Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity team

The Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity Service seeks to provide a professional and proactive guidance service for students within a healthy and inclusive environment in order to support our students to fulfil their potential.

What we do

We promote positive wellbeing to students and work with staff to support the inclusivity of our organisation.

Support for students

• Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing including
  • Access to an adviser through a drop in service
  • Counselling
  • Referral to specialist services
• Out of hours provision via Residence Life
• Accessibility and Disability support
• Supporting specific student groups, such as care leavers and estranged students
• Supporting survivors of sexual violence, harassment and hatecrime

Support for staff

• Working across the university including with departments to support students
• Offer training sessions relating to key topics

Student wellbeing support and signposting

• What to do if you are concerned that a student may be at risk.
• What you can and can't do if you need to support or refer a distressed student.
• If a student has experienced sexual violence there is help available from the University.
• Tips for discussing sensitive matters with a student
• What to do when a student is thinking of leaving the University.
• Familiarise yourself with the procedure you need to follow if you are informed of a student death.

Supporting diverse student groups

• Supporting commuting students
• Joint degree students on issues including a sense of belonging and needing support from two departments
• LGBT students with issues such as misgendering, confusion from others regarding terminology and a perceived lack of LGBT role models at Essex.
• Mature students may have to balance a home and university life, have dependants or be returning from a break from education.

Supporting students with disabilities and long-term health conditions