This resource has been designed to gather together a range of information to support academic advising in SALC. It is designed to complement existing resources such as the Academic Advising Toolkit, Academic Advising training and the Careers and Employability Information for Staff.
The aim of this particular resourse is to provide a concise collection of information that will support you during your meetings with academic advisees.
SALC Academic Advising Calendar
In SALC, we request Academic Advisers meet with their students three times during Semester 1 and two times during semester 2. For suggestions about when these meetings should fall, topics of conversations that might arise, and helpful signposts, see the SALC Academic Advising Calendar.
Academic Advising Online
As we continue to work with a blended approach to teaching and learning, in SALC academic advising will remain online until further notice. This, of course, presents it's own challenge. Key advice from SALC:
- Continue the patterns of meetings outlined in the SALC advising calendar, using the online meeting tool of your choice.
The Institute for Teaching and Learning has produced some guidance for online advising here, including a range of suggested icebreakers to facilitate conversation online. There is also a useful series of Tips for Advising in Semester 2 20/21 from the University here. This document collates key resources to help you support your Academic Advisees while they are living and studying online due to Covid-19.
In connection to Digital Wellbeing, you may want to direct your students to the following resource: https://mlemanchester.medium.com/looking-after-your-digital-wellbeing-596386726136
Pastoral Support
While students will often come to academic advisors to discuss their wellbeing and mental health, it is important to establish clear boundaries about what you can and cannot provide. You are not expected to provide professional mental health support to students. Please do not provide students with your personal email or telephone number.
We do hope that academic advisors will form part of a network of support systems and procedures that can help to identify students in need of support, and that you will play a role in signposting students to appropriate services. Please also see the section below on 'Worried about someone in distress?'.
If students disclose to you concerns about their health, physical or mental, or their wellbeing, please signpost them to any appropriate services provided below. If you wish to contact a service on behalf of a student, please make sure you have the student's permission for you to do so before going ahead.
If you believe that a student or colleague is at immediate risk of harming themselves or others, or if the person is expressing thoughts or behaviours that strike you as bizarre or out of character, call 999 and ask for an ambulance. If on university premises, call Security on 0161 306 9966, give your location and tell them that an ambulance is on its way.
University Support Services:
- SALC Student Support and Guidance Office: salc-studentsupport@manchester.ac.uk
- Interruptions and Withdrawals: The Student Support & Guidance team, via salc-changetostudy@manchester.ac.uk, will be able to talk you through the interruption and withdrawal process.
- SALC Student Support and Engagement Officers: SALC Student Support and Engagement officers are here to talk through any issues that students might be having and to point them in the direction of the help that is most appropriate for you. To book a telephone or Zoom appointment, please email them at salcstudents@manchester.ac.uk.
- Univeristy Counselling Service: https://www.counsellingservice.manchester.ac.uk/ If a students needs to talk to someone, please encourage them to complete this online questionnaire before calling the appointment line on 0161 275 2864.
- If you need support immediately, use this list of urgent mental health support please direct them to some of the 24/7 support services below.
- Disability Advisory Support Service: http://www.dso.manchester.ac.uk/
- Mitigating Circumstances: http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=14741
- Report and Support website: Report acts of harassment, discrimination or hate. Students can report something that has happened to them or something that has happened to someone they know and they can report anonymously or speak to an advisor https://www.reportandsupport.manchester.ac.uk/
- EDI Collective:
- Greater Manchester Nightline: Nightline is a confidential listening and information service run by students for students. It is open from 8pm till 8am every night during term time. The phone number can be found on the reverse of student ID card. If students have problems in finding or using the number, email manchesternl@hotmail.com from any of the Manchester universities' student email addresses and it will auto-respond with the Greater Manchester Nightline phone number.
- SU Buddy Scheme: If students are feeling isolated or struggling, they can use the online form to request for a buddy to contact them https://manchestersu.typeform.com/to/Jh9WtP6s
- Res Life: This website provides contact information for all ResLife Advisors (RLAs) - each flat or block in university accommodation has a specific ResLife Advisor assigned to them. Students can contact with their advisor about personal matters, academic concerns or a noise/cleanliness complaint. They can speak with them in person or send them an email them. Students can find their mobile number and email address on posters in their hall. Phone lines are also available on: www.accommodation.manchester.ac.uk/reslife
Help 24/7 Online and by Text
- Togetherall: https://togetherall.com/en-gb/
- Health Assured - My Healthy Advantage App: The app provides you with interactive resources to help track and improve your wellbeing. Within the app, you will get access to a library of resources personalised to your preferences, wellbeing articles, videos, mood trackers, 4-week plans, mini health checks and more. The app also allows you to chat directly to an advisor using the online chat function. This option will only appear when an advisor is available to speak to ensure you get the direct support needed. This may be helpful for those people who feel anxious phoning the health assured number. Download the app from iTunes or Google Play. To access the My Healthy Advantage app you will need to enter a unique code before you can register - you can find the code in My Manchester.
