Community and Peer Support
BSA INITIATIVES
Cure for the Mondays
Join us in the Carruthers Student Commons every Monday from 11am-2pm for breakfast and snacks! Start your week off right with a delicious treat and some great company!
Exam Care Packages
Exam season is always a busy time for business students! Take a time out and pick up an exam care package to help take care of yourself this exam season!
Wellness Wednesdays
Take a break Wednesdays 11am-2pm in the Carruthers Student Commons with free snacks and games sponsored by YEG Cycle!
Dogs in the Library
Back by popular demand, Dogs in the Library! The wellness dogs will be back in action on campus this year ! Come by and spend some time with these sweet dogs!
RESOURCES & SUPPORT
Peer Support Centre
The Peer Support Centre (PSC) is a Students’ Union service that offers a free, confidential, and non-judgmental place to talk to someone for support. No issue is too big or too small. Their trained volunteers offer peer support, crisis management, information and resources, as well as a safe and confidential place to talk. Their volunteers will listen to help you uncover some steps you can use to improve your situation, no matter what the issue. The Peer Support Centre also offers a library of on and off campus resources of where you can go when you leave the Centre.
There are 3 different ways you can access the Peer Support Centre:
Drop in is available during their hours
Call their confidential hotline for a session (780-492-4268)
Location: University of Alberta, SUB 2-707
Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00AM – 8:00PM
Community Social Work Team
The Community Social Work Team provides support to students of all ages, groups, backgrounds, and income levels in becoming connected to each other, the campus community, and resources both on and off campus. Connecting to your campus community plays an important role in your overall well-being.
Their team facilitates many presentations, training sessions, and community events to bring students together, build community, decrease loneliness, and build capacity that will assist during your time on campus and beyond.
Major initiatives provided by the Community Social Work Team include Unitea, where students may bond over tea and hot beverages with another student volunteer trained in engaging conversation.
If you are experiencing a challenging situation or are supporting a student through a difficult time, please contact their office for assistance or consultation.
You may book a Unitea time online during the fall/winter academic year.
The Landing
The Landing is a non-profit service at the University of Alberta that offers support for gender and sexual diversity. They strive to promote gender equity on a broad scale, and advocate for the safety and acceptance of individuals of all genders and sexualities in campus life. As part of this mandate, they support LGBTTQQPIANU+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Two-Spirit, Queer, Questioning, Pansexual, Intersex, Asexual, Non-Binary, Unlabelled, and more) communities and individuals, as well as their supporters, friends, family and loved ones.
Drop in hours staffed by volunteers. The Landing offers a welcoming and inclusive Drop-In Space. Anyone is welcome to drop-in during these hours and use the space to meet with friends, do homework, chat with one of our knowledgeable and supportive volunteers, find resources and referrals, ask questions, or simply spend time in a space dedicated to inclusivity. Students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members of all genders and sexualities are welcome.
Regular Programming – The Landing offers a variety of regular and ongoing programming for LGBTQ*, allied, and questioning individuals.
Resource library – The Landing has an awesome and ever-growing Resource Library with books, zines, pamphlets and more available to borrow. You can browse their books catalogue and stop by The Landing to see what’s available on the shelf to sign out for up to a month at a time.
Referrals – The Landing can help students and staff by providing up to date information on what support is available for their situation and how to access it.
Location: University of Alberta, SUB 0-68A Lower Level
Hours: Monday-Thursday 10:00AM-4:00PM
Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton
SACE is a non-profit, free of charge organization where people may receive one-on-one or group sessions for sexual violence including abuse, assault and harassment.
SACE offers court support, counselling and public education. Call us or come visit us!
Location: 14964-121A Avenue Edmonton, AB T5V 1A3
Hours: Monday-Thursday 8:30AM – 5:30PM
Counselling and Clinical Services
Counselling & Clinical Services aims to provide accessible and compassionate psychological and psychiatric services to U of A students. Using a short-term therapy model, they help students improve their personal, social, and academic well-being. They offer consultative services to the University of Alberta community, like opportunities for faculty and staff to consult with them regarding students of concern, as well as provide supervision and training to graduate students in psychology.
Initial consultations and all services, with the exception of group therapy programs (which have a minimum fee), are free of charge.
Personal, Relationship and Family Therapy — students utilize professional psychological therapy and treatment emphasizing a shorter term model, including individual, relationship and family therapy. They assist students with a wide range of mental health and life concerns. Call or visit us to make an appointment.
Free drop in workshops — Workshops are casual, one time events that teach participants practical and realistic strategies to deal with a particular mental health topic. Drop in workshops are free of charge and require no registration. All University students and staff are welcome to attend. Click here for the workshop schedule.
