Friends and Family

If you are concerned about a family member or friend who is a student here, you can encourage them to self-refer, or access self-help resources.

If you think that one of our students would be helped by the Student Counselling Service, please encourage them to self-refer.

It is important that students book their own appointments and decide for themselves whether this is the right time to seek help. You can’t refer students to us yourself.

You can direct them to the Self-Referral Form or the Same-Day Appointments.

Self-Help

We also recommend a range of self-help resources that can help you to offer support.

Self Help

Talk to Us

If you are a parent or carer of a student,  you can call us to discuss in general any questions or concerns you have about the student’s wellbeing. However, as a confidential service we can’t disclose specific student information without the express permission of the student, and staff will be unable to confirm in any way if your student has met with a counsellor.

Privacy Notice

Contact Us

If you are also a student at the University, you can speak to a counsellor yourself to help to clarify your concerns and decide how best to respond. A discussion with a counsellor can also help you to keep in mind your own limits and to know when to stop intervening.

Self-Referral Form

For Family, Friends and Supporters of Students:

If you need to inform us of an emergency situation relating to a University of Edinburgh student, please call Security on 0131 650 2257 and they can direct you to the appropriate support. 

Help from Other Organisations

There are a number of external counselling services, helplines, and support groups that may be able to help you and the person you are worried about.

External Organisations