FAQs
FAQs & explanatory videos on the services offered by our Psychosocial Counseling Service.
- How to Schedule a Consultation Appointment?
Appointment scheduling is done through our online booking system. Here, you can book Counselling sessions (50 minutes), Short Consultations (20 minutes), and Group Offers.
Unfortunately, Counselling sessions (50 minutes) are often booked up to 6 months in advance. Therefore, there is the option to get in touch with us promptly through brief contacts.
- How does a brief contact work?
In contrast to scheduled individual counseling, this involves a brief contact of up to 20 minutes. You can establish this contact through either a Short Consultation or during Telephone Counselling (both up to 20 minutes). During this time, the goal is to initially clarify your concerns and determine which follow-up services (e.g., group or individual counseling) are best suited for you. The brief contact is intended to establish an initial connection with the counseling center, get to know us, and discuss the next steps, such as booking follow-up appointments.
- Which requirements do I have to meet to make use of the counselling service?
To be allowed to use the counselling service, you need to be a student of one of the following universities in Leipzig:
- Leipzig University
- Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK)
- University of Music and Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” Leipzig
- Academy of Visual Arts (HGB)
- Leipzig Graduate Schools of Management (HHL)
- University of Applied Sciences for Telecommunication
- University of Cooperative Education Saxony
- International University of Cooperative Education Leipzig (IBA)
If you are enrolled at one of these universities, you can make an appointment or come by during our open office hours. Do not forget your student card. Usually, up to ten individual counselling sessions are possible.
- How do I know that my concern is “bad” enough?
The counselling service is not about your problem being “bad enough” to be allowed to receive counselling. If you consider counselling helpful, that is reason enough to make an appointment for counselling or to visit the open office hours. It makes usually more sense to seek help in time and prevent greater stress than to wait until you feel very bad about everything.
- Who is informed about me using the counselling service? How about medical confidentiality or required documentation?
Your visit at the counselling office and, of course, the content of the counselling sessions are subject to medical confidentiality. That means neither other Studentenwerk employees nor the universities nor other authorities (like e.g. health insurances) will know about your visit. Only in special cases, when the student explicitly requests that information is passed on to other authorities, such information may be disclosed to the respective authority – but only after the written release of our counsellors from the duty of confidentiality by the student.
We make notes for internal use during the sessions, which we treat according to the data protection regulations. They serve to prepare further meetings and as the basis for a certificate requested by the student for another authority.
- Can I bring my boyfriend/girlfriend, brother/sister/parents/flat mate to the counselling session?
You certainly can bring another person to the counselling session – e.g. if it is too hard for you to seek help on your own or if the other person is involved in the problem. Usually – and if that is okay for you – we will ask that you come to the office alone at first and then send for the other person later.
The counselling process sometimes reveals that it is required or reasonable to involve another person in counselling. In that case, too, you could bring another person to the scheduled appointment. We will discuss this in detail with you beforehand to prepare clearly what the concern of this meeting is.
- How do I find a place on an outpatient treatment program?
We have created a video guide on this topic, which you can find on YouTube (German only).
Of course, you are also welcome to arrange a personal consultation with us in order to discuss which treatment option seems most suitable for you.
- Where can I turn to in a crisis?
Crisis means the absolutely acute case, where you see no way out. If you are thinking about suicide, you should go to the next clinic or make use of another service (e.g. talking to the community mental health services). May be it helps if you call someone to accompany you.
A list of different offers, the emergency services of the clinics and emergency telephone numbers can be found on the website of the City of Leipzig.
Likewise, you can always call the arescue coordination centre (Tel. 112) or the police (Tel. 110) in case of emergency.
- I have problems with alcohol/drugs – where can I find help?
It is of course possible to consult us in this regard. We would discuss your personal goals and look for appropriate solutions.
The City of Leipzig has furthermore compiled a guideline listing various support services for people with alcohol and drug issues. You can download this “addiction assistance guideline” in the download section of the homepage of the City of Leipzig.
- I want to change my field of study, but do not know yet, what I want to study instead – who can give advice?
