Mental Health Awareness Week – where and how to access King’s’ services

An overview of everything King’s offers for students regarding mental health


As someone who has been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, coming to university completely uprooted my mental health support network. It’s not only extremely daunting, but it can be a little confusing to reach out to the services that King’s provides. This Mental Health Awareness Week, the King’s Tab has briefly outlined each service available and how to access them:

KCL Counselling Service

This is perhaps the most well known mental health service offered by the university. You must be registered with a UK based GP in order to have access to the service. To self-refer, complete this form. The different types of counselling they offer are:

  • Psychodynamic counselling
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Mental Health Advice
  • Psychiatric support
  • Psychoeducational workshops
  • Individual or group support

Email: [email protected]

Unfortunately, due to the popularity of this service, waiting times have been known to be rather long. Further in this article you can find extra support if you need it whilst you wait for your appointment.

King’s College London NHS Health Center

If you are registered to the KCL NHS clinic, you can access a wide variety of GP mental health services. These include:

  • Psychiatric referrals
  • Eating disorder service
  • Autism clinic
  • Complex mental health clinic
  • Self-referral Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (external)

Contact number: 020 7848 2613
Email: [email protected]

Bush House, 3rd Floor South East Wing, 300 The Strand, WC2B 4PJ

Disability Support

This service includes support to those with existing mental health conditions. If your mental health is impairing your academic performance, don’t hesitate to get the help you need. Through the disability support service you can access:

  • Personalized Assessment Arrangements
  • King’s Inclusion Plan
  • Additional learning support

You will need evidence of your condition to be granted these services, which you can obtain through your GP.

Contact number: 020 7848 1234
Email: [email protected]

Health and Wellbeing

For a more holistic approach to maintaining your overall mental health, the university has assembled the ‘King’s Way to Wellbeing’. Here you can find advice on how to get “the most out of your university experience” through the various activities that King’s offers. Additionally, the KCLSU also provides a Wellbeing Hub with support networks of a similar nature. With events like meditation, yoga and mindfullness, this is a good option for those who want to take a break and de-stress from academic life.

Emergency Support

If you or someone you know is in a crisis and is in immediate danger, King’s has put together a list of important numbers and key advice. Here is a brief overview of the most important things to know if you feel like you are at risk of harming yourself:

  • Call the emergency services at 999
  • Go to your nearest Accident and Emergency (A&E)
  • Call the Samaritans on 116 123
  • Text Shout on 85258
  • Download the Stay Alive app

Do not hesitate to get help when you need it. You can find further information here.

External partnerships

King’s has partnered with numerous external services for certain things, such as out of hours counselling and online services.

This student services article outlines some other external services and resources for seeking support off-campus.

Personal Tutor

Finally, you can also contact your personal tutor for further advice and guidance, especially for academic related stress. You can book a virtual meeting with them or simply drop them an email with your concerns.

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