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 a consultation 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 WellTrack; referrals to the Student Assistance Program; daily one-hour stress reduction seminars; 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 consultation appointment.

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

The role of the SWC Counselling area is to provide brief mental health counselling and related services to help McMaster students identify barriers, improve coping, and achieve personal goals.

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
• Eating disorder (not medically compromised)
• Substance use/abuse treatment (not clinically compromised)

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.

Our services are available to eligible students (undergraduate and graduate students) 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.