What to expect

We can help you if you have a suspected or existing mental health condition or autism and it is impacting on your ability to manage your studies.  

Disclosing your condition

When you apply for a place at Birkbeck, you will be asked to disclose information about your condition, so we can provide you with appropriate help and support during your studies.   

We will treat all disclosed information with sensitivity and discretion, in line with our confidentiality policy.  

How to be referred to the service

You can be referred to our service through any of the following channels:

• Self-referral: if you want to refer yourself to the service, please complete and submit the mental health advisory and autism service registration form.
• Referral by an academic, faculty or another department within the College: we will accept referrals from academics or other parts of the College.
• Referral from another area of the Wellbeing Service: the Disability and Dyslexia Service, and the Counselling Service will refer clients to us if they feel it is appropriate.
• Study Support Plan: you can also complete a Study Support Plan, which will help us to determine appropriate support for your needs.

What happens once you've been referred

Once you have been referred, we will offer you a consultation with a mental health and autism adviser, who will work with you to ensure you have the support available to achieve your academic potential. Our initial consultations take please either in person or via video link where we expect your camera on to be on. Please let us know if this is difficult for you.  

When we invite you for an appointment we will ask you to complete your Study Support Plan ahead of the meeting. 

During the meeting we will discuss reasonable adjustments to be added to your Study Support Plan to ensure that it addresses your needs 

As an outcome you might be given a referral for onward support (this could be for counselling, mentoring or another disability service). 

If your health issue is significant and requires treatment, we will liaise directly with the relevant NHS service.   

What happens after the appointment

Usually after the initial consultation there will actions both for you as a student and for your advisor to complete. The list below is an example and is not exhaustive:  

Actions for your mental health advisor 

• To inform your faculty of any bespoke adjustments
• Liaise with your faculty to facilitate a three-way meeting, if appropriate

Actions for you

• If during the meeting you have disclosed a condition or disability that is not in your current Study Support Plan, you will be asked to update it.
• If you haven’t provided it already, you will be asked to submit medical evidence.
• f you are eligible for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), you will be asked to start the application process.  

Follow-up appointments

If relevant, we will arrange a follow-up appointment to ensure the actions have been completed and that you are receiving all the relevant support.  

If anything changes, you are not able to complete the actions agreed or you are experience new difficulties, we expect reach out and let us know what would help you.