New home for the University Counselling Service

In her speech Professor Richard said: “Cambridge can sometimes be a difficult place to live, work and study in, something which is true of all the world's great universities.

“Many students are leaving home or even their home country for the first time. There is a huge capacity for work to overflow and overwhelm life. At a place where every student is extremely bright and talented, some people can start to think they are not. So how fortunate we are to have somewhere like this Counselling Service to turn for help and now in such a wonderful, welcoming building.”

The Counselling Service is now in a fully refurbished property on Lensfield Road which had formerly been used by the Faculty of Education and originally housed a department of the old Addenbrooke's Hospital.

It has been recognised as one of the most successful in the country, providing counselling sessions to 1100 students and 230 staff over the past year.

Head of Counselling Mark Phippen does not think this is because there is a particular problem at Cambridge:

“Over the last twenty five years I have worked at number of higher education institutions and would not say that problems are any more acute here than anywhere else. Yes, there has been an overall increase in mental health problems nationwide, but it is evidence of the excellence of my staff that we are able to help so many people.”

“Every institution for which I have worked has talked about how support for students was a priority. However, their counselling services were usually under-funded and working out of cupboards – sometimes literally. Cambridge is the only place that I have worked where the rhetoric is matched by the resources; where the support for students from Colleges and central services such as the Counselling Service is a reality.

“This new building for the Service is absolutely fantastic and will make such a difference. It is so important to have a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere in which to deliver this kind of service.”

Many personal decisions are made and problems solved through discussions with friends or family, a College Tutor or Director of Studies, or a Nurse, GP Chaplain. However, there are times when it is right to seek help away from the familiar daily environment: the Counselling Service was set up to meet just such a need.

Seeking counselling is about making a positive choice to get the help that students and staff need.

Counselling is not the same as giving advice. Rather, a counsellor seeks to help a client to focus on and understand more clearly the issues that concern or trouble people. The counsellor's role is to offer support and understanding and to listen and respond in a non-judgmental, non-critical way.

The Service is staffed by a team of professionally trained and widely experienced counsellors, psychotherapists and cognitive behavioural therapists who are accustomed to helping people from many different backgrounds and cultures and with a wide range of personal and work issues.

Most personal, relationship or identity problems can be helped through counselling, including anxiety, stress and depression; family or relationship difficulties, sexual problems and identity issues.

Counselling can also help with other issues such as: adjusting to a new culture, dealing with dilemmas, making difficult decisions or choices, as well as more specific problems such as eating problems or addictions.

The new building, at 2-3 Lensfield Road, has been refurbished by the Estate Management and Building Service at a cost of £660k funded by the University.

The Counselling Service Office is open between 9am and 5.30pm on Monday and Friday and between 9am and 7.30pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. See the website at the link above right for more details.