Student Affairs: Student Wellness Service

Counselling services

Overview

Who are we?

We are a student counselling service, offering predominantly short-term counselling, with the aim of ensuring that whatever personal, emotional or psychological problems you experience, the impact of it on your academic studies are kept to a minimum and your capacity for achievement is optimised.

Problems that we can assist with

Some of the problems for which the Counselling service can provide assistance with include:

• adjusting to UCT
• homesickness
• loneliness
• cultural transition
• social skills
• self-esteem issues
• confidence building
• individuation from parents
• stress and anxiety
• depression and suicidal feelings
• loss and bereavement
• trauma and crisis intervention
• rape and sexual assault
• HIV/AIDS counselling
• sexual identity issues
• addictions
• academic problems including motivation and concentration
• relationship issues
• family problems
• any other personal, emotional, social or psychological problem

How are problems dealt with?

The Counselling service offers mostly individual psychotherapy, but a psychologist may recommend that a student attends group therapy, which is an opportunity to work on problems in a confidential environment with peers. Furthermore, the psychologist may recommend that the student attends a skills-based group, which takes the form of developing of relevant life skills in a group setting. Referal of students to an appropriate agency can also be provided.

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