The Big Picture
General well-being
We are here for you! University can be a challenging time, whether it’s academic stress, relationship troubles or you just want to chat about life, we are here to listen. We can also offer you information and the contact information for sources of guidance within college, Cambridge and/or the UK.
Note also that Student Minds Cambridge has released an amazing resource that is worth checking out in addition to this page: https://www.findsupportcam.com/
KCSU Members
You can find a list of your current KCSU Executive here: http://kcsu.org.uk/exec/. You can also email them anonymously from this page.
Emailing KCSU
For convenience here are the emails of the two welfare officers: male.welfare@kcsu.org.uk & female.welfare@kcsu.org.uk.
If you would like to send any member of the executive an anonymous message, you may simply press on their profile on The Exec page to bring up the anonymous contact form.
IMPORTANT: Using the anonymous contact form does not provide the member of the exec with the ability to respond to your email. If you would like the possibility of a response to your anonymous message, then you can set up an anonymous email address in order to do this. One website that lets you quickly and freely set up such an email address is https://protonmail.com/.
College Nurse – Susie Forster
The College Nurse, Susie Forster, is available to give any medical help/advice. The opening times for the College Health Centre (located by Webb’s Gate) are as follows:
- Monday 09:00 – 13:00
- Tuesday 09:00 – 17:00
- Wednesday 09:00-13:00
- Thursday 09:00 – 17:00
- Friday 09:00 – 13: 00
Susie runs a ‘drop-in’ clinic every morning 10:00 – 12:00 and Tuesday and Thursday afternoons 14:00 – 16:00. Appointments are available outside of these times, please email susie.forster@kings.cam.ac.uk or phone 01223 331650 for availability. You may also email to arrange a room visit.
Also see Webpage: http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/intranet/health-wellbeing.html#nurse
Cognitive Behavioural Therapist – Barbara Steen
Details Forthcoming.
The college nurse or the welfare tutor can refer you.
Mental Health Advisor – Joy Bray
Details Forthcoming.
The college nurse or the welfare tutor can refer you.
Chaplain – rev. Andrew Hammond
The Chaplain (rev. Andrew Hammond) works as an informal tutor for students and staff. He is absolutely lovely and you can email him at chaplain@kings.cam.ac.uk or stop by his office anytime. In his own words: “My basic pitch is that I can be contacted at any time, 24/7; people should never worry about the time”. The best way to set up a meeting with Andrew is via his mobile: 07884 185207, or by email. People can also go up to F6 to find him, there’s a doorbell in case the outer door is closed.
Andrew joined King’s as Chaplain after stints in London as a parish priest and as a minor canon of St Paul’s Cathedral. Before ordination in 2007, he worked in classical music: first as an opera singer, and then in arts management.
Tutors
Your tutors are members of staff who are available for any questions, concerns or comments you have regarding life here at King’s. If you are finding it hard to keep up with work and need to know how to approach either your DoS or supervisor, your tutors can help. If you want to have a chat about how you’re settling into Cambridge, your tutors can help as well. Although there are designated tutorial hours, you are free to email them asking to meet outside these times as well.
This is the link to their emails & tutorial hours: http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/intranet/tutorial_hours_mt17_.pdf
King’s Porters
If you’re ever feeling very unwell or unsafe the porters are available 24/7. Their phone number is 01223 331100, and they can also be emailed at porters@kings.cam.ac.uk.
CUSU Welfare Officer
The CUSU Welfare website offers lots of links to services available. You can contact the CUSU Welfare Officer, at welfare@cusu.cam.ac.uk.
Sexual health supplies
We want you to be safe! The sexual health supplies (dental dams, condoms, lube etc…) are constantly restocked and always available in the post room for when the mood strikes. Pregnancy tests can be delivered anonymously to your pidges too! Just drop one of us an email or leave a note in our pidge with your pidge number and we will deliver it to you.
CUSU supplies:
- Condoms:
- Durex Elite
- Pasante Unique (non latex)
- Pasante Trim
- Pasante Large
- Other:
- Durex Play lubricant sachets
- Dental dam
- Non-latex dental dams
- Pregnancy Tests
Welfare events
Nothing like a little bit of organised fun! We have a term card of welfare events that will be updated during each term. We have movie nights, drop in sessions, baking days etc…
These events can serve as a safe, relaxed space where you can revel in the welfare love and chill-out for a couple of hours! During Lent term, we will be offering lots of de-stressing events, so you can enter exam season with a clear and focused mind. It’s also a great place for us to get to know each other, chat and catch up!
