We'd like to set analytics cookies to help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. The cookies collect information in a way that does not directly identify anyone.
Letting us know you need help is perfectly normal. We believe all of us should be able to talk freely about their mental health and wellbeing.
Enjoying good mental health and wellbeing helps us to deal with the stresses of everyday life. We want all our students to have the best experience possible at Kent, so we have a team of Mental Health Advisers who are specialist practitioners and can offer mental health advice and support. They can provide short term focused interventions to promote wellbeing and support students to develop coping strategies.
Emergency Support
If you find you need help right away or without an appointment, please see immediate contacts of support below:
During working hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm): If you feel you need urgent support from our team, please phone on 01227 826573 for the Canterbury campus or 01634 888474 for Medway or email KentSSW@kent.ac.uk or MedwaySSW@kent.ac.uk and ask for urgent mental health support.
Out-of-hours (Monday to Friday, 5pm to 9am, Weekends and Bank Holidays): If you are in danger or in need of urgent medical care or attention, please call the emergency services on 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance/police. If it is an on campus emergency, Campus Security staff are on duty 24 hours per day, 365 days per year and can always be contacted on their emergency number: (01227 82) 3333
If you’re worried about your mental health and wellbeing there are a number of things you can do:
Talk
To someone you know: If there’s a friend, family member or colleague that you can trust, talking things through with them can sometimes help.
To a Mental Health Adviser: You can reach out to a mental wellbeing advisor via phone on 01227 826573 for the Canterbury campus or 01634 888474 for Medway or email KentSSW@kent.ac.uk or MedwaySSW@kent.ac.uk. We have designed a visual guide explaining what happens in a Mental Health Meeting (with alternative text available) which you can find here.
Get support
Spectrum Life. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or need emergency wellbeing or counselling support outside of office hours, our external partners Spectrum Life can offer you online, text, and telephone support from qualified counsellors and therapists. They will work with you in getting initial support and help during your crisis and the University Student Support and Wellbeing teams will contact you on the next working day. Spectrum Life is available on Monday to Friday evenings from 8pm till 8am, and on weekends and Bank Holidays. They can be contacted by telephone at 0800 0318227 and press option 1, or by texting ‘Hi’ to: 00353 87 369 0010. You can also search for the Spectrum Life app from your app store and follow the log in instructions
TogetherAll. University of Kent students, wherever they are located, can access free, 24/7 online support for issues around mental health and wellbeing. TogetherAll is a Care Quality Commission registered service recognised nationally through awards by the NHS and is a safe environment overseen by qualified therapists. They provide a wide range of resources and a variety of self-help courses to on a variety of topics to help you feel more in control of your emotional health.
