More sources of support

Help from the NHS

The Cambridge and Peterborough Psychological Wellbeing Service is an NHS service bringing together specialist support for a range of mental health issues, You can self-refer through their website.  

For urgent support, NHS 111 option 2 will connect you with someone who can arrange for emergency advice and support. 

Qwell

Adults who live in Cambridge are eligible to sign up for a free account with Qwell, an online counselling and wellbeing platform. Qwell provides:

• Chat-based counselling
• Peer support
• Self-help resources
• Articles and posts from experts and users

The Qwell service is requires no referral, and is free and available all day, everyday. Counsellors are online and available between 12pm and 10pm on weekdays and between 6pm and 10pm on weekends.

Counselling services

Staff with a University contract can  self refer to the University Staff Counselling  Service.
Staff with a College contract who feel they may need counselling are invited to speak with their line manager, HR manager or a member of the Health and Wellbeing Team in confidence, so that we can help you access the support that you need. 

If you are not sure whether you have a University or College contract, you are welcome to contact HR - or you can check your payslip. 

If you or someone you are supporting is in a mental health crisis

• The Samaritans (call 116123) is a 24/7 listening service especially for those in distress.
• Sane (call 0300 304 7000) provides emotional support, guidance and information to anyone affected by mental illness, including family, friends and carers. The services are confidential and offer non-judgemental and compassionate support. Their out of hours mental health helpline is open every day from 4.30pm–10.30pm.
• Lifeline (call 0808 808 2121) is a free, confidential and anonymous telephone helpline service that is available from 7.00–11.00pm to people in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area. The line provides listening support and information to someone experiencing mental distress or if you are supporting someone in distress.

Help for specific issues

• Domestic Violence UK provide information, support, and three helplines (including one especially for men and one dedicated to LGBT+).
• Women's Aid offers information and support to women who are experiencing domestic abuse, including through a new webchat service. 
• BEAT is an eating disorders support organisation providing coronavirus-specific information and support.
• OCDAction is the national OCD charity offering advice and support

Sexual Assault and Harassment 

St Catharine’s College takes our commitment to keeping staff and Fellows safe extremely seriously. If you would like to talk to someone about an experience of sexual harassment or assault, you can access support within the College via the HR Manager and Health and Wellbeing team. Both the HR Manager and the Health and Wellbeing team can be a listening ear to provide a non-judgemental space for you to talk about your experience , outline what your options are for further support and help you access specialist support within college and the wider community. All conversations are confidential unless we are concerned about your safety or someone else’s safety.

Staff with a University contract can  self refer to the University Staff Counselling  Service for support.
Staff with a College contract who feel they may need counselling are invited to speak with their line manager, HR manager or a member of the Health and Welfare Team in confidence, so that we can help you access the support that you need. 
If you are not sure whether you have a University or College contract, you are welcome to contact HR - or you can check your payslip. 

Tips for speaking to someone about Sexual Assault or Harassment

• You don’t need to be 100% sure it was assault or harassment; speaking to a professional can help explore this
• There is no time frame for the event(s). Whether it happened years ago or hours ago, you can still seek support and advice.
• People are encouraged to seek support regarding harassment and sexual assault regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.

What is sexual assault?

Below is a non-exhaustive list of types of behaviour that would constitute rape, sexual assault and harassment.

• making offensive comments about someone’s personal traits or assumed personal traits  
• controlling or coercive behaviour  
• physical misconduct (hitting, pushing, spitting, pulling hair etc)  
• repeatedly following another person  
• inappropriately showing sexual organs to someone  
• inappropriate touching through clothes without consent  
• kissing without consent  
• sharing private sexual materials of another person without consent  
• attempting to engage in sexual intercourse or a sexual act without consent  
• engaging in sexual intercourse or a sexual act without consent 

The following resources open to people living in Cambridge who have experienced sexual violence.

Please note that while we have checked all links at the time of posting, the College is not responsible for the content of external websites.