According to its head of service, the University of Aberdeen’s counselling service is coping with increasing demand despite concerns raised at Student Council over appointment availability.
In the latest meeting of the council, a student raised concerns about the availability of appointments, claiming none were available until January.
The need for the service is highlighted by a drastic increase in demand, with the number of students seeking help rising from 1094 students in 2017/2018, to 1799 in 2022/2023, the last full year for which data is available.
Requests for the service have risen sharply, with a 64% increase of students seeking the service’s talking therapies. Positively, the service continues to offer appointments without a waiting list, with a new batch released each week.
Indeed, poor mental health is a nationwide issue with a 2023 survey by the charity Student Minds identifying more than 1/3 of students reporting struggling with their mental health, leaving colleges and universities with the immense task of providing adequate student support.
Recognising the intense demand on Aberdeen’s service, Head of the University’s Counselling Service Anna Shea tells The Gaudie that Autumn is the busiest time of year for the service, meaning appointments are quickly snapped up when they are released.
However, Ms Shea insists the University is prepared for the pressures of winter, sharing that the service is offering more appointments than ever before, with provisions made over the Christmas break:
“At the University Counselling Service we open up new appointments every week and deliberately only allow sessions to be booked around 2 weeks in advance. This approach allows us to regularly and continually offer new bookable sessions, and avoids the whole service being fully booked up for months ahead.
“If students would like to book an appointment, they should visit https://www.abdn.ac.uk/students/support/book-appointment.php. The best time to do this is on Thursday afternoons, when we release new sessions on a weekly basis.
“During the holidays the Student Helpline will still be available 24/7, on 0808 196 2707.”
While the University benefitted from a £90,000 yearly grant from the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) from 2019 to 2022, the ending of the grant saw the service’s funding drop from almost £365,000 in 2021/2022, to £262,000 in 2022/2023.
A successful campaign in the same year, led by former AUSA Vice President for Welfare Sai Shraddha Viswanthan resulted in the University committing to fund the service, addressing the large number of students presenting with mental health concerns. Despite decreased funding, the University seems to have stuck to its promise
The number of counsellors in the 2017/2018 academic year was seven – despite a slashed budget, the service was able to maintain the additional two counsellors hired during the SFC’s cash injection, allowing students and staff the chance to book appointments with 9 counsellors, offering a range of therapies from person-centred counselling to specialised trauma therapies and couple’s counselling.
The University’s commitment to the service is notable – anecdotal reports suggest NHS Grampian does not offer counselling in the city, instead recommending patients contact local charities ACIS and Cairns. When asked, an NHS Grampian spokesperson insisted counselling support is available in specific cases:
“We continue to offer a range of specialised counselling and mental health support depending on the needs and comorbidities of individuals. Counselling skills are also used by and embedded within many health professionals’ practice to aid their work.”
One 2nd year student who used the service in 2023 says that although the service was readily accessible, they felt it was surface level:
“I went to the session, got told to do some breathing exercises and was sent on my way. For someone in very poor mental health, this wasn’t a great help.”
The student felt their struggles required more specialist NHS support:
“It seems the service isn’t equipped to deal with complex mental health issues like I was experiencing at the time so being able to refer students to a specialised service that can offer them the support they need, when they need it, would be invaluable.”
It is clear the service is attempting to bridge the gap in the NHS’ provision, with one 4th year Politics and Anthropology student saying her experience with the University’s counselling service in 2022 wasn’t helpful:
“I contacted the service because I was struggling with depression and ADHD, and I can’t be medicated for both. I was sent a workbook [from the counselling service] that basically told me to go for a walk, which
I already knew. I just needed some support, but instead I felt invalidated and stupid.”
Thankfully, it seems many other students have a positive experience with the service. Hannah, an Anthropology and Archaeology student says the service has had a long-term impact on her:
“I found the service really helpful, my counsellor was attentive, kind, and always listened to my worries. She also shared some of her own experiences to increase feelings of trust in the sessions. She taught me a lot of ‘coping mechanisms’ for my overthinking which I still use today, 2 years on. It helped me approach my studies with a different more positive mindset.”
Another third-year student said the service allowed them to continue in their studies:
“I was really struggling, and I was at the point of just totally withdrawing. Student Support helped me to access counselling, and I was able to meet a counsellor the next week.
The counsellor helped me talk through some really difficult issues which were having a big impact on my studies and life. I am so grateful that the service is available, and that I didn’t have to wait. If I had to wait, I’m not sure I would still be a student.”
Whilst the University’s funding pressures continue, it seems the University’s commitment to the service is long-term. But for how long can the institution carry the weight of an underfunded NHS?