Short Term Counselling via TalkCampus

Counselling, also referred to as therapy, is a talking therapy that involves a trained practitioner listening to you and helping you find ways to deal with emotional issues. The process can help change how you are feeling, and for many people they find that they learn some new ways of coping which also helps them to feel better.

In most cases, Therapy is confidential, and your therapist will not share what you discuss with anyone else. However, there are a few exceptions. For instance, if someone shows a clear intention to seriously harm themselves or if someone else is at risk, the therapist is required to inform emergency services or the relevant authorities to ensure safety.

Please discuss with your therapist their legal obligations to confidentiality if you have any concerns or questions.

Please allow 1 working day for your BetterHelp email to come through. Once you’ve completed your therapist matching form with BetterHelp, you can be matched with a therapist within an hour.

In some cases where you may have more specific preferences it may take up to a couple of days to ensure they can find you the perfect match.

You will be matched with a therapist based on your goals, preferences, and the issues you're experiencing.

Each therapist has their own approach and areas of expertise, so it's important to find the right fit for you. If at any point you feel your therapist isn't suitable, you can request to be matched with a different one.

Every therapist providing Services on the Platform is a registered and/or licensed (as applicable) and experienced therapist, counsellor, psychologist or social worker.

Therapists must have a relevant academic degree in their field, at least 3 years of experience, and have to be qualified and credentialed by their respective professional organisation after successfully completing the necessary education, exams, training, and practice requirements as applicable.

You can receive Therapy in four ways:

• Video conferencing with your therapist where you see each other and talk with each other in a virtual face-to-face setting (similar to Zoom or FaceTime).

• Phone calls using your landline or mobile, no matter where you are.

• Synchronous messaging; A real time, written conversation with your therapist at a time you’ve both agreed.

• Asynchronous messaging; at your own pace, and on your own schedule, where you and your therapist exchange messages throughout the week.

You can use different ways at different times as you wish, based on your needs, availability, and convenience. After you have signed up, you will be taken through a simple process to set up your preferences.

Please be aware that if you message back and forth with your therapist outside of a video or phone session this may be counted as one of your assigned sessions.

Your first session is an opportunity to get to know your therapist and to begin to outline what you hope to achieve through your sessions. This may include any goals you want to work on. Your therapist will introduce themselves and explain their role as well as the structure of the sessions so you know what to expect. They will ask you about your current situation, your reasons for seeking support and any specific difficulties you want to address.

Don't worry if you're not yet sure what these might be as your therapist is there to support and guide you through the process. You will also have the opportunity to ask any questions you might have.

You will receive a certain number of sessions, approved by your institution, however asynchronous messaging sessions don’t have a start and end time so alternative data is used to count how many ‘sessions’ you have had (equivalent to time spent with your therapist). Each 500 word exchange counts as one session.

We understand that sometimes things can take a bit longer. The process for session extensions will vary a little depending on what your institution have agreed with us.

You have the ability to change therapists whenever you want. You will just need to let BetterHelp support know and they will support you in finding another. You do not need to notify the therapist, if you do not feel comfortable.

Please note your session limit will still apply, e.g. if you had 6 sessions and used 3 with your first therapist, you will have 3 left to use with the second therapist.

Therapy may be right for you if you're looking to improve the quality of your life and your mental health. We have therapists who specialise in specific issues such as stress, anxiety, relationships, parenting, depression, addictions, eating, sleeping, trauma, anger, family conflicts, LGBT matters, grief, religion, self esteem, and more.

Therapy isn’t appropriate if you’re in a crisis or emergency situation. If you are in a crisis and in need of urgent support, please contact your local emergency services.

If you would like to speak to someone for advice or support at any time of the day or night, you can find a list of verified helplines here.

Therapy may also not be suitable if you’re experiencing severe mental health issues.

In some cases, Therapy will also not be suitable if you do not have a reliable internet connection or a device that can connect to the internet (unless you opted for asynchronous messaging and can access the platform).

If your needs change during therapy your therapist will talk you through other organisations which may be able to help (e.g. signposting to crisis helplines), but it’s important to remember that you should also get back in touch with your University.

BetterHelp is not a crisis service. If you experience thoughts and feelings around harming yourself, it is really important that you seek in person help, whether that is from your university, the emergency services or your doctor.

Contact us at support@talklife.co