Student Health Services

Student Health, Counselling, and Wellness Services provides free professional medical and psychological care for students, as well as mental health promotion, campus outreach, and wellness education programming.

Student Health Services

Student Health Services (SHS) provides confidential, student-centred health care, including comprehensive medical care, counseling, and referrals. With on-site physicians, nurses, a psychiatrist, and a dietician, we offer a wide variety of in-office services, including:

• Immunizations, allergy shots, flu shots, and other injections
• TB skin tests
• Wound care
• STI testing

Please be aware that all patients must be registered University of Windsor students and that SHS only serves students by appointment. Walk-ins are not accepted.

Even if students opt-out of the student drug plan they are still welcome to see our dedicated team of physicians, nurses and administrative staff.

SCHEDULING APPOINTMENTS

Please call (519) 973-7002 to schedule an appointment.
*See website for most up to date hours of operation: www.uwindsor.ca/wellness

LOCATION
242 CAW Student Centre

Student Counselling Centre

The Student Counselling Centre (SCC) is home to a team of caring psychologists, social workers, registered psychotherapists, a mental health nurse, and Winnie the Therapy Dog. Our professional counsellors provide short-term psychotherapy and crisis intervention services to the University’s student population. We also provide consultation to staff, faculty, and students who may be concerned about a student struggling with mental health concerns. Counselling is available to registered UWindsor students by appointment.

SCHEDULING APPOINTMENTS

Please email scc@uwindsor.ca to schedule an appointment.

LOCATION

293 CAW Student Centre

Below are answers to some common questions we receive from faculty and staff.

1. I think a student could benefit from speaking with a mental health professional. How can I make a referral to the SCC?

In most cases, your first effort should be to give the student the Student Counselling Centre’s contact information:

• Email address: scc@uwindsor.ca
• Phone number: 519-253-3000 x 4616
• Website: www.uwindsor.ca/wellness
• Location: 293 CAW Student Centre

Remind them that our services are free and confidential. 

In some cases, it is useful and necessary to help a student more directly by making an appointment for them. If you believe a student would benefit from making an appointment, consider offering them the use of your phone when in person, or helping to send an email introduction to SCC with the student’s consent. It might be prudent to reach out to SCC while the student is in your office or otherwise in your presence.

If a student is unfamiliar with the campus and/or nervous about meeting a counsellor for the first time, consider walking them over to SCC.

Supportive messages you can share to encourage and normalize help-seeking:

• We all face challenges and difficulties at different points in our lives.
• It is normal to need support when things get tough.
• Asking for help is always strong and courageous, it is never weakness.
• By reaching out for support, you are taking steps to care for yourself and find a way through. This is resilience!
• Student Counselling Centre services are free and confidential: they won’t show up on your transcript, your professors won’t know you accessed them, and (for international students) it won’t affect your visa.
• At UWindsor, we want you to reach out if you are struggling. There are safe, caring professionals who are here to help. You don’t have to face this pain alone.

2. I am concerned about a student who appears to be in distress and/or is displaying worrisome behaviour, but I don’t know exactly what they need or the right place to send them. Who should I contact?
Contact the Assessment and Care Team (ACT) by filling out a Care Alert Form that can be found here (www.uwindsor.ca/student-care-and-support/) or by emailing ACT@uwindsor.ca.

The ACT is a multidisciplinary team of individuals within the campus community who are trained in threat assessment and behavioural intervention strategies. The ACT is born of the Behaviour Intervention Plan (BIP). Approved by the Board of Governors in 2014, the plan is designed to assist faculty and staff in responding to behaviours of concern in order to promote student wellbeing and contribute to a safe campus environment.

The BIP provides a centralized and systematic way for members of the campus community to raise concerns about a student and outlines the steps that are taken to help any student who may be in distress and in need of assistance.

For more information for faculty and staff on how to identify, respond, and refer a student in distress, please visit www.uwindsor.ca/wellness and look for the “Supporting Students” tab in the sub-menu on the left of the page.

