Service changes to Wednesday hours
Starting Wed, May 1, 2024, the clinic hours on Wednesdays will be adjusted to 8:30 am to 6:00 pm.
About Counselling Services
Counselling Services is the first point of contact for all of your mental health concerns—whether you would like to see a doctor, a counsellor, or get more information about mental health care at UBC and beyond. Counselling Services offers virtual, phone, and in-person appointments for initial and follow-up appointments.
Students seek mental health support for many different reasons:
- You may be feeling anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, or notice that your mental health is declining.
- You may need some help with decision-making, navigating family and social relationships, coping with grief and loss, or adjusting to major life transitions.
- You may be coping with cultural adjustment, understanding your gender and sexual identity, navigating experiences of discrimination or sexual violence, and working through their impacts on your mental health and academic goals.
- You may have difficulty with concentration, organization, procrastination or test anxiety.
Whatever you are experiencing, we are here to support and empower you to take the next steps.
Counsellors and health professionals are committed to keeping your personal information completely private and confidential. Information about you and your health can only be shared with your permission, or when safety concerns or legal requirements arise. If you have any questions about confidentiality, or anything else, please ask during your appointment.
Equitable support for all students
At UBC Counselling Services, we respect that students have unique identities, personalities, cultures, and lived experiences. We strive to bring a culturally responsive, anti-oppressive, and social justice orientation to the counselling process. Counsellors at UBC Counselling Services represent a broad diversity of identity and human experience. We value and respectfully recognize Indigenous history, culture, traditional values, stories, and the lands we work on. Meet the Counselling Services team.
Counselling practicum and internship training
UBC Counselling Services also offers training through doctoral internship and practicum placements for students in Counselling Psychology graduate training programs.
Mental health crisis support
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or at risk of harming yourself or others, you can get immediate help in one of the following ways:
- Call or chat online with a crisis line
- Visit your nearest emergency room at your nearest hospital
- Call 911
If you're a Vancouver resident, you can connect with the Access and Assessment Centre between 7:30 am and 9:30 pm for walk-in services, or call between 7:30 am and 10:00 pm. If you live outside of Vancouver but in British Columbia, you can visit a Rapid Access Clinic in your area.
Making an appointment: how it works
Step 1. Book an appointment
Call Counselling Services at 604 822 3811 to schedule a virtual or in-person appointment, offered Monday to Friday. First-time appointments are booked for the same day and arranged on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please check your appointment location carefully as there are two clinics: Brock Hall and Counselling Services Annex.
During the booking, you’ll be asked to choose between a Wellness Advising appointment or a drop-in appointment. Drop-in appointments are a great option when you just need someone to talk to for a single session. For example, you may want coping skills or assistance with decision-making, or need guidance in handling a particular issue you are facing. If you need a little more support or want to consider a range of options, including medical treatments, you’re recommended to meet with a Wellness Advisor.
Step 2. Get connected to the level of support that meets your needs
Counselling Services offers a flexible, tailored, holistic approach to mental health. If you booked a Wellness Advising appointment, you’ll meet with a certified mental health professional who will listen to your concerns, help you identify your goals, and collaborate on a plan of mental health care that’s best for you.
Wellness Advisors can also help you navigate the wide range of support available and connect you to self-directed resources, workshops, individual and group counselling, and medical treatment.
Learn more about mental health care at UBC and the many support options available on campus.
Step 3. After your appointment
Share feedback about your appointment or booking experience through an online survey or by calling the front desk at 604 822 3811.
Additional resources
Meet a counsellor in your faculty
You may wish to connect with the embedded counsellor in your faculty. In addition to being able to offer support for your mental health concerns, embedded counsellors have a unique perspective on the common issues students in your specific program may experience.
Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing program
If you self-identify as an Indigenous student, you can access counselling and community resources through the IMHW program. Program staff also offer mentorship or planning sessions to help students navigate challenges while attending UBC.
Health and wellness on campus
- Student Health Service
Book a telehealth or in-person appointment with a doctor, nurse practitioner, or nurse for help with your health concerns. Appointments may be booked online with InputHealth. - Wellness Centre
Ask the Info Desk for health-related resources, learn about health topics online through Canvas courses, and explore tips and strategies to support your wellbeing. - Nurse on Campus
Visit a registered nurse during drop-in hours for confidential, free, and in-person support.
AMS/GSS student health benefits
If you are registered with the AMS/GSS Health and Dental plan, you have up to 80% coverage of the cost towards psychotherapy services from a licensed psychologist, registered clinical counsellor, or a therapist with a Master’s degree in Social Work. Learn how to find a private mental health professional for your concerns.
24/7 Support
If you need to talk to a health professional
- Here2Talk
Call, chat online, or use the mobile app to get free, immediate, 24/7 mental health counselling, available in various languages for post-secondary students in British Columbia. UBC students can reach out as often as needed, anytime, from anywhere in the world. - Crisis Centre BC
If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless or at risk of harm, call or chat online with a crisis responder any time. - First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line
Receive online and phone counselling and crisis support.
Online self-help tools
- Therapy Assistance Online (TAO)
Manage your well-being with tools on stress, relationship problems, substance use, and more. Register with a UBC email, which you can set up for free. - Wellness Together Canada
Complete a free mental health online assessment and connect to online wellness resources or get counselling if you’re Canadian, by phone, text, or video. - MindHealth BC
Take an online assessment and find resources to support your mental health.
