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How can we help?

Counselling offers a safe, confidential and supportive space, to help you explore your problems, share and gain insight into your feelings, thoughts and behaviour. 

The Counselling and Mental Health Support Service offers free and confidential in-person and online support for students at King’s.

Meet the team

What is Counselling?

Counselling offers a safe and supportive space to help you explore your problems, share and gain insight into your feelings, thoughts and behaviour.  This is a free and confidential service. The counsellor is there to help you identify and understand more clearly what may be impacting on your daily life.

A counsellor can help you to gain a different perspective on yourself and/or your problems and aid you in making choices and changes that feel right for you. 

Our counselling service offers cognitive behavioural (CBT) and integrative or psychodynamic group and individual therapy, depending on what best suits your needs.

When you register with the Counselling & Mental Health Support service at King’s, whenever possible, as well as your presenting issues we will consider preferences such as gender, sexuality, language and race when allocating you to one of the team.

What is Mental Health Advice?

  • Mental health includes how we feel, think, behave and act and therefore is an integral part of your overall general health and well-being.
  • As a student at King's College London, you can talk to the university’s Mental Health Advisors (MHA’s) for practical support, information, advice and guidance about concerns or difficulties they may have.
  • Meetings with a MHA are a friendly and informal space in which to discuss your concerns and get help to access the necessary support to ensure you fulfil your potential whilst studying at King's College London.   
  • You may not be clear as to what help or support you may need, or what is most appropriate for your needs. Speaking with a Mental Health Advisor with help this process.

Introduction to the Counselling and Mental Health Support Service

How to register with CMHS

Registering with the Counselling & Mental Health Support Service gives steps for registration, eligibility, how appointments works, and other details you need to know ahead for registering for our service. Please make sure to read the late arrival and cancellation information on this page.

After you have read the above instructions, please follow this link to register:

Counselling Self-Referral

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Our Service is committed to providing equitable, diverse and inclusive counselling and mental health support. Our aim is to address and remove any barriers to access, particularly to individuals from marginalised groups who may find it harder to access our service. We are committed to providing support which facilitates engagement in its outreach provision and provide more bespoke support to marginalised individuals.

Read our EDI statement

Find out more

For details of how the Counselling & Mental Health Support service works, how we can support you, and how to register, please refer to our articles below. King's Counselling Online (KCO) King's Counselling Online therapists, in partnership with Spectrum Life, offer short-term (up to 6 sessions), solution-focused counselling support, advice and guidance, for low to moderate mental health needs. More information can be found below.

How can the service help me?
Support available for common issues
What is King’s Counselling Online (KCO)?

Service information

Please note that the Service is open Monday to Friday: 09.00 – 17.00

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Counselling self-referral

Cancellation and attendance policy

Missed and cancelled appointments result in longer waiting times for students who would like to see a counsellor. Please take a minute to read our cancellation and attendance policy below.

Cancellation and attendance policy
Privacy notice

Information and resources for staff

Staff at King's who are supporting students can find a range of helpful information and resources on our SharePoint site, Thrive.

Access Thrive (login required)

CMHS presents Talk Therapy - a new podcast series

Listen to the Counselling & Mental Health Support Service's new podcast, Talk Therapy. The team bring together counsellors, student officers, student reps, and staff to share their experience and insight on trends and themes they have noticed in the Counselling and Mental Health Service here at King's. Find out more and listen to the episodes now:

Find out more about Talk Therapy podcast
Episode 1: Men and Mental Health
Episode 2: Self Care during Ramadan
Episode 3: LGBTQ+ Wellbeing and Mental Health
Episode 4: King's Student Mental Health Strategy and the Whole University Approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing
Episode 5: Thriving at King's with the Chaplaincy

Guidance on how to manage common issues

Managing low mood

Understand low mood and learn more about how you can challenge unhelpful...

Eating Disorder Support at King’s

• Feeling preoccupied with thoughts about food and eating? • Worrying a lot about your body shape and weight? • Feeling like your relationship with food is having a negative impact on your life? Join our drop-in sessions if you would like to have a chat about how you are feeling. We offer a supportive, safe space to discuss thoughts you may be struggling with. We offer non-clinical practical support where we can signpost services to ensure you get the support you need. Every Tuesday 11.30-13.00 from 29 October in Bush House, South East Wing, third floor.

Eating disorder support linksEating disorder support booking formEating disorder support contact
Close up of mugs on table, people talking over a cup of tea.

Health Advisor for Mandarin Speaking Students (HAMSS)

Students sitting on the grass together.

You can talk to a Health Advisor for Mandarin-Speaking Students (HAMSS) for advice on how and where to access free and confidential health-related support available to you as a King’s student. For example, they can advise you on how to register with King’s College Health Centre and book a GP appointment, and where to access King’s mental health support resources. A HAMSS appointment is also a supportive space for you to ask any questions you may have about university life, and to build up your confidence in accessing the right support.

Health Advice for Mandarin Speaking StudentsHAMSS linksHAMSS booking form

External resources