Supporting our students

Enabling Services provides a wide variety of support for students who have disabilities, mental health problems or specific learning difficulties. Students can attend drop-in sessions to find out more about the service as Jason Varlow, Client Services Advisor, Enabling Services, explains.

Drop-in is an opportunity for all students to find out more about the services we offer. Students can meet with an Enabling Services advisor who will be able to offer information and advice about the support available at the University. It’s a chance to talk through problems or worries and find out what specialist support might be helpful. Enabling Services is there for students with a range of issues including support for dyslexia, disability, counselling and crisis.

At the drop-in, students don’t have to tell us their life story, or anything that they aren’t comfortable speaking about. We might ask a few questions about how they have been feeling recently and this will help us understand what support will be helpful.

When we know a little more we can provide information on the services available at the University and how to access them. We can also provide useful information on self-help resources and groups and workshops that Enabling Services offer.

How do Enabling Services link up with other ways of supporting students across the campus?

There is a lot of support available at the University, both through services offered by Student Services, individual faculties and Southampton University Students’ Union (SUSU).

We have close links with all these areas and lots of awareness and knowledge about current support initiatives that can be helpful for students. This is managed through various networks and partnerships that help us keep up to date with the latest information and enables us to work closely with teams that provide support across a range of areas. We also have close links with external services such as Steps2Wellbeing.

What sort of training do staff have at the drop-in?

All our advisors have received a core level of training that includes listening skills, mental health awareness and disability awareness training. This is mostly provided by external organisations such as New Pathways, Wings Counselling and Freeney Williams.

We also have regular supervision where we can further develop skills and knowledge. And, we have regular internal training to keep up to date with the latest information about the services we offer.

What sort of issues are they dealing with at the moment and how do staff support students?

At the moment students come to us with a range of issues. It may be about feeling anxious or feeling low or depressed. It could be to find out about being screened for dyslexia or how to apply for Disabled Students Allowance. Often the drop-in acts as the first step for students who may not have asked for support before.

Do you provide any particular support during exam times?

We are available every weekday from 1-3pm throughout the term for students to visit us and talk through any worries they have about their exams, or any other issue. We also offer workshops on exam stress and relaxation techniques leading up to, and during, exams. Students can find out more about these on our website.

Students with a diagnosed health condition, disability, long term mental health condition or specific learning difficulty, such as dyslexia, can register with us for a wide variety of support. This can include additional exam arrangements, such as extra time and/or rest breaks.

For students who haven’t registered with us and think they may be entitled to extra support they can contact the Enabling Services for more information.

How do students find you?

They just need to come along to the Student Services Centre (Building 37 – Highfield Campus) and check in at the Enabling Services front desk (near the back of the atrium). The drop-in is from 1pm to 3pm, Monday to Friday during term-time and Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the vacations.

To find out more about drop-in there is a short animation that you can view here on YouTube.