In this regard, you can either consult us or, if you are a student of Leipzig University, the Student Advisory Service Office (Studienberatung) of Leipzig University (SSZ Goethestraße 6). The Career Service of Leipzig University (Burgstraße 21, 1st floor) may provide you with information as well.
At the psychosocial student counselling office, we will consider together, what your interests are and how you imagine your future. Thus, we can of course develop the basis for you to arrive at a decision. We are unfortunately not able to provide you with specific details concerning the available fields of study.
- I am an international student – can I make use of the counselling services?
Yes. We offer counselling services in German and in English. International students can attend up to ten counselling sessions as well. We also offer a workshop in English (see ‘group offers’ at the top of this page).
- Can I get advice, if my friend, a family member, flat mate, fellow student, etc. has problems and I do not know how to handle it?
Of course, we give advice in that case too. Either you make an appointment or you visit the open office hours. Then we can consider together, how you can handle the situation best and maybe also, how to help the person concerned or if it is better to do nothing.
Either it may be helpful sometimes to bring the person concerned directly or we agree or discuss a joint appointment (see the question “Can I bring my boyfriend/girlfriend, brother/sister/parents/flat mate to the counselling session?”).
- What happens when I used up all my counselling appointments and I still need help?
In the counselling sessions, we try to assess the need for support right from the beginning. As the case may be, we make use of the counselling sessions by means of different key aspects, depending on whether brief counselling of a few sessions appears sufficient or it seems that long-term support by an outpatient psychotherapist is required. We may use the counselling sessions to help you finding a therapist or try to reach a short-term solution of your problem in order to bridge the time until you start an external therapy.
This proceeding usually provides us with a sufficient number of counselling sessions to approach your difficulties or to ensure the transition into a further treatment program.
- I need inpatient/semi-residential treatment – where do I find help?
You can get initial advice from us, which clinics and which offers may be appropriate for you. In general, you have to wait until you are admitted to a clinic. That waiting time depends on various factors. When you suffer a crisis, you can get treatment directly at any time; see here for a list of the services offered by the City including the crisis call centers (see question “Where can I go in a crisis?”).
- What is the difference between psychosocial counselling and social counselling?
In general, you can say that psychosocial counselling deals with issues concerning the handling of stress and difficult situations in studies and everyday life, while social counselling deals with issues of financing options, studying with children, studying with chronic diseases etc.
Many issues are in general relevant to social counselling and psychosocial counselling. The question, for instance, whether a leave of absence is reasonable due to a disease or great stress, does not only involve the aspect of how to benefit from that time to feel better and be able to study again (psychosocial counselling), but often also the problem of how to finance this period (social counselling). That is why psychosocial counselling and social counselling collaborate closely in many aspects – provided the respective student gives his or her consent.
If you are not sure which of the two counselling services to contact (first), you can describe your problem and ask for our evaluation in an e-mail.
Explanatory videos (in German)
Weitere Links
Tipps & Ideen
Managing university tasks by yourself
The guideline shows you some techniques and tips on how to manage university-related and similar tasks by yourself.
Tips on mindfulness
In our everyday life we are often far from being mindful: when we do several things at once or automatically, or when we are controlled by established habits, thought patterns and beliefs. We are in „autopilot-mode“. Being mindful, on the other hand, means observing internal and external processes with undivided, calm attention and to perceive them as a holistic image. Mindfulness in other words, means to be present – completely in the here and now.
Initial help on dealing with negative feelings
Feelings like loniless and boredom can often be a burden. For this reason we gathered some ideas and useful strategies on how to deal with them.
A hundred things to do at home (list)
The following list contains a number of activities that many people find relaxing and enjoyable, and which do not interfere witch contact restrictions. You can mark the activities you would like to undertake in the near future. The list is not complete. If you can think of other activities, add them to the bottom of the list.
Zur Info: Die Leitfäden sind während der Coronapandemie und zu Zeiten von Kontaktsperren entstanden, sicherlich aber auch darüber hinaus hilfreich.
