Outdoor Counselling

Outdoor counselling has several benefits for students, especially for those who feel comfortable talking outside.

If you have any barriers or medical issues (including mobility issues/allergies/phobias) which may impact our ability to conduct outdoor therapy sessions, please let the service know in advance of your appointment.

Please consider the following scenarios and how you wish to manage them:

If we pass someone you know during a session, would you wish to acknowledge/greet them?
If this person wants to stop and speak to you, how would you manage this?
If they enquire about the counsellor you are with, how would you like to manage this?
- If your counsellor is posed this question, they will respond that they know you through work. Would you be okay with this?
How do you feel about completing outdoor therapy in inclement weather? Please note that the session location may be changed due to adverse weather.
Do you have any concerns or questions about outdoor therapy? E.g. “What if I get upset during my session?” Please don’t hesitate to reach out to sws.therapyappointments@newcastle.ac.uk with any questions ahead of your session.

Finally, please read the information below and have these in place before each outdoor therapy session occurs.

Please ensure:

Your clothing and footwear are appropriate for the weather.
You are carrying any medication you may require.
Your phone is charged.
You have a drink, if you require one, or the money to purchase one.
You have downloaded the Safezone App via the app store on your phone. In the unlikely event of an emergency, please call 999 or alert the campus security team on 0191 208 6817 or via Safezone app (if on campus). You can also use the app ‘what 3 words’ to indicate your exact location.

Please be mindful that:

You will need to carry any belongings with you. Personal belongings are unable to be stored on campus during outdoor therapy sessions due to a lack of secure space.
Smoking and vaping are not permitted during outdoor therapy sessions.

Thank you for verbally consenting to these additional terms and conditions in line with the Student Health and Wellbeing information for students.

"It was great to be outdoors with my therapist. It felt easier and more equal than being in a room and allowed me to talk more freely."

Respect privacy

Sessions are confidential and a route will be taken to ensure enough privacy to speak one-to-one. Please do not bring anyone else with you.

Consider your presentation

Outdoor counselling sessions may feel more relaxed than sessions in an indoor space, however it is important to present yourself as you would in any campus building.

While your comfort during the session is important, please dress in such a way that is appropriate both for the appointment and the weather.

Avoid eating and other behaviours

We ask that you refrain from eating during therapy sessions as this can be a distraction. You are welcome to drink non-alcoholic beverages but no smoking, vaping or other behaviours which you wouldn't ordinarily bring with you in person.

Non-attendance and cancellations

If you miss a counselling session or cancel without giving us at least 24 hours notice, that session will count as one of the sessions we can offer.

If you attend more than 15 minutes late for an appointment, the session will not be able to take place.

If within the duration of your counselling, any of the below scenarios take place, we will take that to mean that you no longer need counselling and won’t schedule further appointments.

you miss two counselling sessions
you cancel two sessions without 24 hours notice or more
you miss one session and cancel one without 24 hours notice

If you need to cancel or rearrange an appointment please email sws.therapyappointments@newcastle.ac.uk

We’ll only use your University email address (rather than a personal one) so please check your inbox and junk folder regularly. We may also contact you by telephone so it’s important you also check your voicemail regularly if you’ve given us a phone number.

Information Sharing Agreement

Understanding information sharing and confidentiality is an essential part of the support process.

What we talk about your appointments is kept confidential within the wellbeing service and will only ever be shared with professionals involved in your care.

If we become significantly concerned about your wellbeing or safety, we may need to involve a third party (GP, crisis team) or a trusted contact. The purpose of this is to provide support outside of university.

Normally we will only contact this person in collaboration with you and with your consent. We may sometimes need to contact your nominated person without your consent, if for any reason we cannot work with you to contact them and we believe you or someone else is in danger, this could include but is not limited to:

Situations of serious concern regarding a student’s mental health or welfare.
If you become seriously ill, injured or have to go to hospital due to an emergency.
If you fail to engage with your studies, professional support, or do not respond to a reasonable number of attempts to contact you.
If you are seriously ill, or your health is deteriorating.
If someone is threatening your safety and we feel your trusted contact is required to safeguard you.
If we need to take reasonable action to prevent an unlawful act (e.g., harm to someone).
If any needed care or support is affecting your wellbeing.
If you are at risk of harm or neglect.

Records

We keep brief records about your contact with us, your notes will be stored securely on an electronic database.

Evaluation

We want to provide you with the very best service possible and will ask you a small number of questions at the start and end of your counselling, this helps us to ensure we are supporting you effectively and helps us make positive changes to the services we provide.

PEC evidence

Wellbeing appointments should not be booked solely for PEC evidence. We’re only able to provide PEC evidence for students who are currently accessing the service, or have historically accessed the service. Visit the Student Progress webpage 'Circumstances Affecting your Studies' at www.ncl.ac.uk/student-progress/circumstances/ for further details about the PEC process.

Urgent help

Counselling