Welfare support

College support

• Pastoral support for students is an essential component of collegiate life. It is delivered in different ways across the Colleges but your College is likely to have a number of people undertaking pastoral or welfare roles, such as a Senior Tutor, Tutors, Tutorial Office staff, College Nurse, Chaplain and student (JCR/MCR) Welfare Officers. Some also have a College Counsellor and/or a Mental Health Advisor.
• A Tutor is a member of College staff whose role is generally to provide all-around pastoral support, information, advice and guidance to students. Tutors can be approached for help with problems about study, finance, illness, friends and family or other personal circumstances. They can also refer or signpost you to other services both within Cambridge and externally. They are different to your DoS, who can be contacted for academic guidance.
• Each College JCR and MCR will have Welfare Reps for all students as well as Liberation Reps for particular student groups. You can approach these reps for informal support as you may be more comfortable talking to a peer. However, it’s important to remember that whilst these reps have been trained, they are not Tutors, Advisors, counsellors or medical practitioners and their primary role in supporting students is to be a listening ear and to provide signposting and information, rather than giving specialist advice and guidance.

University Counselling Service (UCS)

• Though your College Tutor, Director of Studies, nurse and chaplain are there for you, you might want to work through a hard time or some problems with someone outside of your everyday environment, and that’s where the University Counselling Service (UCS) come in.
• The UCS is available to all students and you are more than welcome to request a BME counsellor if you’d prefer.
• For more information visit the UCS webpages.
• The UCS sits alongside other services including the Mental Health Advice Service, Harassment & Violence Support Service and Postgraduate Wellbeing Service. Filling in the single student support request form is all you need to do to be directed to the service you need.

Accessibility & Disability Resource Centre (ADRC)

• The Accessibility & Disability Resource Centre (ADRC) provides a confidential and accessible service for disabled students and those staff supporting them.
• Every College has an advisor who can provide guidance, advice and support to applicants and students with a range of mental and physical disabilities and medical conditions. The ADRC also has advisers who support students with neurodiverse conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and autism.
• For more information on the ways in which the ADRC can support you in your learning and wellbeing at Cambridge visit the ADRC website.

GP and sexual health services

• All students living in Cambridge are strongly advised to register with a local GP practice (medical practice) on arrival, rather than waiting to feel unwell. This is particularly important if you have a medical condition that requires ongoing treatment. You can find a local GP using the NHS search tool and learn more about accessing GPs as a Cambridge student on the accessing healthcare webpage.
• iCASH Cambridgeshire provides integrated contraception and sexual health services across Cambridgeshire. Their LimeTree clinic on Mill Road offers a range of services from contraception to support and advice.
• For students who are experiencing common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety disorders (including generalised anxiety disorder (GAD); social anxiety; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); health anxiety; panic; phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)), you may wish to self-refer to the NHS Psychological Wellbeing Service. However, you do not need a diagnosis to access the service and they also see people with problems such as stress, low confidence, sleep disturbance and self-esteem issues.

Independent services

• Nightline is a listening service run by students for students. They provide confidential, anonymous, non-judgmental and non-directive support and information to Cambridge students. They are a listening rather than an advice service and will help students to talk things through. Similar initiatives, including the Samaritans, can be found on the Cambridge Students' Union website.
• The Student Advice Service offers free, confidential and impartial advice and support to all Cambridge students - undergraduate and postgraduate - from any College or course. You can come to the Student Advice Service with any issues or problems you might experience as a student, from making friends to working relationships, from exams to intermission, and from welfare concerns to finance.