3. Are there any supports available outside of regular business hours and/or off-campus?
The Student Counselling Centre recommends the following services for students:

Good2Talk | Phone & Text | 24/7
Mental health support for post-secondary students living in Ontario or Nova Scotia.
Call:1-866-925-5454 (reach professional counsellors)
Text: GOOD2TALKON to 686868 (reach trained volunteers)

Wellness Together Canada | Phone & Text | 24/7
Mental health & substance use support, as well as an online portal with self-assessments, education, and resources. Available for anyone living in Canada.
Call: 1-866-585-0445 (reach professional counsellors)
Text: WELLNESS to 686868 (reach trained volunteers)

Canada Suicide Prevention Service | Phone & Text | 24/7
Support for anyone living in Canada concerned about suicide. Staffed by trained volunteers.
Call:1-833-456-4566 (24/7)
Text: 45645 (4:00 pm-midnight EST)

Community Crisis Line | Phone | 24/7
Crisis intervention provided by professional social workers.
Call: 519-973-4435

Crisis & Mental Wellness Centre | In-Person
Daily walk-in crisis services for Windsor-Essex.
Walk-In: 7 days/week 8:00 am – 8:00 pm; 744 Ouellette Ave., Windsor, ON

www.hdgh.org/crisismentalwellnesscentre

Mental Health & Addictions Urgent Care Centre | In-Person
Crisis intervention and support for those experiencing a mental health/addiction crisis or who are having an acute and serious need who are at risk of worsening mental health conditions that may require hospitalization.
Walk-In: Monday – Friday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm; 744 Ouellette Ave., Windsor, ON

Sexual Assault Crisis Line | 24/7 | Phone
Crisis intervention provided by professional counsellors for anyone in Windsor-Essex who needs support with experiences of recent or past sexual violence.
Call: 519-253-9667

Hope for Wellness Help Line | Phone & Chat | 24/7
Immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention for all Indigenous peoples across Canada. Services offered in English and French, as well as Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut on request.
Call: 1-855-242-3310

Trans Wellness Ontario: Trans & Queer Community Health & Support Centre

Provides free services including mental health and addictions counseling, transition guides, a food and clothing pantry, support for marginalized youth, specialized events, and a safe space for collective action. For more information, please contact reception:

Call: (226) 674-4745

Email: reception@transwellness.ca

*No crisis services*

For additional specialized supports (e.g., Black Youth Helpline, Naseeha Muslim Mental Health, Asian Mental Health Collective, Trans Lifeline), please visit our online Mental Health & Wellness Resource Guide at www.uwindsor.ca/wellness

Mental Health Emergencies

Windsor Regional Hospital Walk-in Crisis Service | 24/7 Emergency Department located at 1030 Ouellette Ave.

• For any emergency on-campus, call Campus Police: 519-253-3000 ext. 4444. They can arrive the fastest, have campus-specific knowledge, and will coordinate any community emergency services that may need to respond.
• For emergencies off-campus, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.

If you feel a student is an imminent risk to harm themselves or someone else, or unable to care for themselves in terms of basic life activities:

• Contact Campus Police Services if student is on campus (Extension 4444).
• Contact Windsor Police if student is off-campus (911).

Wellness Office

The Wellness Office is UWindsor’s central hub on campus for student mental health promotion, psychoeducation, stigma reduction, suicide prevention, resource awareness, and training that supports student coping, well-being, and psychological safety.

We center our work on strengths-based, trauma-informed paradigms and collaborate across the University to support the advancement of a caring, compassionate, and connected campus community, where “every door is the right door” for students in need of information and referrals to appropriate supports.

Faculty and staff are a crucial part of our campus safety net, and we encourage you to connect with our office any time for mental health presentations, resources, and other opportunities to get involved.

Education, Awareness, & Skill Building (2022-2023 Offerings)

Our team provides virtual and in-class presentations for students that faculty and staff can request any time of year by emailing wellness@uwindsor.ca. Please reach out to schedule mental health presentations early as we book up quickly. Topics include:

• Mental Health and Resource Awareness (15 minutes)

A brief overview of UWindsor’s student mental health paradigm and key resources for support. Students will gain a shared understanding of what mental health is and an increased awareness of when to reach out for support and the services that are available to them.

• Navigating Uncertainty and Change (30 minutes)

Through a pandemic mental health lens, this presentation briefly explores the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and offers coping strategies that can be used to find our footing when waves of change are rolling in. Students will gain a shared understanding of what mental health is, insight into why living with uncertainty and change can be so hard, a collection of simple coping strategies they can practice in their own lives, an increased awareness of when to reach out for support, and the services that are available to them.

• Coping, Stress, and Resilience (1 hour)

Provides introductory information about the psychology and neurobiology of stress, coping strategies that can be used to soothe stressed out nervous systems, and an exploration into resilience. Students will gain a shared understanding of what mental health is and how resilience is built, knowledge of how their nervous system responds to stress and how the power of our nervous systems can be harnessed for coping and relaxation, a collection of simple coping strategies they can practice in their own lives, an increased awareness of when to reach out for support, and the services that are available to them.

