Mental health support
For information on how DMU's response to COVID-19 may affect your studies, please visit our dedicated advice page.
We want to try and ensure that all students have a positive experience at DMU. So it is important that you ask for advice and support as early as possible with issues to reduce the possible impact on your mental health.
The Mental HealthTeam support students with existing mental health conditions in addition to offering advice/support on the following
- Assessment of whether practical adjustment’s could be made to teaching, coursework hand-in times or exams, to try and reduce the impact that a mental health condition has on the your studies at university.
- Support when discussing needs to teaching staff should this be required.
- Practical goal setting and suggestions of how to address certain issues you may be experiencing.
- Support accessing local statutory services such as the NHS.
- Signposting to agencies who are able to support students with alcohol and substance use issues.
- Signposting to counselling services.
The Wellbeing Service is unable to offer face-to-face Counselling sessions at this time. This will change for the beginning of the academic year. This is because we want to ensure students and staff are not exposed to unnecessary risk and so are following Government social distancing guidelines. Since it is unclear for how long social distancing measures will be in place, we do not know when we will be able to return to offering face-to-face sessions.
For now, we can offer you two focused sessions of counselling support with a member of our counselling team by phone.
These sessions are a chance to talk through what you are dealing with and explore possible solutions or changes you could make that might help you feel better.
Our hope is that working in this more focused way means we can offer you support in a safe and reliable way, as soon as possible.
To access support please email wellbeing@dmu.ac.uk or book a Single Point of Access (SPA) appointment via MyGateway.
Informing DMU about your mental health condition
We strongly recommend that you inform DMU if you have any existing mental health conditions; this will enable DMU to make you aware of the support you are entitled to. If you have medical evidence to support your condition, it is advisable to provide DMU with a copy so you can access further support that you may be entitled to.
To disclose a mental health condition, email wellbeing@dmu.ac.uk with as much information as you are comfortable with sharing and a copy of your medical evidence if you have it.
Following the re-opening of the DMU campus, there will also be an option to drop medical evidence off at Gateway House Reception. Please mark envelopes with For Attention Of The Wellbeing Team and include a signed copy of the consent form. This will allow us to liaise with other departments at DMU and provide the support required to meet your needs.
Read about the Data Protection Law that DMU adheres to when handling your information here.
Making contact with the Mental Health team
To ensure that we direct you to the appropriate service you must first book a Single Point of Access Appointment (SPA) where your needs will be assessed. These appointments can be booked via MyGateway.
If you have already been working with one of the teams mentioned then please contact them in the first instance, follow the link on team name to email them.
What is a Single Point of Access Appointment (SPA)?
- A 45 minute appointment.
- An opportunity to discuss your situation with a member of support staff.
- You will be offered advice on the day and referral to a member of the wellbeing team.
- At the end of the appointment, you will be given an action plan of what to do next.
Find us on Twitter @DMUwellbeing for tips and info on a range of mental health and wellbeing issues.