The University of Waterloo can be a challenging environment. Difficult circumstances occur in everyone's life. Sharing these concerns with a friendly and experienced counsellor can be a big relief and can help you handle and manage the goals you have set in coming to university. Areas of expertise include: personal issues and trauma, relationship issues, stress, anxiety, depression, sexual harassment, eating disorders, etc. Counselling is offered on a short-term basis by trained professional counsellors.
If you are interested in making an individual appointment, contact us by dropping into the Service, second floor, Needles Hall, Room 2080 or by calling us at 888-4567, ext. 32655.
Please note that demand for our service remains high and we currently are meeting new clients for a 'Client Assignment' interview where your questions can be answered and the appropriate resources identified for you.
If it's been more than a term since you've seen your Counsellor, please meet briefly with a member of our Client Assignment Team to help ascertain your needs and scheduling options. If it is necessary to call into the office if you are out of town, please indicate this to our front desk staff answering your call and they will arrange contact with our client assignment team staff.
Please note client assignment times are:
9:00am - 11:30am and 1:00pm - 3:30pm (except for Tuesday mornings).
There may be a wait depending on number of people who may arrive before you, anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour or more. If you arrive late in the day and it's not urgent, we may suggest that you return the following day or at a time that is convenient for you.
Scheduling with a Counsellor may take up to a few days to a few weeks, depending on scheduling availability, resources and individual needs.
If you or others are ever in Crisis, please contact our office in person or by phone during our regular business hours and our staff will endeavour to assist you.
Please see further resources below for consideration of your needs and questions.
Our goal is to see as many people as soon as possible!
If you are ill and are unable to attend your appt, our staff may be able to provide phone consultations and support on an occasional basis. We encourage you not to attend your session if you are suffering from flu like symptoms etc and we will endeavour to connect you with our team of Counsellors.
UW Faculty & Staff, for more info on the Employees Assistance Program......please click here
Staff, Faculty or students who feel feverish and have a new or worse cough or shortness of breath should go home or stay at home until your fever has gone and you are feeling better. Cough and fatigue may linger for several more days or weeks however you will not be contagious and can return to work or school with a persistent cough. Health care workers must remain off work and at home for seven days from the time of onset of flu symptoms and 24 hours after fever has abated whichever is longer. For further information about the H1N1 Flu Virus (Human Swine Influenza) please refer to the websites below.
For general health advice contact Telehealth Ontario for free access to a Registered Nurse — 24 Hours a day, 7 days a Week. 1-866-797-0000 (TTY: 1-866-797-0007).
If you start to feel ill, or have been in contact with an infected family member or friend, BEFORE coming to Health Services, please call the Flu Hotline 519-888-4467 for instructions or use the following self assessment tool to help you decide when and if you should seek medical attention.
Flu Self Assessment Tool
For more information on Health Services and illness, please click here.
All information you share with your counsellor will be held in the strictest confidence. No one within the University, outside of Counselling Services, has access to information about either your records or whether you have been seen by us or not. Nothing will be released to third parties inside or outside the University, including family members, without your consent.
The only exceptions to this strict policy are required by law (e.g., when a person presents clear indications of intending harm to self or others, where there is suspected or current child abuse, where there has been sexual abuse by a regulated health professional or when records are subpoenaed). For further info on our privacy policy, please click here.
Referrals & Resources on or off Campus & local supports
If you wish to see a counsellor off-campus or if our Service is unable to meet your concerns, we can refer you to a counsellor or agency in the Kitchener-Waterloo area or in other locations in Ontario. Please consider the following also;
Your natural supports: your family, friends, dons, faith community, etc
Parental or familial health benefit plans may offer individualized therapeutic supports in this community.
Other campus support: Health Services 519.888.4567, ext. 33544; Office for Persons with Disabilities; International Students Office; Aboriginal Services
Look online, in the phone book, in city directories for:
Community Services; Community Counselling Agencies; Canadian Mental Health Association http://www.cmha.ca/bins/index.asp
Family Doctors / local Hospital & Health Care Clinics
Off-campus Support and Help
911 Emergency response, Police, Fire, Ambulance
24-hour support on campus: UW Police 519.888.4567, ext. 22222
Mobile Crisis Team 24/7 hrs per day |
519.744-1813 or |
Distress Line (supportive listening) |
519.745-1166 |
Mosaic Counselling and Family Services (Individualized fee scale, income dependant & afforable) |
519.743-6333 |
KW Counselling Services (Individualized fee scale, income dependant & afforable) |
519.884-0000 |
Counselling Services
Needles Hall Room 2080
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4567 x32655 Fax # 519-888-4366
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