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Access to the service begins with "Drop-In" (a screening session). Our drop-in hours are Monday to Friday between 10:00am - 11.40am in room CM-073 in the main building. No appointment is necessary. Remote Drop-in is only available to students who are on Erasmus or placement outside Limerick. If you require a remote Drop-In, please contact Counselling@ul.ie at least 24 hours prior to the next Drop-in day.
Some students are more comfortable when drop-in is quieter. This is usually the case from 10-11am.
At Drop-in, you will be asked to fill out an online registration form and some mental health screening forms. This takes about 10 minutes. You will then spend 10-15 minutes with a Psychology Assistant who will explore what is going on for you.
Please allow 30-45 minutes for Drop-In depending on the queue. Drop-In can get busy so you may need to wait to be seen.
Further supports after Drop-In will depend upon your needs and on resources available (e.g., Bibliotherapy, online supports, short term counselling). Alternatively, you may be referred to a specialist mental health / support service inside or outside of UL.
Students accessing the service outside of Europe cannot be offered online counselling for indemnity purposes. Please do approach the services within your host university for supports if this applies to you.
UL Student Counselling and Wellbeing Service may provide sessions via a hybrid service; remote (phone/TEAMS) and face to face. Online sessions will remain necessary for some students given the limitations of physical space at the service. Please read our remote appointment guidelines for further information.
The stepped care model is comprised of 4 steps:
Many people attending the service will be offered supports and guidance that promote self-development. These may include: bibliotherapy relevant to your difficulties; sign-posting to a more appropriate service; or the recommendation to engage with Silvercloud, either on your own ('self-help' version) or with the support of a team member ('supported' version). Silvercloud is an online cognitive-behavioural mental health support which provides a variety of different programmes. Examples of such programmes include; managing stress, developing resilience, coping with anxiety, and coping with low mood. The materials recommended to you will be based on the information provided at Drop-In. Discover more
As a primary mental health care service, UL Student Counselling and Wellbeing Service does not provide long-term counselling. Brief and focussed counselling may be offered in some cases, depending upon both need and resourcing. Counselling is not the same as giving advice. Rather, a counsellor seeks to help you understand more clearly the issues that concern you. By respecting your own values, choices and lifestyle, the counsellor can work with you towards making choices or changes that are right for you. Counsellors at the service draw on various counselling and psychological theories to support you with your difficulties. Effective counselling is the product of a relationship with another person. This relationship is one of support, education and challenge, warmth and empathy.
In some circumstances and with the review and approval of the Head/Deputy Head of Counselling, students may be offered some additional sessions if deemed appropriate. This will depend upon the clinical history and risk factors.
In some instances, a student who attends Drop-In may be identified as having mental health needs that exceed the remit of a primary mental health care service. Alternatively, they may have needs that require specific care. In these circumstances the student will be supported to access the most appropriate service for their needs. Examples of such services include; The HSE Adult Mental Health Teams, addiction services, rape crisis services, disability services, The HSE National Counselling Service, etc. All students should be registered with a GP, and it is often helpful if you inform your GP that you are attending the UL Student Counselling and Wellbeing Service. Although rare, occasionally, some HSE services will not accept a referral from the UL counselling service. Being registered with a GP outside of the university will overcome this issue should it arise.
If you are at risk / suicidal please immediately contact either the crisis liaison mental health team at the University Hospital Limerick (061 301111) or your local hospital, or your GP immediately.