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Student Wellness Centre

Counselling

At some point just about everyone finds they have major concerns on their mind that may interfere with their success, happiness, and satisfaction at university. Often, students mention that a helpful way of dealing with problematic situations and feelings is to start by talking them through with an experienced counsellor or mental health nurse. 

You can book your appointment by calling 905-525-9140 x 27700 or visiting the Clinic reception in PGCLL 210.

About Counselling

The Appointment Process

Getting started with counselling is easy. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Book an Appointment

  • Same-Day Appointments:
    Call us at 905-525-9140 ext. 27700 starting at 9:00 a.m. to book a same-day single counselling session. Spots fill quickly, so calling earlier gives you more options.

  • Scheduled Appointments:
    Call or visit in person to book an appointment for a future date that works for you.

You’ll first meet with a Mental Health Nurse for an intake appointment to better understand your concerns and determine the right support for you.

Step 2: Complete Intake Forms Access Forms Here!

Before your appointment, you’ll need to complete a few short forms. You can either:

  • Fill them out at the clinic when you arrive, or

  • Download and complete them in advance and bring them with you

Step 3: Attend Your Appointment

After checking in, you’ll meet with your counsellor to talk through what’s going on and identify your goals. Together, you’ll make a plan for next steps—this might include:

  • Ongoing individual counselling

  • Joining a counselling group

  • Getting connected with a medical provider or community support

What to Expect?

Students seek counselling for many different reasons. Some of the most common include:

  • Anxiety, panic, or feeling overwhelmed
  • Low mood, depression, or lack of motivation
  • Academic stress, procrastination, or burnout
  • Relationship or family conflict
  • Grief, loss, or major life changes
  • Gender-affirming care and support for 2SLGBTQIA+ students
  • Body image concerns or disordered eating
  • Identity exploration
  • Substance use
  • OCD, intrusive thoughts, and more

No concern is too big or too small—if something is affecting your well-being, counselling may help.

How Counselling Works at the SWC

Counselling at the SWC uses a short-term, goal-oriented model that blends counselling and psychotherapy techniques. Sessions typically occur every 3–4 weeks, depending on your needs. Our counsellors take a person-centred and trauma-informed approach, drawing from evidence-based methods like:

  • CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)

  • ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)

  • DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy)

  • Solution-Focused Therapy

We aim to help you build coping strategies, improve functioning, and work through specific challenges.

Accessing Counselling

The SWC is here to support your mental health. Through the Pathways to Care model, experienced counsellors and mental health nurses will help you address your needs. 

 

Are you new to the SWC’s Counselling services? Here is what you need to know:  

To begin your mental health journey at the SWC, you will need to start with a Mental Health Intake appointment with one of our Mental Health Nurses. Using our Pathways to Care Model, we will explore the best way to approach your needs. 

You can book your initial intake appointment by phone (905 525 9140 x 27700) or in person at reception (PGCLL 210). Please note, all new patients seeking mental health services must attend their intake appointment in person.

Before your first scheduled appointment, you must complete intake forms. These forms must be completed online, 24 hours prior to appointment time OR in-person at reception 15 minutes before your appointment. Follow-up appointment times may vary during the semester. 

One to One Counselling Options: 

Short-Term Counselling (Indigo Path)
  • Let’s focus on you! We at the SWC have revamped our model to improve access. We are implementing an evidence-based brief model to support your needs. 
  • Appointments will focus on supporting your most immediate needs. 
  • Wait times between counselling sessions may fluctuate depending on demand. 
Same-Day Single Session Appointments (Orange Path)

We understand quick access to counselling can be a challenge. To help with this, we have implemented a number of same-day single session appointments. These appointments are available for students with urgent needs and/or for students who are not currently connected with our mental health team. 

  • Same-Day Single Session Appointments are available daily on a ‘first come first serve’ basis.

Pathways to Care

Pathways to Care was developed to maximize support and effectiveness of decisions used to direct students to various therapy and counselling resources, since not every student entering an intake appointment may need to see a counsellor or to enter into long-term counselling.

There are a lot of resources available to students including online, or on or off-campus resources. Pathways to Care is here to help find the best fit for you.

 

Counsellors will sensitively listen and then, lay out a series of options that include online information; interactive online modules such as TAO; referrals to the Student Assistance Program; daily mindfulness sessions; psychoeducational groups; therapy groups; all the way to individual counselling sessions and medical appointments, as well as referrals to community and other resources.

Which of these options you end up pursuing is decided by you and a professional during the intake appointment.

Information Box Group

Red Path

Wellness Education Resources

  • Self-directed / self-help
  • Wellness activities
  • Phone apps
  • Online / websites

Orange Path

Same-Day Single Session Appointment

  • Initial contact (one-on-one)
  • First-come, first-served basis.
  • Pre-booked consultation appointment.
  • Quick and immediate counselling support.
  • Focus on accessing your immediate needs.

Yellow Path

Other Campus Resources

Lime Path

Online Resources

Green Path

Drop-In Groups

Blue Path

Psychoeducational Groups & Psychotherapy Groups

Indigo Path

Short Term Counselling

  • Individual therapy
  • Referral to community or other resources as needed
  • Stabilization and support
  • Skill Development

Purple Path

Medical Treatment

  • Referral to physician (when needed)
  • Mental Health Nurse
  • Assess for Medication

Pink Path

Community Resources

Wellness Skills Programs

The Student Wellness Centre has a wide variety of programs designed to cater to the wellness needs of the student population. Wellness skills programs are weekly groups that consist of 5 to 15 attendees, lead by one or more counsellors.

