HoBooking a Residence Counselling Appointment

How do I book an appointment?

To book an appointment with Residence Counselling email needtotalk@uwo.ca. Please be sure to provide your name, residence building, and if you feel comfortable, a brief description of what you wish to discuss with us, e.g., stress, lack of motivation, homesickness, loneliness, relationship problems.

What if I'm in crisis or need to talk with someone when Residence Counselling is not available?

If you require crisis assistance for an urgent situation outside of our regular operating hours, please contact:

• Your residence front desk
•  Good2Talk: 1-866-925-5454 
• CMHA Crisis Services 24/7
  • 1-866-933-2023 
  • Web chat: reachout247.ca
  • In person: 648 Huron Street, London, ON 
• Additional in-person, virtual and remote resources

If you are not in crisis but are experiencing distress and would like to speak with someone in the moment, please contact the CMHA Support Line at 1-844-360-8055. 

When can I expect to hear back after I request an appointment?

Emails are responded to within 24 hours. Emails received late Friday or during the weekend are responded to on Monday morning. Emails received during university closures are responded to on the first returning business day.

How long will I have to wait for an appointment?

The demand for appointments fluctuates throughout the academic year. When scheduling your first appointment with us, you will be offered our first available date and time. You are encouraged to accept the appointment offered and if an earlier appointment becomes available, we will contact you. You have the option to keep your current appointment.

Your Residence Counselling Session

What can I expect at my first counselling session?

Your first appointment includes completion of an intake form. Through this process and continued counselling your counsellor will:

• Listen and learn about what is concerning to you 
• Provide you with some perspective and skills to begin to help 
• Offer recommendations for next steps 

How long does an appointment last?

Counselling sessions are 50 minutes in length—sometimes your first session will last a little longer.

How many counselling sessions will I need?

Counselling is a collaborative process that involves reflection, exploring insights and implementing choices. Every situation is unique. Some students may access one appointment, while others may access short-term counselling for several sessions.

What happens if I am late for an appointment?

If you arrive 10 or more minutes late for your scheduled appointment, it will be cancelled and rescheduled. This is done to ensure that your counsellor has an appropriate amount of time to make your appointment as helpful as possible.

What is cancellation policy?

If you are unable to attend your scheduled appointment, we require 24 hours cancellation notice in order to make this appointment time available to other students waiting to be seen.

How do you respect diversity?

We provide a safe, supportive and welcoming space for students of all ages, gender identities, sexualities, races, ethnicities, languages, cultures, religions, abilities, and socio-economic classes. Our counsellors are culturally sensitive, demonstrate equality, and ensure inclusion of all students.

How do you respect confidentiality?

We are bound by confidentiality and will not release your personal health information without your consent, except to protect you or others from immediate harm, when ordered by a court to do so, or when required by law. Confidentiality and its limits will be reviewed with you at your intake appointment and any questions or concerns you may have can be addressed then.

Student Support & Complex Case Management 

The Residence Student Support Specialist provides outreach, information, referrals, and support to students who are identified as being at-risk or are experiencing complex or multifaceted concerns that are having a significant impact on their personal and/or academic life goals. The Residence Student Support Specialist can work with students to explore options and develop an action plan for navigating and connecting with resources on-campus and in the community that may be helpful in their situation. They also act as a hospital and Western Special Constable liaison for students who visit the hospital for a mental health and/or re-occurring substance use issues and those students who may have an interaction with Campus Safety and Emergency Services. 

When to refer?

Faculty, professional staff, and community partners can complete a referral if a student is:

• Experiencing a sudden change in circumstance that is significantly impacting their academic, personal, or financial situation
• Transitioning to/from campus due to a medical leave and/or hospitalization
• In distress and in need of early intervention support to become connected to appropriate service on-campus or in the community
• Struggling or overwhelmed and experiencing barriers toward accessing other services 
• Students who are unsure about where they may live after leaving residence
• Demonstrating concerning behaviour/ decline in mental health
  • emotional highs and lows that the student finds difficulty to cope with
  • hallucinations, delusions, increased suspiciousness
  • erratic behaviour 
  • isolating self, decline in academic/social engagement 
• Experiencing multiple stressors and there is complexity to the situation, ie. traumatic, serious or critical incident who may need assistance coordinating multi resources and supports

How to Refer?

Faculty, professional staff and community partners can reach out to consult on a situation by contacting needtotalk@uwo.ca (they will connect you with a member of our team) or refer a student by completing the referral form. Please indicate 'residence student' on referral form. 

Please ensure the student you are referring is aware that a request for support is being made. If the student hasn't been made aware for a specific reason, please indicate this in 'reason for referral'.