This Page Exists Because You Might Need It
One in four students in the UK will experience a mental health problem during their time at university. That statistic has been stable for a decade and the services exist because the demand is real. This page lists what’s available in Manchester – university-specific services, NHS options, crisis support, and the practical things that help.
If You Need Help Right Now
- Samaritans: 116 123 (free, 24/7, any phone)
- Crisis Text Line: Text SHOUT to 85258 (free, 24/7)
- NHS 111: Call 111 for urgent medical advice
- 999: If you or someone else is in immediate danger
- Nightline (UoM): 0161 275 2983 (term-time evenings, run by students for students)
University Services
University of Manchester
Student Support and Wellbeing: Free counselling, mental health advisors, disability support. Self-refer online through the My Manchester portal or contact the Student Support team directly. First appointments typically available within 2–3 weeks during term, longer during peak periods (January, May). Short-term counselling (usually 6 sessions) is the standard offer, with onward referral to NHS services for longer-term support.
Nightline: A confidential listening service run by trained student volunteers, available during term-time evenings. Call, text, or use the instant messaging service on their website. Not a replacement for professional support but a good first step when you need someone to talk to outside office hours.
Peer Support: Student-led peer support groups run through the SU – check the UoM Students’ Union wellbeing pages for current groups. These include anxiety and depression support groups, bereavement support, and LGBTQ+ wellbeing groups.
Manchester Metropolitan University
Counselling and Mental Health: Free counselling service for all MMU students. Book through the MMU student hub online. Same-term appointments. Short-term model similar to UoM. The MMU service also runs group workshops on managing anxiety, sleep, and stress – these are usually easier to access quickly than one-to-one counselling.
MMU Wellbeing Team: For non-crisis support, the wellbeing team can help with academic adjustments (extensions, mitigating circumstances) related to mental health. Contact them early if your mental health is affecting your ability to study – they can advocate with your department.
University of Salford
Wellbeing Service: Free counselling and mental health support. Contact through the askUS student advice centre. Salford also runs a Big White Wall (now Togetherall) partnership – an online mental health community available 24/7 to all Salford students.
NHS Mental Health Services
Register with a GP first
Everything in the NHS mental health pathway starts with your GP. If you haven’t registered yet, do it now – don’t wait until you’re unwell. The GP near campus and in Fallowfield fill up in October. The GP can refer you to:
- IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies): Free talking therapies including CBT. Self-refer or GP-refer. Wait times in Manchester are typically 4–8 weeks for assessment, longer for treatment. The Manchester service is called “Talking Therapies Manchester.”
- Community Mental Health Teams: For more complex needs. GP referral required. Longer wait but more comprehensive support including psychiatric assessment and medication management.
- Crisis Team: If you’re in crisis, your GP can make an urgent referral. A&E at Manchester Royal Infirmary has a psychiatric liaison team available 24/7.
Self-referral to Talking Therapies
You don’t need a GP referral for IAPT. You can self-refer directly to Talking Therapies Manchester through their website or by calling. This is often faster than going through your GP. The service offers CBT, counselling, and guided self-help for depression, anxiety, panic, OCD, PTSD, and phobias.
Charity and Community Support
- Manchester Mind: Local Mind charity offering wellbeing support, groups, and workshops. Some services are free, some have waiting lists. Check manchestermind.org.
- 42nd Street: Mental health support specifically for young people (13–25) in Manchester. Free counselling, group work, creative therapies. Self-refer online. Often faster than NHS pathways for under-25s.
- LGBT Foundation: Mental health support for LGBTQ+ people including counselling, peer support, and a dedicated helpline. Free. Based on Richmond Street in the city centre.
- Kooth: Free online counselling and emotional wellbeing for under-25s. No referral needed, no waiting list. Text-based and available evenings and weekends.
Practical Things That Help
This isn’t a substitute for professional support. These are the things that every counselling service and GP will recommend alongside formal treatment because the evidence for them is strong:
- Sleep: Regular sleep schedule. Seven to eight hours. No screens for 30 minutes before bed. This alone has measurable effects on anxiety and mood. Student life makes this hard – do it anyway.
- Exercise: 30 minutes of movement most days. Doesn’t need to be a gym – walking, cycling to campus, a run around Platt Fields Park. The evidence for exercise as a treatment for mild-to-moderate depression is comparable to medication.
- Routine: Get up at the same time every day. Eat meals at regular times. Attend lectures even when you don’t feel like it. Structure protects mental health in ways that are easy to dismiss and hard to replace.
- Social connection: Isolation is the single biggest risk factor for student mental health problems. One regular social commitment – a society, a sports team, a weekly meal with friends – is more protective than most interventions.
- Alcohol: Manchester’s student culture normalises heavy drinking. Alcohol is a depressant and it makes anxiety, depression, and sleep problems measurably worse. You don’t have to stop drinking but understanding this relationship is important.
Academic Support When You’re Struggling
If mental health is affecting your ability to study, hand in work, or attend exams – tell your university before the deadline, not after. Every university has a mitigating circumstances process:
- UoM: Apply for mitigating circumstances through My Manchester. You need evidence (GP letter, counselling letter) but the system exists to help and most applications are approved.
- MMU: Contact the wellbeing team or submit via the extenuating circumstances form on the student hub.
- Salford: Contact askUS for guidance on the process.
Don’t let an assignment deadline become a mental health crisis. Extensions exist. Use them.
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