Check out what programs are running here.

At first, the idea of participating in a larger program might seem intimidating. But wellness skills programs, in which one or more counsellors lead a weekly group of 5 to 15 people, can be very beneficial. In fact, participants are often surprised by how rewarding their experience can be.

In addition to strengthening your relationships skills, reducing isolation and helping you find your voice, these programs are also especially valuable for individuals dealing with depression, social anxiety and life transitions. It is an opportunity to learn and develop skills to manage anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and intense emotions.

Benefits include:
  1. Helping you realize you’re not alone.
  2. Facilitating the giving and receiving of support.
  3. Helping you find your “voice.”
  4. Helping you relate to others (and yourself) in healthier ways.
  5. Providing a safety net.

All SWC groups are free and confidential. Email the facilitator to find out the start date of the program. Some programs are offered more than once in the term, and this is indicated by the number of sessions. You will be expected to fill out an intake form and attend sessions as indicated by the facilitator. Wellness skills programs often have recommended readings or between sessions activities. Any questions can be directed to the facilitator. Repeat attendance is welcomed!

Counselling FAQs

Interested in counselling but not sure where to start?

This video answers some of the most common questions students have about counselling at the Student Wellness Centre. Learn what to expect from your first appointment, how group counselling works, and what kinds of support are available. Whether you’re dealing with stress, anxiety, identity-related concerns, or other challenges, this is a great place to start exploring your options.

Watch the video to learn more!

Expandable List

Counselling is a way of helping people solve their own emotional, personal, or interpersonal problems. Counselling provides a rare opportunity to be listened to without being judged, and without being told what to do or what is “good for you”. It usually involves the exploration of problems in an environment that is both supportive and objective. Counselling and psychotherapy involve the development of new skills and approaches to manage difficult life situations. Strategies are often suggested for managing and altering patterns of upsetting thoughts, feelings and behaviour. It also may involve the identification of alternative courses of action that might solve a problem. The implications of those alternatives are typically explored, and perspective is usually gained on the problem and its effects.

Counselling is not giving advice or solving your problems for you. It is understandable that one might wish that another person could solve their problem(s), but no one can presume to know with sufficient certainty what is best for another person. This is especially true when considering difficult, complex, or emotionally troubling situations.

Nobody knows! To be more accurate, nobody knows in advance. Each year we talk with hundreds of McMaster students who encounter unforeseen problems that interfere with their academic performance and/or emotional well-being. University students are capable, talented, intelligent and resilient people, but they are not immune to pressure. In fact, the academic stress caused by the challenge and competition that characterize most university programs can magnify other difficulties that students experience, and can stir up any emotional vulnerabilities they may already have – sometimes even if they have already dealt with them in the past.

There are numerous concerns for which students seek counselling. These include but are not limited to: Alcohol and drug problems, anger, anxiety, assertiveness, bereavement, body image, childhood physical, emotional or sexual abuse, depression, family problems, homesickness, identity, loneliness, loss of motivation, mental health issues, pain, problems with food or body image, procrastination, relationship problems, low self-esteem, sexual assault, sexuality, and test anxiety.

Supporting educational goals and the mental health and wellness of our students is the primary focus of the Student Wellness Centre at McMaster University. According to Statistics Canada, teenagers and young adults aged 15-24 experience the highest incidence of mental illness of any age group in Canada. Thus, comprehensive, strengths-based, client-centered and supportive programs are the focus of McMaster’s Mental Health and Wellness Team.

It is important for our students and health professionals to recognize that the school environment poses distinct challenges for students. With understanding and co-operation, the Student Wellness Centre’s team can work with students to help them reach their educational and life goals even if they are facing mental health concerns.

Mission

We provide health care and support to enhance the emotional, physical and personal well-being of McMaster students.  Our services support the achievement of their academic and personal success.

What is treated through brief interventions at the SWC?

Some examples of clinical issues that are likely to be addressed through brief interventions and support at the SWC:

  • Academic related issues – (motivation, perfectionism, interpersonal communication, self- discipline, etc.)
  • Mood and anxiety issues (depression, anxiety, self-esteem, social anxiety, self-destructive behaviours)
  • Relationship issues (conflicts, communication, break-ups, assertiveness, etc.)
  • Adjustment issues (dealing with transitions, new life circumstances, etc.)
  • Grief and loss
  • Trauma, sexual assault (stabilization and resource management)
  • Eating disorder (not medically compromised)
  • Substance use/abuse treatment (not clinically compromised)
  • LGBTQ++ issues
  • Minority Stress concerns

Those whose needs cannot be accommodated within our treatment model will be referred to community resources for care.  Such referrals might occur immediately following the consultation appointment, or they may occur after some treatment and further assessment of need has taken place.

What do we NOT offer? 

We do not offer:

  • Long term, regular or weekly psychotherapy
  • Guaranteed same day service, or frequent daily or weekly service
  • 24/7 crisis response, community outreach

Student Wellness Centre (SWC) services are available to eligible students (undergraduate and graduate students) currently residing in Ontario, whose concerns fall within our scope of practice.  We cannot provide service to continuing education students, part-time students, or partners of students who are not themselves students, or students who have graduated and are no longer enrolled in classes. If students are on an extended leave from the university, we will work with them to find appropriate community referrals.