the Wellbeing Advisor can help you to find this support either within or outside of the College.

If anything comes up that the Wellbeing Advisor doesn’t feel able to support you with, they will always strive to find appropriate resources and alternative support for you.

The Wellbeing Advisor in Computing is Caroline Gilchrist. Caroline has worked in education for many years in both teaching and pastoral roles. Caroline has qualifications in Counselling Skills, Coaching, Advice, Mental Health First Aid, and Trauma-Informed Practice, and is due to complete an MSc in the Psychology of Mental Health and Wellbeing in the near future.

Caroline is based in Huxley 304a.

If you would like to speak to Caroline you can e-mail directly at c.gilchrist@imperial.ac.uk

You can book online appointments using this link:

https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/DoCWellbeingAdvisor@ImperialLondon.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/