University life can bring challenges, from stress and loneliness to money worries, relationship difficulties or feeling overwhelmed. You don’t need to wait until things feel unmanageable to ask for support.
This page will help you find someone to talk to, access practical advice and get urgent help when you need it. If you’re unsure where to start, contact SMSU and we can help you find the right service.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 (or 112 from a mobile) or go to A&E.
The Wellbeing Service gives confidential advice and guidance about concerns that may affect your studies, and can help you find the right support. Counselling gives you a confidential space with a qualified counsellor to talk through what you are experiencing. You can contact either, or start with SMSU.
A free listening service for anyone who needs to talk.
Call 116 123, free from any phone, 24 hours a day.
A free, confidential text support service for anyone struggling to cope.
Text SHOUT to 85258, 24/7.
For urgent help with your mental health when it is not an emergency.
Call 111 or use NHS 111 online.
Independent and confidential support and reporting for people affected by hate crime.
Call 0800 138 1625, 24/7.
Text 07717 989 025 or email talk@stophateuk.org
Support for victims of anti-Muslim hate.
Call 0800 456 1226.
Support for victims of antisemitic incidents.
24-hour national emergency number: 0800 032 3263.
Support for LGBT+ people who have experienced hate crime, domestic abuse or other forms of abuse and violence.
Call 0800 999 5428 on weekdays. See their website for opening times.
A free listening and information service for anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+.
Call 0800 0119 100, open 10am to 10pm every day.
Advice and support for anyone affected by bullying, at home, school, work or online.
Call 0300 323 0169, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 12pm.
If you have experienced sexual misconduct you can also use Report and Support to connect to support at the University.
Specialist NHS centres in London for people who have been raped or sexually assaulted.
For urgent advice or an appointment, call 020 3299 6900.
Support for people whose intimate images have been shared online without their consent.
Call 0345 6000 459.
Advice for victims of stalking.
Practical problems can have a real effect on how you feel. Getting advice early can help, and SMSU can point you to the right place.
Financial support available inside and outside the University.
Services to support you whether you live on or off campus, and housing advice from the SMSU Advice team.
Free, independent and confidential advice from the SMSU Advice team.
You can email or phone the Wellbeing Service or Counselling team (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm), or complete the referral form for the service you need. If you are not sure which to choose, contact SMSU and we can help you find the right one.
St Mary’s counsellors are professionally qualified and registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). The University’s counselling page has an information leaflet for students that explains what to expect and the terms of the service.
University Student Services offer a confidential service. Information you share with one of the support teams stays within that team, and is not shared with anyone else without your explicit consent, unless staff believe that harm has or might occur to you or to others.
Several services are available at any time: Togetherall (online), Samaritans on 116 123, Shout (text SHOUT to 85258) and NHS 111. On campus, University Security is available 24/7 on 020 8240 4335. In an emergency, call 999.
Togetherall is free for all St Mary’s students and available at any time, including its self-help courses. The 24-hour helplines above are also there whenever you need them.
The services on this page other than SMSU and the University are independent organisations. Contact details and opening times were checked on 12 October 2026 and may change. If any detail is wrong, please tell us at smsu@stmarys.ac.uk.
