Your Wellbeing

Your Student Counsellor and Wellbeing coordinator

Our Student Counsellor and Wellbeing coordinator Maggie is available to provide confidential one-one sessions for students

Whether struggling with abuse, anxiety, stress, bereavement or mental health issues our service is here to help. Currently this is available through a few methods so you can decide what you feel most comfortable with. You can choose to carry out sessions by telephone, email, instant messaging, video or voice call.

To contact Maggie you can email ACwellbeing@uhi.ac.uk or call 07384 246 332.. Her working hours are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 9am and 5pm. If you're looking for support outside of those hours, you can still get in touch and she'll get back to you once she returns.

Need support on-demand?

Sometimes your mental health can't wait, especially if you're struggling over the weekend. Here are some key contacts :

• NHS 24 offers out of hours medical advice, call 111
• Text "YM" (if you're under 19) or "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line
• You can call the Samaritans on 116 123 to talk to someone at any time, day or night - or email if you prefer
• Breathing Space helpline is there to listen, call 0800 83 85 87 (Monday-Thursday 6pm to 2am, Friday 6pm-Monday 6am)
• If there is a threat to life - call 999 for emergency help immediately

Online Wellbeing Tools

There are lots of places with information and advice available to help improve and maintain mental health and wellbeing.

Here are some online resources you might find useful:

• Spectrum.Life - A 24/7 student assistance programme
• Headspace (app) - articles, videos and podcasts to help with anxiety, sleep, stress, mindfulness and meditation, both free and paid content available
• Cope Scotland - self-care videos and more
• NHS 5 Steps to Mental Wellbeing - five recommended steps that can help
• NHS Every Mind Matters - expert advice and practical tips
• Yoga with Adriene - popular yoga sessions via YouTube
• Freemind (app) - free trial available, uses a combination of meditation, psychology and music
• Mind - general mental health and wellbeing resource
• Side by Side - Mind's online space for mental health peer support
• Happy Newspaper - somewhere to go for uplifting, good news
• Reading well - using reading to improve mental health and wellbeing

With so many online tools available now, it can be difficult to know which ones are best for your needs.

Always use message boards and online communities that have trained moderators to help avoid content that can cause more negative feelings.

If a particular app, website or online community is making you feel worse, you might not have found the right fit for right now, so try some of the alternatives available.

Equality and Diversity

UHI Argyll welcomes the positive ethos and culture created by the involvement of different social, ethnic, racial, cultural and other groups within college life, and we value diversity amongst our students and staff.

We promote opportunity for all, without discrimination on grounds of age, disability, ethnic origin or race, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religion and belief and socio-economic background. We aim to improve access to employment and training for everyone.

Safeguarding policy

Safeguarding Policy 2022

This policy outlines the College's framework for protecting children, young people and adults at risk from harm, abuse and exploitation, and supporting our students and staff through our general Duty of Care.