University Mental Health Day 2023

University Mental Health Day is the annual nationwide iniative that brings together the university community to make mental health a university-wide priority and create ongoing year-round change to the future of student mental health. This year it lands on Thursday 9 March. Organised by Student Minds, the UK's student mental health charity. While there is usually a theme each year, they have opted to leave this open so each university can focus on what works best for them this year.

While we hope you make your wellbeing a priority every day, the University has organised a number of activities on campus to mark the day so that you can get to know our services better, spend time with friends and benefit your wellbeing.

• 10am-11am - A free student led yoga session (Northampton Suite A, University Bulding) - whether you’re a beginner or experienced, all are welcome. Everything will be provided, you just need to wear something comfy and book in advance.

• 12pm-2pm - Picnic in the Pavilion (Pavilion, University Building) - Bring your lunch along (light refreshments and pastries will also be provided) to socialise with other students as well as members of different teams for a chance to learn more about City’s support services and initiatives.

• 2.15pm-3.30pm - Guest speakers (BLG07, University Building) - hear from Ontonio and Shaun Flores as they discuss student mental health and wellbeing. As capacity is limited, please book your space through the Students' Union's website.
  • Ontonio is going to speak from the perspective of the BlackManSpeak Movement with personal experience and how this impacts him and the black male experience of mental health – raising awareness of the personal, experiences
  • Shaun Flores will be speaking about student mental health, wellbeing and barriers faced by students studying in Higher education.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Support at City

Student Health and Wellbeing team

The Student Health and Wellbeing team are your central form of mental health and wellbeing support at City. They offer a safe place to talk and think about matters that are troubling or distressing you. Their services include:

• Student Health and Wellbeing Engagement Service - offering health and wellbeing promotion, first contact conversations, drop-in sessions and individual consultations around general wellbeing
• Student Mental Health Service - offering practical and emotional support throughout studies, including specialist mentoring support and reasonable adjustment recommendations
• Student Counselling Service - offering confidential counselling to support and help understand any issues or difficulties which may affect wellbeing, and learn how to manage psychological health

If you would like to get in touch with any of the services, you can use their e-referral form.

Student Welfare and Engagement Officers

Student Welfare/Engagement Officers are you first point of contact within your School for any wellbeing issues. Here you can discuss any challenges which may be affecting your wellbeing and ability to engage with your studies. Topics can include, but aren't limited to mental health issues, financial stress and challenging living environments.

Find out how to contact your School's Officers.

Online mindfulness sessions

You can join one or more of the twice-a-week online mindfulness sessions, taking place every Tuesday, 9am-9.30am and every Friday, 1.15pm-1.45pm, run by City's Centre for Excellence in Mindfulness Research (CEMR). The sessions are a space for community, friendly smiles and self-care what life can sometimes be chaotic.

The team use a curriculum of mindfulness exercises that do not require any prior mindfulness or meditation experience. The sessions are also deliberately delivered in a light-hearted, interactive manner.

Anyone is welcome to join from the City community and beyond! As the sessions are delivered through Zoom, please contact Dr Jutta Tobias Mortlock for details on how to join the sessions.

CityLibrary

As well as numerous books in their collection regarding wellbeing, the Library have produced a self-help Wellbeing guide. Designed by health professionals, including City's Student Health and Wellbeing team, you can access titles as ebooks and audiobooks to have available on the go.

CitySport

A great way to get some down time and with exercise being a proven method to boost wellbeing, you can join in with one of CitySport's many group sessions every week with other City students. If you would prefer something more relaxed and you can do from home, you can try out one of the many on-demand video, free on YouTube!

Togetherall

If you need a safe place to share how you’re feeling and get support through courses & resources, City students have access to Togetherall using your City email address.

Crisis and emergency services and helplines

If you are concerned about your safety, you should contact the crisis and emergency services.

If you require immediate, urgent medical or psychological help and support you can do any of the following:

• Contact your GP to book an emergency appointment
• Call the Samaritans on 116 123
• If you are currently in student halls you can contact a member of staff for help and support
• Visit your nearest A&E, which you can find on the NHS website
• If more immediate, urgent care is required you can call an ambulance by dialling 999
• For a list of other helpline, text and in-person support services please see our helpline page
• If you are outside of the UK, please contact your local doctor or specialist services

If you have a mental health condition and are already accessing specialist NHS services, you should receive the guidance on the Crisis and emergency Hub page.