- Shout: is the UK’s first free 24/7 text service for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. It’s a place to go if you’re struggling to cope and you need immediate help: TEXT Shout to 85258
Help 24/7 by Phone
- Health Assured helpline: 0800 028 3766
- The Samaritans: Freefone 116 123 or 0161 236 8000 charged at local rate. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to talk confidentially about any problem, however big or small
- Greater Manchester Mental Health 24/7 Helpline: Ring freephone 0800 953 0285 for round the clock mental health support.
Helplines and Face-to-Face Support
- Turning Point: offers a resolution service available from 8am to 7pm, providing immediate or at least same-day one-to-one help for people in crisis. You can refer yourself by phoning the number below and arranging to visit. Tel: 0161 238 5149 (This is not a helpline.) Website: www.turning-point.co.uk/crisis-point.aspx
- PAPYRUS (Prevention of Young Suicide): Telephone: 0800 068 4141
- CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably: Telephone: 0800 58 58 58
- LGBT Foundation (who offer mental health support): Telephone: 0345 330 3030
Worried about someone in distress?
If you are worried about a student or colleague, try first to help them to talk things through. Listen to their concerns attentively and take their problems seriously. Respond calmly and reassuringly, but avoid taking control or committing yourself to doing more than you are comfortable with. Express your concerns and encourage them to contact the Counselling and Mental Health Service to speak to a counsellor.
Sometimes people may be reluctant to seek help or may agree to contact the Counselling Service, but later change their minds as the impetus to act and the motivation to seek help fades. So it’s a good idea, if you think it is possible in the circumstances, to ask their permission to contact the University Counselling Service or Student Support on their behalf. They can then follow up when appropriate, without breaching confidentiality. If you would like to talk through how you can help a student or colleague, contact the Counselling Service and ask to speak to a counsellor.
The Counselling Service are open from 9am-4pm, Monday to Friday. Outside of these hours, or if you are concerned about risk, please call Security on 0161 306 9966. The Counselling Service also provide telephone advice and consultancy for academic advisors and others who would like to talk through their involvement in helping someone else. Such advice is confidential and may provide a second opinion on help or guidance being provided to a third party.
If you believe that a student or colleague is at immediate risk of harming themselves or others, or if the person is expressing thoughts or behaviours that strike you as bizarre or out of character, call 999 and ask for an ambulance. If on university premises, call Security on 0161 306 9966, give your location and tell them that an ambulance is on its way.
For urgent help on campus you can contact university Security on 0161 306 9966. If you need help regarding univeristy halls of residence please contact the ResLife team. Phone lines are also available on: www.accommodation.manchester.ac.uk/reslife
Text adapted from: https://www.counsellingservice.manchester.ac.uk/worriedaboutsomeone/
Responding to Issues
In addition to the guidance above around responding to a crisis, you may find it useful to access the 'Responding to Issues' page on StaffNet, which provides support around a range of scenarios. The webpage can be accessed here
Academic Success
While students will receive the majority of their subject specific academic support from course unit directors and dissertation supervisors, academic advising can also provide another opportunity for students to reflect on their progression.
Giving students the opportunity to discuss feedback at academic advising meetings can allow them to speak about their work in a different kind of environment than with course unit directors, and can help students to identify broader areas for improvement.
Useful resources to signpost students to:
- My Learning Essentials
- Academic Success Programme this includes a new package of support focused on MA students – Writing your Dissertation - which consists of flexible self-study materials and live online workshops.
- SALC Digitial Essentials - these will be shared with students via SALC Linked weekly emails
- Recorded Write Bright workshops on the SALC Academic Advising community on BlackBoard
Employability
Advisors can help students to enhance their future employability by encouraging experience and advising them about, or signposting them to, areas which may assist their employability. Students may also request a reference from their academic advising for job application. Guidance on reference writing is available here.
The Careers Service have developed an excellent set of Careers FAQs for Academic Advisors that suggests different conversations with students, including further signposting to key services and resources. These are available here.
Other resources to signpost students to:
- CareerConnect: the new website from the Careers Service with vacancies, booking for events and appointments with Careers Consultants https://careerconnect.manchester.ac.uk/home.html
- SALC Linked: weekly email updates sent to students
- Careers Pages on Department BlackBoard community space - these will be made available to students this semester 2 20/21
- CareerSet online CV checker: https://careerset.io/manchester
- SALC Placements Scheme BlackBoard Hub
- Stellify: https://www.stellify.manchester.ac.uk/
- Volunteer Hub: http://www.volunteers.manchester.ac.uk/
Training for Academic Advisors
- Intstitute for Teaching and Learning Academic Advisor training.
- Counselling Service training including Supporting Students at The University of Manchester and identifying and responding to students in a mental health crisis.
- There is also monthly synchronous training available from the Counselling Service, including support on identifying and responding to students in a mental health crisis, including responses to students who express suicidal thoughts. Dates for these sessions are: 2021: 15th January, 12th February, 10th March & 9th April