Both our counsellors and student care officers (SCOs) provide safe environments for students by supporting and listening to them without judgement.
Counsellors offer counselling support by providing assistance and support to students facing stressful circumstances in their lives. Counsellors work with students to resolve issues and develop skills to cope with change.
SCOs support students by guiding them to take positive, actionable steps to improve their overall wellbeing. This can be accomplished by referring them to available resources that can help them overcome challenges that may be beyond their control.
If you are doing well in your day-to-day life but would like to chat with someone about your overall well-being, you can approach our SCOs, who can check in with you and provide socio-emotional support.
Socio-emotional support provide individuals with feelings of confidence when stress arises. Socio-emotional support comes from having someone listen to you in an empathetic manner, with expressions of care, trust, support, and compassion. This is effective in providing and building a sense of confidence and self-esteem, which helps individuals cope better with stress. Available socio-emotional support can greatly reduce the impact of stress on individuals.
Lakey, B., & Cohen, S. (2000). Social support theory and measurement. In S. Cohen, L. G. Underwood, & B. H. Gottlieb (Eds.), Social support measurement and intervention: A guide for health and social scientists (pp. 29–52). Oxford University Press.
While the SCOs do not have a physical office for walk-ins, they can be contacted via a phone call or email.
You can reach out to SCOs at 6828 4921 / 6826 4941 or studentcare@smu.edu.sg.
The session can be conducted via face to face or remotely via MS teams or Zoom. SCOs will meet you online if you are not on campus. If you prefer face to face meetings, the SCOs can meet with you in a quiet available room.
You can approach us for a chat about (not exhaustive):
- Needs and wellbeing
- Academic performance
- Time management
- Consideration of Leave of Absence
- Career or internship
- Financial management
- Relationship matters (friends/peer/family etc)