• Mental Health for Student Leaders (1.5 – 2 hours)

Geared specifically towards the needs of students who are in leadership roles on campus, this presentation looks at how student leaders can support the well-being of their peers while also taking good care of themselves. Students will gain a shared understanding of what mental health is, an increased awareness of the impact of mental health stigma and simple actions they can take to create psychologically safe environments, skills for caring and responding compassionately to mental health disclosures, knowledge of how our nervous systems respond to stress and how the power of our nervous systems can be harnessed for coping and relaxation, a collection of simple coping strategies they can try in their own lives and share with their peers, an increased awareness of when to reach out for support, and the services that are available both for student referrals and for supporting their own well-being.

Faculty and staff can also request the following print resources:

• Mental Health Resources – Student Handout (8.5 x 11)
• Mental Health Resources – Student Poster (11 x 17)
• Quick Guide to Supporting Students – Faculty & Staff Poster (11 x 17)
• Good2Talk Helpline Handout (2 x 3.5)
• My Student Support Program (MySSP) Handout (2 x 3.5)
• It Matters that You’re Here Suicide Prevention Initiative – Messages of Care Colouring Bookmarks with resources on back (2 x 7)
• In-Class Self-Compassion Activity – Instructions for guiding students through creating their own self-compassion message on colouring bookmarks with resources on back (2 x 7)

To make a request for printed resources, please email wellness@uwindsor.ca and specify which resource(s) you would like to receive, the date you need them by, and the number of copies needed. Please provide as much notice as possible. Electronic resources can be found at www.uwindsor.ca/wellness

Integrating Mental Health Skill Building into the Curriculum

Student Health, Counselling, and Wellness Services offers a unique opportunity for faculty to directly integrate mental health skill building modules into their courses through the use of the online learning platform Therapy Assistance Online (TAO).

TAO offers over 150 video modules that you can choose from to curate your own collection of skill building content for your students. Modules are developed using key therapeutic modalities and best practices, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. Topics range from professional development skills (communication strategies, values, goal setting, etc.) to knowledge and skills for supporting mental health and well-being (e.g., causes of anxiety, cognitive response system, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness, core beliefs, etc.).

There are several departments and individual instructors on campus who assign TAO modules to learners in a variety of ways, including Nursing, Engineering, Law, and the Centre for English Language Development (CELD). We are always looking for new faculty members to partner with! Bringing TAO modules to your students is a simple way that you can help normalize conversations about mental health, support student well-being, and reduce barriers to care, all at no cost and minimal time commitment for you. We’re here to support you through every step of the process. If you are interested in learning more, please email wellness@uwindsor.ca.

Suicide Prevention: It Matters that You’re Here

In Fall 2022, we will be launching a new ongoing suicide prevention initiative called It Matters that You’re Here. The overarching goal of this programming will be to meaningfully engage members of the University of Windsor campus community in an ongoing collective effort to prevent suicide by:

Increasing…	Decreasing…	While Modelling…
· Awareness of suicide	· Stigma	· Safe & supportive language
· Knowledge of risk indicators	· Silence	· Compassion
· Promotion of protective factors	· Isolation	· Connection
· Familiarity with resources	· Barriers to care	· Community care
· Skills for coping and self-advocacy
• Skills for responding and referring · Hope

There will be regular opportunities for all members of the campus community to get involved in spreading hope, awareness, and messages of care. We encourage you to join us as opportunities arise!

Student Mental Health Leadership

A core feature of our portfolio is the valuing of lived experience and an emphasis on student-driven initiatives, engagement, and innovation. A new large-scale volunteer program is currently under development, with plans to launch in Fall 2022. The Mental Health & Wellness Peer Advocate Volunteer Program will establish a supportive community of specialized volunteer teams that take on projects to advance mental health outreach on campus. Student volunteers will engage in an experiential learning process throughout their time in the program to support personal and professional development while they use their skills to benefit the mental health and well-being of their peers at the University of Windsor. We invite you to encourage your students to apply when we begin recruiting in early September!

Institutional Advancement

The Wellness Office is also responsible for supporting the implementation of the University of Windsor’s Student Mental Health Strategy. To learn more about the Strategy and our ongoing work, please visit www.uwindsor.ca/wellness and look for the “Mental Health Strategy” tab in the sub-menu on the left of the page.

Want to stay connected? Follow @UWindsorWellness on Instagram!