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FAQs

Is counselling completely confidential?

Yes. As a general rule, counsellors will not divulge any information about you outside the service, without your permission. The only exceptions to this are if there is clear and imminent risk to someone’s lifeor if there is a child safeguarding concern. 

Who is counselling for?

Counselling is available to all full and part-time undergraduate and post-graduate students registered with University of Galway.  

Will the fact that I attended the counselling service appear on my record?

No.

How soon can I be seen?

This depends on the time of year. We aim to offer everyone an appointment within 10 working days. However, the wait time can be longer during peak times. Because of the high demand, we ask that you let us know, as soon as possible, if you intend to cancel.   

How many sessions will I have?

Student Counselling is a short-term service with students generally being offered up to 4 sessions. If longer-term support is more appropriate, we will explore this with you during your sessions. Where appropriate, we will help you to identify and connect with relevant external services. 

Will the counsellor contact other people on my behalf, eg academic, doctor?

In some circumstances it may be desirable or necessary to liaise with a third party outside our service (e.g. an academic adviser, course co-ordinator, doctor). In the case of emails/letters, the client will agree the contents and, wherever possible, have read the letter before it is sent. In the case of telephone calls, the purpose of the call and the nature and extent of the information disclosed will be agreed with the client prior to the call being made. Generally, as the first point of contact with the service, the administratorsmanages all incoming messages and passes these onto the counsellor concerned. 

Clients will be informed of any contact with the service made by a third party as soon as it is possible for the counsellor to do so. The counsellor will only communicate with a third party about a client between appointments where the client has given explicit permission, subject to the previously noted exceptions. 

Can a staff member arrange an appointment on behalf of a student?

If you believe the student needs to see a counsellor, you should suggest to the student to make direct contact with the service. An emergency that cannot wait is an exception to this.    

Is the service open throughout the academic holidays?

The service is open throughout the calendar year except between Christmas and New Year when the University as a whole closes.