Counselling: frequently asked questions (FAQs)
If you can’t find the answer to your question email counselling@scu.edu.au and we’ll answer it for you.
SCU counselling services are located on campus at Gold Coast, Lismore and Coffs Harbour, The Hotel School Sydney and The Hotel School Melbourne. It’s free!
The SCU counselling service is completely free for students and is open for bookable appointments between 9am and 5pm on weekdays.
You can go the clinic and speak to the reception staff in person or you can give them a call.
What number do I call to book an appointment?
Gold Coast or Lismore (02) 6626 9300. Coffs Harbour (02) 6659 3263. Hotel School Sydney (02) 8249 3227 and Hotel School Melbourne (03) 9601 3400.
From the moment you call it’s really private, actually it’s TOTALLY confidential.
They also offer phone appointments and skype sessions — you just have to call the reception and book in a time and a counsellor will give you a call.
They also offer Zoom sessions for distance-education students. You just need to call and fill in the forms, then you will be sent a Zoom link for the appointment time.
What if you need help and it’s outside of Uni hours?
If you need help outside of the clinic opening hour, you can call the Out-of-Hours Crisis Support Line on 1300 782 676 — it operates between 5pm to 9am on weekdays and offers a 24-hour service on the weekends and public holidays.
Reasons for seeing a counsellor … what can they help with?
- Starting out at university — is this the right degree for me?
- Academic assistance — stress, deadlines, information on special consideration for particular circumstances.
- International students — new culture, new academic practices, new lifestyle substance use.
- Personal crises, grief and loss.
- Existing mental health issues.
- Graduation — where to from here?
What other support does the SCU counselling service offer?
- Support groups.
- Find like-minded people.
- Supportive environment.
- Help others and have others help you.
- Yoga, meditation and running groups.
- Reduce stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms Learn to manage stress.
- Strengthen the immune system Social interaction.
Physical self-care — eat regular and healthy meals, exercise, do something that you enjoy, get medical care if needed, get enough sleep, take a mini break, reduce alcohol and drug use, or get a massage.
Psychological self-care — write in a journal, make time for relaxation and reflection, be curious, say no to extra responsibilities, try something new, decrease stress in your life, read or watch movies that are thought-provoking and recognise and acknowledge your personal strengths. If you feel you are unable to be alone ask a friend to stay with you.
Emotional self-care — spend time with others who make you feel good, stay in touch with important people in your life, give yourself praise and affirmations, express your feeling in a safe way, find things that make you laugh and don’t be afraid of feelings and emotions-experience them as waves that come and go.
Spiritual self-care — spend time in nature, be open to inspirations, pray, meditate, sing, be open to not knowing, read inspirational books, reduce the influence of material things, turn off technology (telephones, TV, internet).
Study/Work self-care — take regular breaks, temporarily reduce workload, identify projects or goals that are exciting and rewarding, balance and plan workload so it doesn’t feel too much, talk with others about what you need at the moment
Visit the counselling tip sheets, online resources and wellbeing pages (you can join us on Facebook!).