Counsellor for London student

[SiulaGrande]

DH is the academic not me but asking for recommendations, please. He has a personal tutee who's in crisis and looking for a private counsellor. Can anyone recommend someone in central London / Camden area?

The student is a Chinese first year undergrad with existing mental health issues, female so a female counsellor would be preferable, and a Chinese person ideal.

DH has been speaking with them today, and followed all the university's procedures, with student support involved, but the student really wants a private counsellor and doesn't know where to start when given a list of professionals.

one of the NHS + private options in the area seems to be
www.clinical-partners.co.uk/
but I haven't used them

I'd look on BACP website, maybe put the language in as a key word in the search engine.

Counselling Directory is a good place to start. You can search by area and requirements, or try the BACP website.

As an academic, I would advise him to steer well clear of making this kind of recommendation. His involvement should begin and end with directing the student to his university’s counselling service. They can make recommendations, if appropriate. They are better qualified than academics to do so.

Thanks for the suggestions, and good call to search by language option.

I can't agree more strongly with @GCAcademic here. Your partner is opening himself up to all kinds of trouble on so many different levels if he starts to recommend services (especially given he doesn't actually know any).

Your DP should just direct the student to the University services and step back. It's not easy but it's absolutely necessary for everyone involved.

I also agree with this. Our counselling service do have some recommended external counselors, I have no skills or knowledge that would allow me to make recommendations. Its probably worth looking on their website and directing the student to it if there are recommendations. I am aware of some that my students have found helpful but would never make recommendations to other students since what they require may be quite different. The counselling service will understand what is needed by the individual student. These situations are really difficult because we want to help students but we do need to recognise our limitations (and the problems that we could open ourselves up to, as KStockHero says).

Another one here who agrees with @KStockHERO . Having been PT to a number of Chinese students, I agree with your concern for a cultural match. The International Office may be able to give the student some recommendations. Or other Chinese students? Obviously the latter requires a bit of self confidence that may be lacking at the mo

At our place the Chinese students have a network of preferred private counsellors, most but not all of whom are themselves of Chinese heritage. One I know travelled to London instead, before the pandemic

Sorry, should have credited @GCAcademic - a fine but less memorable username