Wellbeing FAQs

The term ‘Wellbeing’ covers a person’s social, emotional psychological and mental health. It is important at all stages in our life.

Wellbeing is important because it affects all areas of our lives – impacting our ability to concentrate, learn and be successful, as well as our capacity for building and sustaining relationships. It can also impact our ability to cope with change and transitions.

If you feel you need to talk things through and would like to speak to ESE's Student Wellbeing Advisor, Anita Murphy, please drop by G.33, meet on Microsoft Teams, or email Anita on anita.murphy@imperial.ac.uk.

Any support given will be confidential and discreet unless there is a concern about risk, in which case we may need to talk to your GP or include another member of staff in the department. We will always try and talk to you about this first.

No, accessing support is a sign that you are motivated, self-aware and empowered.

No, the college sees accessing support a sign of strength not something to be punished for. In fact, reaching out to support within the department may help if you have fallen behind with your studies or are not doing as well on your course as you had hoped.

The wellbeing support is for any student in the department who feels that it may benefit them to speak to someone. Most people can benefit from talking to someone and sharing any worries they may have. It is best to access support as early as possible as waiting can make recovery much harder than it needs to be. Don’t wait for a crisis point to seek help.

ESE's Student Wellbeing Advisor Anita Murphy is a qualified counsellor; however, wellbeing support is not the same as counselling. Wellbeing support is much broader and offers you the chance to come and talk about anything that may be on your mind. Following your appointment, it may be that counselling is the right next step, in which case Anita will signpost you to the counselling service. Or it may be that Anita or another form of support is more appropriate for you, in which case we will discuss this and work out the best next step for you.

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing a mental health crisis you can call the NHS 24-hour Mental Health Crisis Lines:

• Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hillingdon, Brent, Camden and Harrow: 0800 0234 650
• Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham and Hounslow: 0300 1234 244
• Wandsworth: 020 3513 4421
• Berkshire: 0300 365 9999

If you are concerned about the immediate safety of yourself or of someone else you should call 999. Alternatively, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123.