Psychological Counselling Service

Studying abroad can be an adventure, a challenge. Not everyone will have an easy time adjusting to a new environment, strange customs and a different language, however. You will be wanting to make new friends, or will be living away from home for the first time and suffering from homesickness.

This does not necessarily mean that you will need professional help, but if problems begin to affect your studies and your personal life, you can always ask the psychological counsellors for help. This help is available to all students at the university and is free of charge.

The Psychological Counselling Service is part of the Student Service Centre of the University of Groningen. The Service has a team of professionally trained and widely experienced female and male psychologists, who are accustomed to helping people from many different backgrounds and cultures and with a wide range of personal and academic issues.

What sort of issues and problems can be helped with counselling?

Most personal, academic and relationship or identity problems can be helped through counselling. This includes lack of concentration, fear of failure, anxiety, stress, depression, family and/or relationship difficulties as well as addictions, eating disorders or sexual problems. It can also involve adjusting to a new culture or dealing with dilemmas or difficult decisions. All ofthese problems may be interfering with your studies and life in Groningen.

You do not have to be clear about what is bothering you to make an appointment with a psychological counsellor. An initial assessment is always orientational in nature with the aim of clarifying the problem and seeing what you want to do about it. Sometimes a single session is enough to set you on the right path; sometimes several sessions will be more helpful. Treatment never lasts longer than ten sessions.

How do you make an appointment?

Come to the secretary’s office in person, or contact us by e-mail or by phone. You can then make an appointment for an initial assessment. We aim to see you for this initial assessment within three to five weeks.

The Psychological Counselling Service is not designed to be an emergency service. Anyone who feels in a state of ‘crisis’ outside office hours should contact a doctor. Within office hours we will help you to find a solution.

After the initial assessment you will be placed on our waiting list. The waiting time can vary between three and seven weeks. If it turns out that you need a different type of help, the psychologist can refer you on. This will always be done in consultation with you.

What happens during counselling?

Counselling is not the same as giving advice. Rather a counsellor seeks to help you to focus on and understand more clearly the issues that concern you. By respecting your own values, choices and life style, the counsellor can work together with you towards making choices or changes that are right for you.

Counselling sessions take place in a comfortable and private setting and last for 45 minutes. 

Ethics and confidentiality

The Psychological Counselling Service works in line with the ethical framework for good practice produced by the NIP (Nederlands Instituut voor Psychologen; the Dutch professional association of Psychologists). All personal details and the content of all counselling sessions are confidential. Nothing will be revealed to anyone outside without your express permission. However, the counsellors wil confer with one another within the Service for professional supervisory purposes.

Office

You can contact the secretary’s office for information, to make, change or cancel appointments, etc. If you need to change or cancel an appointment, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can give that appointment to someone else.

Secretary's office opening hours

 

 

Contact Psychological Counselling Service

Visiting address:

Uurwerkersgang 10
9712 EJ Groningen

050 - 363 80 66
E-mail: ssc-secretariaat@rug.nl (please state your student number)
website: www.rug.nl/ssc