Informal Support

What student-run support is there?

The following services are provided by students, and are often useful as a first port of call. Perhaps obviously, some of the people in these roles are excellent, and some are not (the same warning applies to professional services). Two people within the same group or organisation may have rather different approaches and levels of skill – it’s always worth trying again with someone else if the first person whom you approach isn’t helpful. These people aren’t counsellors, and they shouldn’t be telling you what to do; they can listen, provide support, and find out information for you, but you’re always free to reject what they say, or to double check it – nothing they (or anyone else) say to you is gospel. Sometimes people make use of several of these services, and sometimes combine them with other forms of support – you might want to continue talking to your college Welfare Officer while you have professional counselling, for instance. People are often concerned about confidentiality – both with these services, professional ones, and doctors. If this does worry you, then it’s always best to ask first – different organisations and different people will guarantee different levels of confidentiality. Some will never tell; others will if they have serious concerns. Welfare providers ought to have thought this through in advance, and it is perfectly reasonable, and very common, to ask.

Welfare Officers: The role of a Welfare Officer varies from college to college, and person to person, so always ask if you're unsure. In general they are there to listen and support you, to help you find out any information you need, and sometimes to help you communicate with your college. Many are also trained as Peer Supporters. As is to be expected, their level of understanding and experience will vary. As current students, they need to set limits on their welfare work – some will have certain hours when they are available; others operate a drop in policy, but may sometimes have to arrange another time to see you if they have other commitments. They’re not there to provide solutions for you, but can be a great source of support. They may recommend that you make an appointment with the university counselling service or seek additional help elsewhere. If you do decide to do this, you might still want to talk to them as well; many people find that seeking support from a number of different sources is helpful.

If you decide that you need to take time out from your degree, it may also be worth talking to your college Academic Affairs Officer to find out more, and to make sure that you are supported by your college throughout the process (you can also talk to the OUSU Student Advice Service – see below for details) This guide also contains information for Welfare Officers, and OUSU also produces more detailed guidance (email welfare@ousu.org) for details.

Peer Supporters: Most colleges have Peer Supporters: students who have been trained in listening skills, and can help you talk through how your eating habits are affecting you. Peer Supporters can also support you in seeking help from other services (such as the Counselling Service) if this is what you want. There are usually several Peer Supporters in a college that uses the scheme, which allows you to approach the one you feel most comfortable with, or indeed talk to more than one. Again, some are more experienced than others: however, they all have access to information and support themselves, and can be a great source of help.

Nightline: Nightline is an independent service run by students for students. It operates between 8pm and 8am, 0th to 9th week. They provide a confidential, non-judgemental listening service. They are there to listen sympathetically without judging or moralising. They are not there to provide solutions (and won’t offer them if you ask), but they can be very useful if you want to talk something through; they'll listen for as long as you want, and they won't try to force you to do anything, or even to keep talking when you want to stop. You don't have to tell them who you are (and they won't ask); you can phone them, or you can call in to see them. Their policy is to have volunteers of both genders each night, so you can specify if you want. They are not professionals, but all the volunteers have successfully completed a course of specialised training. Phone them on  (2)70270 (any time from 8pm to 8am). This is an internal university number, so calls from another internal phone (just drop the (2)) are completely free.They accept reverse charge phone calls from within Oxford or they can call you back. You’re also very welcome to call in to their office at 16 Wellington Square to talk over coffee and biscuits for as long as you like. Wellington Square is just off Little Clarendon Street, and at the end of St John Street.

Enough!: Enough! is a student-run disordered eating support group with fortnightly meetings in term time (1st to 9th week). The first meeting took place in 3rd week of Hilary term 2007, and was the joint brain-child of the VP (Women) and an ED sufferer. Enough! recently celebrated its one year anniversary and is still going strong.

The group aims to provide a safe and confidential space for students with experience of disordered eating to voice their feelings and concerns, and find out more about professional support available in Oxford. We welcome everyone who wants to come along, whether male or female, undergraduate or postgraduate, sufferer or supporter. We ask that all attendees accept our code of conduct, which encompasses confidentiality, respect, and a non-confrontational, pro-recovery attitude. The informal, non-hierarchical structure of the group allows all attendees to contribute freely and openly as much or as little as they wish. Those further along in the recovery process are often able to provide a positive example to those just beginning. Our drop-in policy means that students are welcome to attend as often or as infrequently as they like, contributing to our informal atmosphere. The group has received overwhelmingly positive feedback and has been called ‘instantly welcoming’.

Meetings take place at 6pm on Tuesdays of odd weeks, in the Dorfman Centre, St Peter’s College. For more information see our website: www.enough-oxford.org.uk or contact the VP (Women) – details below.

 Student Advice Service: OUSU runs a Student Advice Service, made up of Sabbatical Officers (full-time OUSU staff). The service offes impartial listening, information, and representation. The service may be of use if you want to talk something through, but don’t want to approach someone in college (also, as they work full-time, they are available outside of term). It’s also there if you want information about other services, or want support in seeking professional help. It’s also very useful if anything you are going through is affecting your degree, and you need help in explaining this/approaching your college about it (though they won't do this without your permission), or if you just have questions about taking time out. They can often represent or accompany you if you need to attend college meetings or hearings, and if the college does not allow non-members to do this, they can support and train whoever is attending. The service stands aside from the rest of OUSU’s work; it is impartial, and not affected by OUSU policy.

OUSU also produces a range of welfare publications, including this guide. For more details, or to request them, email welfare@ousu.org.

Contact Details

Welfare: welfare@ousu.org (2)88461 Women: women@ousu.org (2)88462

Graduates: graduates@ousu.org (2)88463 Access & Academic Affairs:

access@ousu.org (2)88464