Counselling and social work support

Staffed by a team of highly trained and qualified professionals who are experts in fields such as:

• well-being
• family matters
• relationships
• debt management
• employment issues
• and much more.

Booked appointment (in person or virtual) – Students can book an appointment with a counsellor for regular intervals throughout the term. This is for ongoing counselling and starts with an initial consultation appointment. Sessions are 50 minutes in length. Closed once client lists are full. 

Same-day Single Sessions (Monday through Thursday in person or virtual) – Students can call the Wellness Centre between 9am-11am from Monday to Thursday to book a same-day 45-minute single session with a counsellor (506 364 2163). Reserved for students who are not already on a MtA counsellor’s list and where a single session is appropriate. First-come-first-served. 

Drop-in session (Wednesdays 5pm-8pm in person) – Students can drop into the Wellness Centre to speak with a counsellor on a first-come-first-served basis. These are 30-minute solution-focused appointments. 

Counsellors provide an open, supportive environment where students can share their concerns confidentially.

Topics supported through counselling, may include:

• stress
• anxiety
• mood issues
• loss and grief
• self-harm
• relationship concerns
• adjustment to and pressures of university
• loneliness
• strategies for self-care

Some concerns fall out of the scope that can be addressed through Mount Allison’s short-term and solution-focused counselling model.

Counsellors will use their discretion to refer students to external services where appropriate.

Students with pre-existing needs who receive counselling external to the University are encouraged to explore a continuation of these services or to work with their counsellor on appropriate transition.

Mount Allison counsellors do not diagnose or provide assessments. Anyone needing urgent care are advised to call emergency services. 

What to expect during an appointment

Before meeting with your counsellor, you will be asked to fill out an intake form on which you will provide personal information such as demographic information, health information, and your reasons for seeking counselling.

When meeting with your counsellor, they will ask questions to obtain some background information on the concerns or issues you have come to discuss with them.

Students may connect with the social worker through a self-referral or with a referral from a member of the Mount Allison community.

The social worker also has a lead role with the Student of Concern Case Team (SOCCT), where they are the first contact for students referred through that program.

In-person and virtual appointments are available. 

The psychologist is on-site once a week and offers fee-for-service appointments. 

Some fees are covered by the Mount Allison Students' Union insurance plan.

• Breelove Counselling Inc.
  Provides affordable counselling therapy by telephone or video using a trauma-informed approach. Specialities range from general mental health, art therapy, adversities, trauma, racial informed to nutritional psychology. The focus is to help individuals build resilience and heal. Contact Breelove Counselling by telephone at (506) 248-0639 or by e-mail at referrals@breelove.ca.
   
• IRIS Community Counselling and Consulting
  IRIS offers mental health counselling services and education for individuals, groups, families, and youth of the greater Tantramar-area community. Connect with an IRIS counsellor by telephone at (506) 540-0942; on their website at https://iriscounselling.ca, or find them on Facebook and Instagram.
   
• Denise Gaudet Counselling
  Office is on Bridge Street, a short 10-minute walk from campus. Online sessions are also available. Over 30 years experience with students. Connect with Denise Gaudet by telephone at (506) 850-9880 or visit her website.

• Sage Solutions Inc. — 506-857-3258
  Counselling agency and network of professionals including counsellors, therapists, psychologists, and family mediators that provides access to counselling, meditation, and alternative health services
   
• Touchstone Counselling — 506-857-3077
  Counselling service with office hours in Sackville
   
• Open Sky Co-op — 506-536-4564
  Provides home and vocational assistance for adults requiring supports to improve their quality of life
   
• Daybreak
  Offers mental health support for adults (over 19) who live in the Tantramar Region
   
• Horizon Community Mental Health Centre — 506-856-2444
  Satellite office in Sackville
   
• Atlantic Wellness Community Centre — 506-382-0298 or info@atlanticwellness.org
   
• College of Psychologists of New Brunswick
   
• New Brunswick Association of Counselling Therapists

Licensed clinical psychologists hold PhDs in psychology and are mental health professionals who are trained to assess and diagnose problems in thinking, emotion, and behaviour using scientist-practitioner and evidence based models (Canadian Psychological Association).

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who are able to diagnose and treat medical disorders, including with prescription medication.