About Student Wellbeing Services
Student Wellbeing is a part of the Office of the Dean of Students.
Student Wellbeing provides a range of professional, specialist services to support you with your personal, emotional, mental health and disability related needs.
We offer:
- Therapy/Counselling
- Mental Health Service
- Disability Service
- Harassment, Domestic and Sexual Misconduct Service
- 24/7 Helpline
- Self Help Resources
All of our services are delivered by trained and experienced staff. We take a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to our service delivery to ensure that you get the best support possible.
Support is offered in a variety of ways including face to face, telephone and online appointments – services will be offered in the most appropriate way to meet your needs.
We are based in the Hutton Hub on the College Lane Campus and also offer our services on the De Havilland Campus.
Therapy/Counselling
Our team of accredited counsellors and therapists offer short term counselling/therapy to support you with a wide range of personal, emotional and mental health difficulties.
They offer a confidential space for you to explore your feelings, to understand the reasons for your difficulties and help you to work towards resolving your difficulties or to manage them better.
The team are from varied therapeutic backgrounds - we will assess the best therapeutic approach for you from the information you provide on your self-referral form.
To request counselling/therapy: please complete this self-referral Form: Student Wellbeing Self Referral & Consent to Share.
Mental Health Service
Mental Health Advisors support you with your mental health difficulties. They can provide advice and strategies for coping with your difficulties, offer practical support and help arrange any study adjustments as appropriate. As needed, they can liaise with your tutors and help you access other services, eg in the NHS. Both short term and longer-term support is available based on your needs.
For more information Click Here
To request mental health advice: please complete this self-referral Form: Student Wellbeing Self Referral & Consent to Share.
If you are unsure whether you need counselling/therapy or mental health advice, please complete the self-referral form fully so that we can assess the best support for your needs.
Support outside the University: Details of other services, including crisis support, available at:
Disability Service
Our team of Disability Advisers support students at the University by making recommendations for adjustments to study, supporting students to get evidence of their disability, applying for the Disabled Students Allowance, supporting adjustments in placements and raising awareness across the community. Disability Advisers will discuss what works best for you, discuss the support you would find helpful and will formulate your Study Needs Agreement (SNA) which will support you throughout your studies.
For more information click here
To request disability support, please complete this form: Academic Support for Your Disability
Harassment, Domestic and Sexual Misconduct Service
We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and equitable environment for all our students.
If you need guidance on gender related issues, sexual orientation, race, pregnancy, maternity or other aspects of diversity we are here to listen, provide advice and practical assistance and empower you to overcome barriers and thrive in your academic journey.
We provide professional help with any experiences of harassment, domestic and sexual violence, providing you with a safe space for you to be heard and supported. Our team will offer confidential and non -judgmental support at your own pace advising you of your options as appropriate.
If you have witnessed or experienced any bullying and harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, discrimination, etc. you can let us know through our Report and Support system. You can report anonymously, or report with your details to seek advice from an advisor.
To self-refer please use Report and Support.
Our 24/7 Helpline via PAM Wellness
Alongside our inhouse service, we have a Student Assistance Programme called PAM Wellness, where you can access in-the-moment confidential support or guidance. Just call 0808 196 3533 - it's free, confidential and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
PAM Wellness counsellors are there to listen to you whatever your problem, whether it is personal or student-related.
You can contact the helpline if you require any financial, legal or medical information, such as advice on budgets, physical health or landlord issues. And if English is not your first language, let the counsellor know when you call and they'll be able to help you.
Self Help Resources
You can find information and advice on a wide range of topics on our Self Help Resources Page. These can help whilst you are deciding whether to seek additional help, and alongside or instead of using our services.
Our Confidentiality & Data Protection policy/practice
Our staff work under a strict code of confidentiality and will hold your information in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and the University’s policies relating to Data Protection (UPR IM08) and Student Mental Health (UPR EQ07)and Equality and Diversity (UPR EQ03). Counsellors also work according to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s ‘Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions’.
Sharing Information
Where necessary we may need to consult with other colleagues in Student Wellbeing and Dean of Students office in order to provide a holistic framework of support for you. This information is on a need to know basis so that we can provide you with the support you need.
We do not normally divulge information about you to the wider University community or third parties without your express permission.
In very rare circumstances, we may need to disclose information to third parties without your express permission. This would only happen if there was a serious risk to your own or others’ safety or if we were compelled to disclose the information by law. In such circumstances we would, where possible, endeavour to discuss things with you before taking any action.
In the event of a serious and/or imminent risk of major harm, other members of the University may be informed or called upon to assist in managing the immediate situation. In these circumstances Student Wellbeing will, wherever possible, limit any disclosure to only information that is necessary in the circumstances.
In line with our professional requirements, and in order to work effectively, Student Wellbeing staff may discuss their work with a professional supervisor. The supervisor may be external to the department. All information shared in this way is treated in strict confidence and your personal identifiable information is not shared.
Storing Your Information
All Student Wellbeing records are kept securely on University servers in accordance with the GDPR, DPA and the University’s policies relating to Data Protection (UPR IM08) and Information Security (UPR IM03).
Information gathered will be used to collect anonymous statistical data. This data may be shared within the University for administrative and statistical purposes and will be supplied to Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and the Office for Students both of which the University has a statutory duty to report to. The information provided will be completely anonymous and you will not be personally identifiable in the reports.
If you have any questions or concerns about confidentiality, please feel free to discuss with us prior to or during an appointment. If you wish to withdraw your consent to Student Wellbeing using information as detailed above, please email: StudentWellbeing@herts.ac.uk
There are also many other sources of support within the Office of Dean of Students at the University, to help with your wellbeing including:
Chaplaincy
Friendly, warm and welcoming to students of all faiths, the Chaplaincy team are here to help you explore religion and spirituality, lend an ear when you want to chat, help you explore a wide variety of spiritual traditions, offer advice on where to pray and worship and arrange Chaplaincy services and other events.
Please see the link here to the Chaplaincy pages on Ask Herts.
Medical Centre
Our Nurses, Doctors and Staff look after approximately 7,000 University Students. A GP Practice with all the usual services but run to meet the needs of the student population. If you live in university halls or in Hatfield and haven't yet registered please do so now. Do not wait until you are unwell to register.
Please click here.
Student Accommodation - Support and Welfare
If you live in on-campus University accommodation and need assistance, help is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Residence Life and Safeguarding team are available to help you during office hours.
To find more information please click here.
If you need any help with your off-campus accommodation, support is available from the University's Community and Safeguarding team, Hertfordshire Students’ Union, and other local services.
To find out more information please click here.