Our staff

Our counsellors are fully qualified and experienced psychologists and social workers with extensive knowledge and understanding of the personal, family and work problems of students and staff. They continue to meet their professional bodies’ ongoing professional development and other membership requirements to ensure you get quality and up-to-date support for your issues.

Individual counselling

There can be times when you find it difficult to cope or are unsure about things and would like to talk to someone in confidence. Our professionally trained counsellors provide free, confidential individual counselling sessions.

You can come with any issue that is affecting your experience at VU, whether specifically related to study or not. You may have a longstanding problem or concern you feel you need to come to terms with, or you may be encountering new difficulties here at VU such as:

• coping with academic expectations or returning to formal study
• struggling to establish an identity to form relationships.

You may be struggling with a specific, well-defined problem - say, a difficult decision or dilemma. Or you may not have any idea what the problem is, but just have a sense that something isn’t right. Whatever your situation, age or background, there's always something beneficial you can get out of counselling.

Our frequently asked questions flyer provides responses to some of the most common questions students have before accessing Counselling services.

Your counsellor will:

• listen to you
• provide you with information about confidentiality
• be clear about how they can help you
• provide advice and information when appropriate
• provide you with choices around counselling
• assist you to gain a clearer understanding of what questions and issues you have
• identify appropriate strategies or options for you to consider.

In counselling, the learning is about yourself, who you really are and where you are going with your life, how to manage emotions, or how to resolve or cope with internal or interpersonal conflicts. Counselling can help renew your sense of active engagement in learning and life.

Feedback from students who received counselling services

I felt relieved & confident after talking to the counsellor that at least I shared my problems and some one has the time to listen to me share my issues with concern and tried to help provide a helping hand. It sort of lifted my spirit and motivated me to move on.

I have had a positive experience, and it has greatly helped develop myself personally.

I was on the whole happy with my counselling session, and would recommend the service to a friend if I thought they would need it.

The counsellor was very helpful, he understood my problem and was able to help me change my bad habits and improve my studies. I would definitely use this service again if the need arises.

Make an individual counselling appointment

To make an appointment please contact Student Engagement reception on telephone +61 3 9919 2399, +61 3 9919 8801 or +61 3 9919 4418. Counsellors are located on most campuses for student appointments.

Appointments usually take up to one hour. To get the most out of your appointment think about the issues you would like to discuss and what outcomes you would like to achieve.

Workshops for students

We offer free student workshops on common issues to enhance your learning experience. These workshops help to equip students with the skills, tools and resources to be able to handle the demands of university life.

They address various topics such as:

• succeeding at Uni
• exam anxiety
• Emotional Intelligence
• cross-cultural communication
• time management & overcoming procrastination.

The student workshop series for Semester 1 2013 will be published on the university events calendar (end of January 2013). If you would like to organise a workshop for students or for further information, please email our Senior Counsellor Ravi Lulla at ravi.lulla@vu.edu.au.

Help during the exam period

For a lot of students, exam times can be very stressful, where other issues in life seem to be amplified, and what you should be able to cope with can suddenly feel overwhelming.

The Counselling services can help you work on strategies and skills for the exam period in order to cope with exam anxiety.

During the exam period, there are special drop-in times organised to ensure you can see a counsellor urgently - this is available in the month leading up to and including the exam period. Counsellors are also available at the exam venue for drop-in sessions.

Coping with anxiety leading up to exams

Transcript for Coping with anxiety leading up to exams

Coping with anxiety during exams

Transcript for Coping with anxiety during exams

Support for special consideration

You can apply for special consideration if you:

• have had your course work or assessment affected by illness of other serious causes to a substantial degree at any time during the semester
• are unable to attend a scheduled examination due to illness or other special circumstances.

Please ensure you have read the forms and adhere to the specified time frames.

When applying for special consideration, you will need to provide supporting documentation if:

• the reason for your application is due to a medical condition, ask your medical practitioner to complete the relevant section.
• you have seen a non-VU counsellor about problems affecting your studies, that person is the more appropriate one to support your application.

Other applications only need external support verification in the form of a Statutory Declaration, notice of funeral, or police report.

You can consult a VU counsellor to discuss the matters that have disrupted your studies. As well as assisting you to manage the situation, the counsellor may also support your application if appropriate. To make the processes smoother, complete as much of the Special Consideration form as you can and bring it to your scheduled appointment or meeting with a Counsellor.

Should you have any concerns about special consideration, make an appointment to see a VU Counsellor.

Support and assistance for staff

We provide support and assistance for staff regarding student consultation, referring students to our services and our orientation and group programs. Contact us to book an orientation session or complete an online request form.

Counselling services also provide assistance for staff when dealing with a student in crisis.

Youth Mental Health First Aid training workshops for staff

This course teaches staff (and students-as-staff) how to assist adolescents who are developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. Course participants learn about adolescent development, the signs and symptoms of the common and disabling mental health problems in young people, where and how to get help when a young person is developing a mental illness, what sort of help has been shown by research to be effective, and how to provide first aid in a crisis situation.

For further details, please contact Darko Hajzler by email at darko.hajzler@vu.edu.au or phone +61 3 9919 2399.

Placement for counsellors-in-training

Counselling services periodically offers supervised placements when we have an available staff psychologist or social worker. For further information about the program and how to apply please refer to our student placement information sheet.

Contact Student Engagement

• St Albans campus: +61 3 9919 2399
• Footscray Nicholson campus: +61 3 9919 8801
• Footscray Park campus: +61 3 9919 4418

For 24/7 free and confidential assistance outside of business hours, please refer to the crisis contacts list.