The Counselling Centre

PersonalCounselling • Academic & life skills Coaching •Consulting

4th Floor, Student Centre 902-420-5615

Dear Student,

Welcome to The Counselling Centre.

What you should know about our service:

  • Our Staff are dedicated to helping students meet their academic, life and personal goals.
  • All Staff are trained as generalists, you will be offered a referral to an off campus service if you are requesting assistance with a specialty area.
  • The Counselling Centre is not an emergency clinic. All emergencies are referred to the QEII Emergency Department on Robie Street (19 years old and over)or the IWK Emergency Department (under 19 years old) on South Street.
  • We provide short-term, goal-oriented counselling to students currently registered and attending classes

A few guidelines to keep in mind:

  1. We make every effort to see students as soon as possible, but at certain times during the academic yearyou may have to wait longerfor an appointment. Because of this we ask the following:
  • If you change your mind about attending your appointment, are sick, too busy, etc., please call and cancel 24 hours in advance when possible. This allows another student the opportunity to come to The Counselling Centre sooner. We won’t ask why you are canceling but may ask if you want to rebook. Please call our Secretary, Ashleigh,at 902-420-5615 between the hours of 8:30am-4:30pmor leave us a voice message after 4:30 pm.If you cancel you are still welcome to book another appointmentat a later date.
  • If you wish,you can request to be put on a waiting list and at the same time hold a scheduled appointment. If someone cancels in an earlier timeslot, you will be offered their appointment time. Our Secretary will call/email to see if you are available. In order to ensure your privacy, if you are not home a message will be left for you to call Student Services, not The Counselling Centre.
  • Our Clinical Therapists/Psychologists see students for short term issues; normally up to 50 minute sessions, spaced every two weeks. The majority of students do not use eight sessions to deal with their concern(s). Working with you, the Clinician will decide upon the number and frequency of sessions required. Our Intake & Programs Coordinator will also work with you to determine the best number of sessions to meet your goals related to Academic & Life Skills Coaching. Due to our wait list, if you do not show for two consecutive appointments without calling to cancel you will be asked to contact the Assistant Director of Student Services directly before being able to book another appointment so that we can establish how best to assist you.
  • If you carry medical coverage through the University, you are eligible for up to $1000.00 worth of counselling with an outside service. A list of Psychologists can be found at and normally you can be seen within a week. Some other medical plans (e.g., Blue Cross) also have coverage for psychological services. Clinical Therapists/Psychologists in the community chargeapproximately $150 - $175 per hour.
  • If you feel your concern is an emergency or if your feelings worsen and intensify, go directly to the QEII Emergency Department/IWK Emergency Departmentor call the Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team at 902-429-8167. Do not wait for your scheduled appointment.
  1. We encourage you to access our virtual library for topics of interest and assessments to complete. Also try WellTrack an online psychoeducational program free to our students. To access WellTrack please visit: signup.mywelltrack.com, enter your access code (access code: SMUCC) and create an account.
  1. If during your counselling you no longer wish to see your Clinical Therapist/Psychologist but see another staff person it is advisable to discuss this with them before switching. There needs to be a good fit and level of comfort for counselling to be effective. Our staff want to know from you what is working and isn’t working,so please feel free to share that information. If you just wish to switch that is fine too, and let our Secretary know and she will book you with someone else.
  1. If you ever have any concerns regarding the service you are receiving please feel free to call the Assistant Director of Student Services, Sarah Morris at 902-420-5601 (confidential line) or email her at . We want to provide the best service possible and welcome any feedback.
  1. An outside company, Morneau Shepell, offers 24/7, free and confidential, telephone, email and internet counselling to all of our students. Morneau Shepell offers counselling in a variety of languages. Call 1-855-649-8641 anytime and anywhere in Canada for support and tell them you want to speak with someone immediately if needed.

24 Hour Resources

Morneau Shepell (24/7 Service – free to smu students)1-855-649-8641

211(home care, shelters, addictions, child care etc.)211

Avalon Sexual Assault Centre(not 24 hours, 8:30am-4:30pm)902-422-4240

SANE (24/7 Service) (recent sexual assaults, last 5 days)902-425-0122

Adsum House (for homeless women and children)902-423-4443

Byrony House Distress Line (for battered women and children)902-422-7650

Metro Turning Point (for homeless men)902-420-3282

Mental Health Mobile Crisis Team (24/7 service)902-429-8167

SMU Nurse/Manager (24/7 service) 902-471-8129

Gambling Help Line1-888-347-8888

SMU Sexual assault case manager 902-496-8778

Peer supporters (smu students supporting mental health) –

Transitions Booklet (mental Health) -

Please refrain from wearing scents and turn off your cell phone when in session and in waiting area. Thank you.

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