Group Therapy — Groups are ongoing and offer a supportive and safe environment for participants to learn strategies to overcome psychological challenges. Joining a therapy group requires an initial consultation. Call or visit us to express interest in joining a group.
Location: University of Alberta, SUB 2-600
Hours: Monday, Thursday, Friday 8:00AM – 3:00PM & Tuesday, Wednesday 8:00AM – 7:00PM
The BSA is here to support you!
If you did not find what you were looking for on this page or if you would like to speak with someone about extra resources or initiatives please reach out to our Student Wellness Directors, Alyssa Burant and Maggie Gavigan!
Healthy Campus Unit
The Healthy Campus Unit is a health promotion team working to support campus health and wellbeing by creating a healthy campus community at the University of Alberta. In striving for a healthy campus community, they strongly believe in the value of integrating the following health promotion strategies in the work they do on campus:
Expanding collaborations in health and working closely with partners
Developing health knowledge and skills
Conducting student health research to drive evidence based practice
Creating healthy, supportive campus environments
Healthy Campus Unit provides the following initiative for student life on campus:
Unwind Your Mind — Unwind Your Mind is a mental health initiative developed to support student well-being throughout the academic year by creating environments for students to de-stress. By providing these spaces in libraries across campus, they hope to encourage students to take breaks in their studies to connect with their well-being. Unwind Your Mind provides de-stressing kits, healthy snacks, gratitude jars and free fitness classes during the exam season. Simply drop by the library during exam season to participate in these services.
Academic Success Centre
The Academic Success Centre provides professional support to help students strengthen their academic skills and achieve their academic goals and want all students to succeed at university! They provide professional academic support and offer a range of programs and services designed to help students accomplish their learning goals at university. They work with learners to strengthen and enhance their academic skills, to tackle challenges in their university learning and to facilitate specialized supports.
Services provided by the Academic Success Centre include:
Individual one-on-one meetings
Workshops on studying, writing exams and more
Academic copy editing
Achieving Academic Success online course
Workshops — Each term a range of group workshops are designed to strengthen and enhance academic skills. Register for workshops by calling 780-492-2682 or visit 1-80 SUB for in person registration.
Individual Appointments — One-on-one professional help that will help maximize your academic skills and outcome are available in 45-50 minute sessions. These individual appointments can provide you with personalized advice regarding academic questions or projects. UAlberta students pay $25/session or $60/3 sessions. Register for appointments by calling us or visit us for in person registration.
Fresh Start Program — Eight month, non-credit course that enables eligible undergraduate students, who have been Required to Withdraw from their faculty, to develop skills needed to succeed at university. This program assists students with achieving Satisfactory Academic Standing and regaining eligibility for admission or readmission. Contact us for eligibility and application process.
Location: University of Alberta, 1-80 SUB, North Campus
Reception Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m
Service Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The Rainbow Pages
The Rainbow Pages Youth Resource Guide was developed by The Family Centre to provide LGBTQ+ youth and the youth-serving community a consolidated guide of the supports available in Edmonton.
Sexual Assault Centre
The University of Alberta Sexual Assault Centre provides a safe place on campus where unconditional support, confidentiality, respect, and advocacy are available for those affected by sexual assault, sexual harassment, relationship violence, and stalking. The U of A Sexual Assault Centre strives for a campus community free of sexual violence.
The Sexual Assault Center provides the following services free of charge:
Drop-in, telephone or email support for survivors of sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking or relationship violence regardless of gender
Counselling and psychotherapy appointments with our psychologist for either short or long-term counselling and treatment regarding sexual assault or sexual abuse (whether the experience happened recently or long ago)
Support and information for partners, friends, family, and concerned individuals who are supporting a survivor of sexual assault
Advocating for deferrals, extensions, and other academic accommodations to help support student success
Accompaniment for individuals who choose to seek medical attention or report their experience
Referrals to on- and off-campus resources
Resource area for information on sexual assault and related topics
Students can access the Sexual Assault Center’s services during their hours by Phoning, Emailing, Drop in.
Location: University of Alberta, SUB 2-705
Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:00PM
Alberta Provincial Abuse Helpline
Alberta Provincial Abuse Helpline: 1-855-4HELPAB (1-855-443-5722)
For assistance in more than 100 languages,
From 7:30 am to 8 pm, Monday to Friday
Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-387-KIDS (5437) for help 24/7
Call 911 if you or someone you know is in immediate danger. Family violence is a crime. Family violence includes physical, verbal, emotional, financial and sexual abuse, neglect, stalking or being kept from seeing other people or forced to stay in one place.
Alberta Mental Health Helpline
Mental Health Helpline: 1-877-303-2642
For mental health advice 24/7
Confidential, anonymous service,
Information about mental health programs and services,
Referrals to other agencies if needed
HealthLink: Call 811
To find health care and get health advice 24/7