Mental health advice service

Our Mental Health Advisers (MHAs) support students and staff in three main ways:

  • solution focused support for students
  • support with "Support to Study" and "Fitness to Study" procedures
  • guidance for staff in student-facing roles

Access to the MHAS is by staff referral only.

We can accept referrals from staff in a range of roles including: 

  • Tutors
  • College nurses
  • Directors of Studies
  • Postgraduate supervisors or advisers
  • Disability advisers
  • College wellbeing advisers or leads
  • Counsellors
  • Chaplains
  • Staff at the NHS First Response Service

If you're a student, you'll need to speak to a member of staff to access the service. They'll work with you to assess whether a referral would be suitable or whether you'd benefit from another service. 

If this is your first time visiting the page, we encourage you to watch the video and read through the sections below to learn more.

If you're a member of staff and are ready to make a referral, complete the mental health advise service referral form (staff login required). 

The Mental Health Advice Service (MHAS) supports students with mental health issues. These students will experience a significant impact on their ability to participate in their everyday lives or academic work. 

Our aim is to work with students to help stabilise and support their ability to study and live well. We usually offer up to 8 sessions. 

The service is free to access and available most of the year, with short breaks over Christmas, Easter and public bank holidays. 

Our MHAs are experienced clinicians who can help with safety planning, relapse prevention, and managing the impact of mental health issues on studies and daily life.

They are not doctors or therapists and cannot provide diagnoses or prescribe medication, but they can work alongside other support services and healthcare providers. 

Where needed, they may also make referrals to other services, such as: 

The MHAS is available to students who are in the UK and enrolled on a course requiring College membership. 

Disabled students on courses without College membership may also be referred by their Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre (ADRC) Adviser. 

Access to the service continues if a student is:

  • waiting for your final results to be officially confirmed by Student Registry, the Postgraduate Committee or Degree Committee
  • temporarily suspended and waiting for the outcome of a disciplinary case

We cannot work with students if they are:

  • abroad
  • enrolled on a course that does not require College membership
  • no longer registered as a student / their registration has not been extended
  • between two separate courses that require separate applications
  • formally suspended following a disciplinary outcome
  • on intermission

These measures are in place to make sure we can always safely assess and manage risk, deliver the appropriate support and work within professional and legal boundaries.  

If you’re unsure whether you - or the student you’re referring - meet these criteria, please get in touch via mhas@studentsupport.cam.ac.uk.

The MHAS is not a crisis service. Visit our crisis support and information page if there is an immediate risk that a student is: 

  • having increased thoughts about life not being worth living   
  • feeling unable to cope   
  • thinking about harming themselves or someone else  
  • having made a plan or preparations to take their life 
  • feeling hopeless  

A referral may be appropriate if a student: 

  • has a diagnosis of a major mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and is struggling to manage their mental health  
  • is having thoughts about suicide and/or previous suicide attempts  
  • is deliberately harming themselves and causing injuries that need medical attention  
  • is feeling out of control or feeling more anxious than usual  
  • is engaging in impulsive behaviours that cause them harm or puts them or others in dangerous situations  
  • is experiencing major changes in their mood or behaviour  
  • is having very unusual beliefs or thoughts which may disturb or frighten them or others  
  • is seeing or hearing things that other people cannot  
  • has rapid weight loss due to changes in appetite or restricting food intake  
  • is not taking care of themselves as they usually would  
  • has experienced a traumatic event that is impacting their wellbeing or behaviour  
  • has attended A&E or engaged with the First Response Service multiple times but do not receive ongoing support via the NHS  

The MHAS can also provide post-crisis support, helping stabilise students and reduce the likelihood of further crises. 

Referrals to the MHAS can only be made by College or University staff with the student’s consent.

To make a referral,  complete the mental health advise service referral form. You will need to use your staff login details to access the form. 

The intake team will review each referral to assess whether the MHAS is the most suitable service. 

We aim to offer an appointment within 5 working days. We’ll offer up to 8 sessions of solution-focused support. 

If another service may be more appropriate, the intake team will contact the referrer to learn a bit more about the situation and discuss alternatives. 

Students can only be referred to the service with their consent. 

The MHAS will inform the referrer if a student doesn't attend an appointment but the support we provide is confidential.

This means that the details of the session will not be shared outside the service without the student's consent. 

Exceptions only apply if: 

  • there are legal or statutory obligations to disclose, or
  • there is a risk of serious harm to the student or others 

For more details, please see our confidential and privacy page. 

Students may also be referred to MHAS as part of 'Support to Study' or 'Fitness to Study' processes.  

MHAs do not make decisions about a student’s fitness to study, but they can provide advice on whether underlying mental health issues may be affecting your academic functioning and suggest ways to support your progress. 

When MHAS is involved in such a procedure, we will contact you and ask for your consent before any information is shared. This allows us to provide a comprehensive report with recommendations to your College. 

The MHAS also provides liaison, advice and practical support to University and College staff working directly with students.  

Staff can ask for guidance on: 

  • supporting students with mental health difficulties or challenging behaviours
  • post-crisis care for students remaining in College after a mental health crisis
  • managing behaviours that may impact the wider College or student community 

This support helps staff engage students in appropriate services, integrate them into the College community, which can prevent high levels of distress or crises. 

MHAs require informed consent from students to share their information, but other staff working with them may provide information to help MHAs gain a complete picture of the student’s situation.