Students getting health and wellbeing support

Your health and wellbeing matters to us

Discover the health and wellbeing services you can access when you study with us

Coming to university is exciting, but it can also be a challenge.

We understand this new change could affect your mental health, physical health and wellbeing, so you'll find lots of support when you get here. From the outset, our Student Wellbeing Service and Residence Life Team will help you settle in and guide you. We'll support you in your studies if you're living with anxiety, stress or depression, or supporting someone who is.

You'll also have free access to workshops and courses to support your mental health, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) courses and workshops in compassionate mind training. You can get support and guidance directly through us, or through our partnerships with wellbeing organisations across the city.

In regard to the extra help and support with uni work and student wellbeing, it was nice to know the Uni offered a lot of different services.

Lyncia Mande, BA (Hons) English Language and Linguistics

How we support your wellbeing

Residence Life Team

When you move into your accommodation, you'll get free 24/7 confidential welfare support and advice from the Residence Life Team based in Bateson Hall. They manage the welfare and concerns of students living in our halls of residence, and provide support for all first-year students living in private accommodation or Unite halls.

If you're staying in our halls of residence, members of the Residence Life Team are available in person during the day. During the evenings, you can reach their out-of-hours care by calling security. If you live outside of halls during first year, you can contact the team on the phone.

You can discuss confidential matters with a member of the team by booking an appointment, or going to an evening drop-in surgery.

The Residence Life Team can help you by:

  • Mediating difficulties with flatmates
  • Listening to concerns about your studies and signposting you to support
  • Responding to an emergency situation

Residence life assistants

The Residence Life Team has student assistants who can use their own experience of living in halls to support you. They're trained in all likely issues and are available in halls to help you for 2 hours every evening during the week.

Residence Life Team events

The Residence Life Team runs a programme of events during the year to help you settle in and have the best possible experience while living away from home. They run events including film nights, quizzes, CV workshops, karaoke nights, speed-friending and games nights.

The events are based around 4 main principles:

  1. Community building – your responsibility in a communal living environment
  2. Social – inclusivity in your community
  3. Wellbeing – your welfare, health, safety, comfort and security in our accommodation
  4. Skills – academic and study skills

Student Wellbeing Service

You can get personal and emotional support, mental health support and counselling from our Student Wellbeing Service. They organise workshops, courses and events throughout the academic year.

Welcome to the Student Wellbeing Service

Want to know how about the support we offer at the University of Portsmouth? Hear from our team at the Student Wellbeing service. 

As a student at the University of Portsmouth, we want you to fulfil your potential and have a life-changing student experience.

The Student Wellbeing Service is the hub for learning, adviceand support for your emotional wellbeing and mental health.

If you are new to university life, then you may be facing a number of life challenges.

Transition from home to a new life, financial independence, new friendships and relationships, living independently, and of course, new academic challenges and expectations.

For all students, when you're facing challenges, it is likely you will find yourself feeling stressed, worried, unhappy or anxious at times.

This does not mean there is something wrong with you. Learning to cope with these challenges constructively provides opportunities for growth and personal development.

The knowledge and tools you will develop are life skills that you can take forward and use long after graduation.

But if you do start to struggle at any point, please do come and see us straight away.

The Student Wellbeing Service is a team of practitioners with a broad range of experience, expertise and skills.

We have mental health advisors, counsellors and wellbeing advisors who offer 1-to-1 support.

You can come in and see us for these or you can book a phone or video call instead.

For more detailed information about everything that we provide and how to access the service, please visit our website.

And remember, if you think you need support, please come and see us.

1-to-1 support

When you need support, you can book a same-day short advice session or register for a longer appointment with our team of counsellors, wellbeing or mental health advisers. You'll get time and space in every session to explore your concerns and find a way forward.

If you're experiencing specific mental health difficulties, we'll assess your support needs, discuss treatment options and help you access support services and develop positive coping strategies.

Workshops and courses

If you're looking for personal development opportunities to support your wellbeing, you can sign up for workshops and courses run throughout the academic year by the Student Wellbeing Service and partnering organisations. They include topics like:

  • Managing exam stress
  • Bereavement support
  • Living and learning well with autism
  • Mindfulness

All workshops and courses are run in small groups, letting you share and learn from others in a relaxed and friendly environment while developing strategies that you can implement to improve your wellbeing.

Wellbeing Cafe

The Wellbeing Café is a chance to connect with others in person and take time out to focus on fun and relaxing wellbeing activities with other students that have an interest in investing in their wellbeing. At this meet-up, you can chat to other students and our Wellbeing Service Practitioners.

You can take part in activities developed by and for students who attend the Wellbeing Cafe such as games, crafts and mindfulness. Activities can also include practical support, such as budgeting advice to reduce the stress of managing money. Guest speakers lead discussions on wellbeing topics and run supportive, fun activities.

Feel Good Fest

Each year, we run Feel Good Fest to inspire you to take care of your wellbeing. You can join other students, staff, local artists and organisations at this free event packed with activities to promote personal wellbeing.

Activities at Feel Good Fest include:

  • Free food tasting
  • Performances and entertainment from societies
  • Craft workshops
  • 'Get Active' sports and recreation taster sessions
  • Giveaways and raffle prizes
Staff and students smiling at the University Feel Good Festival

Multi-faith chaplaincy

If you're looking for a quiet space to reflect or pray, guidance from our chaplains or somewhere to have lunch with friends, you can use our multi-faith Chaplaincy.

You can use the Chaplaincy facilities, including a multi-faith quiet room and Islamic prayer rooms, or speak to our chaplains who will:

  • Listen non-judgmentally
  • Encourage you to develop and grow
  • Support you for as long as it takes

As well as support for health and wellbeing, you can get support from our chaplains for faith issues, domestic abuse, pregnancy, refugee status, marriage advice, financial problems, substance abuse and academic concerns.

Students' Union Advice Service

You can also get confidential, impartial and non-judgemental support on academic and University issues from the Students' Union Advice Service. They can support you in academic appeals, extenuating circumstances and complaints.

As part of the Students' Union, this service is run independently from the University, but works closely with us to help resolve issues and make sure all students are treated fairly.

Online resources for wellbeing support

We offer a series of guides to help you with any issues you may encounter, and work with a range of providers to also offer you options for independent, anonymous and external support.

Staff member helping student crochet at feel good festival

Wellbeing resources and other support

Explore expert advice recommended by our Student Wellbeing Service, including mental health services and charities, and other resources and guides to help with your 

Access support

Supporting your physical health

If you live in Portsmouth while studying with us, you can register as a patient as the nearest doctor's surgery for NHS advice and support. You can often book appointments, request repeat prescriptions and view your GP record and tests results online.

You can also keep fit by getting a student membership to our University sports facilities from as little as £15 per month. Your membership gives you access to our gym with 4 floors of equipment, 50+ classes every week and racket sports bookings.

Other ways we support you