Workshops
After a wonderful KCSU motion proposal, this year we are starting the Mental Health Workshop and Working Group. The workshop is part of the fresher’s program; the transition to university can be a challenging one and we want you to know that you are not alone! Mental health is a topic that is not often discussed in great detail in schools but affects many students yearly. In our workshops we will explore the avenues you can take if you’re not feeling 100% yourself, who you can talk to in and around college and also how you can help those around you. We hope that addressing these issues head on will open up communication and offer everyone a solid support system!The working group will be for all years and open to all! This will provide an environment to discuss mental health in Cambridge, the facilities available and how to work with college in order to voice some of the concerns felt by the student body.
The University counselling service offers a wide range of workshops and groups you can join – more info here.
Whether you’re a fresher or a finalist, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure you get the most out of your experience at King’s! Feel free to stop either one of us whenever to chat, drop us a line if you need some contraception, help talking to college… WHATEVER YOU NEED WE ARE THERE!
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Mental Health
Though we are here for whatever guidance you may need, it is necessary to acknowledge that mental illness can be extremely debilitating and requires the correct management and support. It can often be misunderstood by other students and supervisors alike, and trying to explain it to those around you when you’re not feeling up to it can be scary and lonely on occasion.
- Mind: The website for Mind, the mental health charity, is highly informative, gives contact details for various national services to help those suffering from mental illness and is a great source of additional information.
- Your GP: Believe it or not, your GP is not only there for when you have the sniffles! They can offer advice and direct you to further treatment or services that can be beneficial to your well-being. As they are trained specialists, you know you’re getting the best advice and support.
- University Counselling Service (UCS): The UCS offers workshops, mindfulness groups and one-on-one counselling for any student or staff member of the university. Appointments can be made online.
University Counselling Service
The University Counselling Service offers free, confidential support to any student who requests it (although take note that the waiting lists can stretch to several weeks, especially around exam term).
You can either refer yourself, or contact either of the welfare officers, the college nurse or the chaplain for more information.
If you would rather, the UCS also offer group counselling sessions, which usually don’t have as long a waiting list. More information about these can be found here.
Eating disorders
If you have an eating disorder, or are concerned that either you or a friend is developing problems around eating or food, then the university offers a number of ways to receive advice or support. The college nurse will always be willing to discuss the issue with you, as will the university counselling service.
Additionally, CUSU works with B-eat, a national charity for eating disorders to offer confidential, non-judgemental small-group workshops to support anyone who is seeking some support. More information about it can be found here. The website hasn’t been updated for a while, but please feel free to contact the CUSU welfare officer, Poppy Logan, at welfare@cusu.cam.ac.uk (or either of the King’s officers) if you would like to be put in touch with the group.
Linkline
Stressed? Linkline is the student-run Nightline for Cambridge University. They offer an anonymous, non-judgemental and confidential listening service.
The phone lines and the office (17 St. Edwards Passage) are open from 7pm-7am every night of full term for students to call or drop in. The numbers are 744444 (NTL) or 367575 (BT).
You can visit the Linkline website or email linkline@cusu.cam.ac.uk for more information.
Tips from the Student Advice Service – 10 ways to improve your mental health
- Talk about your feelings
- Eat well and drink sensibly
- Keep in touch with family and friends
- Take time to relax and unwind
- Accept who you are
- Keep active and take regular exercise
- Ask for help when you need it
- Do something you are good at and enjoy it
- Care for others
- Deal with practical problems as and when they arise
Exam support
The CamExams website provides info on:
- how to prepare for exams
- what to do if things go wrong
- how to get representation and support from your Student Union
For confidential advice on exams, email academic@cusu.cam.ac.uk.
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Disabled students
If you are finding any part of Cambridge life inaccessible because of your disability, or would just like some advice on what support you can receive, the Disability Resource Centre would be very happy to help you.
Alternatively, if you would rather speak with your fellow students, the newly-restarted Disabled Students’ Campaign is prepared to deal with both any issues you have with how the university is supporting you and any welfare-related concerns that may arise.
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Academic Affairs
Tutorial system
In addition to talking to us, if you have any worries about work (or anything else that is preventing you from enjoying your life in college) you can get in touch with the list of tutors below, all of whom offer a weekly tutorial hour and would love to speak to you.
Email templates
We’ve also put together a series of email templates to help you work with supervisors and DoSes if work is becoming overwhelming. If you need to submit work late, rearrange a supervision or report an issue with a supervisor or DoS, head over here for some examples.
List of Tutors
http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/intranet/tutorial_hours_mt17_.pdf .
If you aren’t sure which tutor would best be able to deal with your specific issue, email tutor@kings.cam.ac.uk, and they will direct you to the most suitable person.
Also, if you would feel more comfortable bringing along either a friend or one of the welfare officers to any meetings you have with any of the tutors, please don’t hesitate to do so.