Therapy for students

While society often overlooks the mental health of students, assuming them to be young and resilient, data collected by the Office for National Statistics during covid, showed that students actually reported feeling more anxious and less happy than the general population.

How we can help students?

First Psychology has significant experience working with students and young people with a wide range of issues including stress, depression, anxiety, loneliness, eating & body image issues, relationship problems and much more.

Therapy available during term time and holidays

We offer both in-person and online therapy and it can be helpful for some students to continue their therapy online through the holiday periods when they're back home. We also offer therapy throughout each weekday as well as during evenings and on Saturdays which enables sessions to be fitted in around studies and lifestyle.

Parents of students

Watching your grown up child go off to university can be incredibly stressful, but when you find out that they are struggling and far from home, it can be hard to know what to do for the best. We can help by speaking to your young person (with their agreement) and if they wish, we can book them in for an initial session with one of our experienced practitiioners.

Our team of practitioners are all approved by us so you can trust that they are fully trained and have the necessary experience to work with your loved one. If you wish, once a booking has been made, you can pay for their sessions online so they don't have to worry about the cost of seeking help.

Common issues affecting student mental health

The mental wellbeing of students can be affected by a number of factors including:

Not having an emotional support network around them due to living away from family and close friends.
Pressures related to studies
Worrying about how to pay for things, particularly with the cost of living being high.

University support

Most universities are aware of the challenges that students face and how these may affect their studies and wellbeing. However the provision of mental health support can vary widely throughout UK universities and colleges.

A survey of UK students was carried out in 2023 by Tab and the Campaign Against Living Miserably. It found that a large proportion of students were affected by some mental health issues but more than half of these students had chosen not to share this with their university. 65% of those who had sought help from their university were not happy with the support they received.

This is a concern because students do not have their support network to turn to and are often not getting the help they need from their educational institution.

According to data from the same survey, anxiety is the most common mental health issue that students report with loneliness and stress also being common.

Students are certainly not alone in their worries and stressors. Exam stress, submitting work on time, problems with friendships and social issues, and much more, students need support at this unsettling time in their lives and the support available in universities and colleges is often limited.

International students

While there are large numbers of international students in UK higher and further education institutions, these students may have even less support due to their families and friends being further way, differences in culture, language barriers, and worries about the costs of learning and additional tuition fees.
Find out more about our services for international students