Workshops and Courses

Procrastination to Productivity

• Are you your own worst critic? 
• Do you feel paralysed by the demands of your course? 
• Do you focus only on your mistakes?

Many of us put off important tasks and end up rushing towards (or missing) deadlines and we just don’t know why. Why can’t we just ‘get it done’? The reasons for and methods we use to procrastinate are often varied and individual. There is no straightforward answer, but this workshop aims to give you the space to begin to understand the causes of procrastination and learn practical ways to address these behaviours.

Upcoming dates:

• Wednesday 6th November 12.30 - 2.00pm - in person in the Sherfield Building, level 5, Room SALC 9      

       Register here

Introduction to Self-Compassion

Do you find yourself experiencing high levels of self-criticism and blame yourself for things that are not your fault? Do you regularly compare yourself to others and experience low self-esteem? Research has demonstrated that developing self-compassion can improve emotional wellbeing, enhance your ability to cope with life challenges and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. This workshop introduces the ideas and approaches of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), developed by Professor Paul Gilbert. We will explore common fears and blocks to self-compassion and introduce some simple ways of cultivating a more compassionate relationship with ourselves.

Upcoming dates:

• Wednesday 13^th November 12.30 - 2.30pm - in person at the Chaplaincy Multi-Faith Centre, 15 Prince's Gardens, SW7 1NA - View on map

     Register here

Overcoming Perfectionism - Healthy striving versus staying stuck

This workshop may be useful to you if you often feel paralysed by the standards you feel you cannot attain.   

The reasons for our perfectionism are varied and individual.  In this workshop we will explore the types of perfectionism and compare healthy striving versus staying stuck.  We will discuss the beliefs associated with perfectionism and develop a personalised toolbox of strategies that you can take away to support you in your studies.

Upcoming dates: 

• Thursday 21^st November 12.30-2.30pm - in person at the Chaplaincy Multi-Faith Centre, 15 Prince's Gardens, SW7 1NA - View on map           

      Register here

Feeling Connected: Authenticity, Communication, and Relationships 

Friendships, romantic relations, relationships with an authority figure or family member, or the relationship we have with ourselves, all form a crucial part of life at university. We invite you to explore this topic at our workshop aimed to help you understand and relate to others with awareness, openness, and trust.

What does it mean to feel truly connected to others?

How can you be yourself and at the same time, consider the needs of others?

Are relationships a source of joy and support or do they feel too difficult to navigate?

Are you feeling isolated when people around you seem to enjoy being together?

Join us to consider cultural issues, attachment styles, effective communication skills and boundary setting.

Upcoming dates:

• Friday 29th November 12.00 - 2.00pm - in person in Library Room 408 in the Abdus Salam Library

       Register here        

Sleep Well

Difficulty falling asleep?

Waking in the night?

Regularly getting less sleep than you need?

If lack of sleep is affecting your health and wellbeing or your ability to study, then this may be the workshop for you. This workshop will provide students with general knowledge on the biology of sleep and will aim to help students increase their understanding of why they may be struggling with sleep as well as learn more about sleep hygiene and ways to improve sleep using practical techniques.

Upcoming dates:

• Thursday 5^th December 12.30 - 14.00 - in person at the Chaplaincy Multi-Faith Centre, 15 Prince's Gardens, SW7 1NA - View on map          

Register here

Stress Less for Exam Success

Are you feeling stressed regarding your exams and have difficulties concentrating and relaxing? Well, this webinar might be the right one for you. In this one-hour webinar which you can watch on your own time, we will focus on the negative impact of stress and anxiety, and understand how this can impact revision and performance in exams. We will discuss ways to improve your study routine and reduce your level of stress to help you feel more prepared for exams.

There will be a live Question & Answer session at the start of December with one of our student counsellors and one of our mental health study mentors, so we encourage you to send in all your questions beforehand via the comments section on YouTube or you can also ask during our live Q&A. Please note these can be sent in anonymously during the Q&A.

Important dates:

During the months of November - January - watch our Stress Less for Exam Success informational video

There will be a Live Q&A session on Zoom on Wednesday, 4th December from 10:00-11:00am. Register here to join the Q&A session.

This 4-week course is designed for people who experience low mood and would like to learn techniques to manage it better, whilst connecting with other students who are experiencing similar challenges. 

The Mood Boost course is an opportunity to learn new skills and tools which you can use to feel happier, more relaxed and confident, and less sad, irritated, or worried. The course includes information about low mood, how to set realistic goals, ways to get a better balance of activities in your life, ways to manage unhelpful thoughts, and how to improve your general wellbeing. 

The course is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is an effective evidence-based intervention for low mood and will be led by two of our Student Counsellors.

This is a 4-week course and participants will need to commit to attending all four sessions in order to fully benefit from and complete the course. If you are unable to attend all 4 dates listed below, please wait until the next course is delivered.

What students are saying:

‘I always knew I wasn’t the only one struggling with low mood at Imperial, but there’s a big difference between knowing that you’re not alone and feeling like you’re not alone’

Autumn 2024 term dates:

• Tuesday 22^nd October
• Tuesday 29^th October
• Tuesday 5^th November
• Tuesday 12^th November

All sessions will run from 12:15 - 13:45pm in person.

Register your interest in attending here.

This 4 week bespoke course is aimed at decreasing stress, anxiety, pain and low mood; combining both Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy.

This course will help you to develop a daily mindfulness practice, rewiring your nervous system to be present in this moment, cultivating an experience of safety and connection, reducing threat-based hypervigilance and rumination. Evidence suggests MBSR can increase resilience and creativity, improve relationships and communication. Students demonstrate an improvement in health, well-being, self-esteem, sleep, concentration and memory.

The course is experiential, and will help you to get into your body, recognise thoughts and feelings, learn to regulate your nervous system, increase resilience and reduce shame, suffering and disconnection. We distinguish between nourishing and depleting activities and begin making conscious choices, so that you are best prepared to look after yourself.

What students are saying:

‘'Couldn't live without the knowledge and skills gained on this course. Every student and person I wish could be blessed with this course'

Autumn 2024 term dates:

• Tuesday 19th November
• Tuesday 26th November
• Tuesday 3rd December
• Tuesday 10th December

All sessions will run from 12:30 - 14:00pm in person.

Register your interest in attending here.

This 6 week therapeutic group is specifically designed for students who have strong critical tendencies, self-judgement, comparing to others, perfectionism or low self-esteem and who would like to work on changing these tendencies with a compassion focused approach. 

The group introduces theory, resources, and techniques from Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) to help develop mindfulness and notice thoughts and behaviours that may be contributing to distress. It provides a space for developing alternative ways of thinking and being that might be more helpful. There will be a large experiential aspect to the group, with plenty of opportunity for discussion and practice in relating the theory of CFT to your own and others’ experiences and is an opportunity to learn new skills in a supportive atmosphere.

This is a weekly 2 hour ‘in person’ therapy group run over 6 consecutive weeks. Attendance is required at every session.

The next group will start on Wednesday 6th November 2024 and run weekly on the following dates:

• Wednesday, 6th November 2pm-4pm
• Wednesday, 13th November 2pm-4pm
• Wednesday, 20th November 2pm-4pm
• Wednesday, 27th November 2pm-4pm
• Wednesday, 4th December 2pm-4pm
• Wednesday, 11th December 2pm-4pm

If you are interested in joining this therapeutic group, please sign up here to be invited to a brief online meeting with one of the group facilitators, who can assess your suitability for the group before joining.

Please note you may either attend individual counselling or group counselling, not both in the same academic year.