Mental Health Resources
The student welfare officers have collated numerous resources to support the mental health of students and to provide tips on self-care during COVID and beyond!
School of Medicine Student Support
Student Development & Support: Dr Fiona Cocker
Room 257-01 (Level 2), Medical Science 2 (MSP) (Mon, Tues, Wed AM)
Room 317, (Level 3), Hobart Clinical School (Wed PM, Thurs, Fri)
e: fiona.cocker@utas.edu.au
p: 6226 6930
College of Health and Medicine Student Adviser: Penni Castellana
e: health.adviserHBT@utas.edu.au
You can also make an appointment with Penni or another Student Adviser via CareerHub
w: https://careerhub.utas.edu.au/students/appointments/app
UTAS Central Counselling Service
w: http://www.utas.edu.au/students/shw/counselling
(This is a free counselling service for students)
After Hours Crisis Support
Life still happens after business hours!
If you need to speak with a counsellor during these times you can call:
University Crisis Line on 1300 511 709 or text on +61 488 884 168
other services
Doctor’s Health Confidential Phone Advisory Service for Medical Students
w: https://www.doctorportal.com.au/doctorshealth/
Doctors’ Health Services Pty Ltd (DrHS) was formed in April 2015 to establish the first national
health program for doctors and medical students in Australia.
DrHS is a subsidiary company of the Australian Medical Association and is funded by the
Medical Board of Australia. The company coordinates the delivery of health advisory and
referral services to doctors and medical students by providers in every state and territory.
The Victorian Doctors’ Health Program works with its colleagues in Tasmania to give doctors
and medical students confidential advice.
The Victorian Doctors Health Program (VDHP) is a confidential service for doctors and medical
students who have health concerns such as stress, mental health problems, substance use
problems, or any other health issues.
Sensitive to the needs of doctors and medical students, VDHP are a non-judgmental service
dedicated to improving the health and well-being of those within the profession.
For confidential phone advice from a medical colleague, please call (03) 9495 6011.
Monday – Friday 9am-5pm
Closed Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays
If you require urgent assistance outside office hours, please phone VDHP and the answering
machine will provide you with details of how to contact the senior clinician on call who will be
available to assist with issues requiring immediate attention. However, please be aware that
VDHP is not staffed or equipped to provide emergency services. If you require emergency
assistance please dial 000, or call LifeLine on 13 11 14 or the Tasmanian Mental Health
Services Helpline freecall 1800 332 388 (24 hours, 7 days).
Headspace Online Counselling
Headspace is a confidential, free and secure space where young people 12 – 25 or their family
can chat, email or speak on the phone with a qualified youth mental health professional
Available at https://www.eheadspace.org.au/whats-eheadspace/what-we-do/
GP services
We strongly encourage all medical students in years 1-3 to have their own GP in Hobart.
The UniDoctors health centre (http://www.unidoctors.com.au) offers bulk billing to healthcare
card holders who are students at the University of Tasmania. To make an appointment with a
medical doctor, call into the clinic at the Sandy Bay Campus in the Union Building, or call 03
6226 2102.
Opening hours Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
w: http://www.utas.edu.au/campuses/hobart-campus/services-and-facilities2
Other resources
Counselling Team Wellbeing resources landing page: https://www.utas.edu.au/students/shw/counselling/resources
Stress: https://utas.shorthandstories.com/stress/
Procrastination: https://utas.shorthandstories.com/procrastination/index.html
Breathing and Relaxation: https://utas.shorthandstories.com/breathing-and-relaxation/
Alcohol and Other Drugs: https://utas.shorthandstories.com/alcohol-and-dr…/index.html
Webinars:
• Self-care in the time of COVID – https://au-lti.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/playback
• Procrastination and motivation – https://au-lti.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/playback
Information from Medical Deans Australia – https://medicaldeans.org.au/resources-staying-healthy-in-a…/
UTAS Online Study Support – https://www.utas.edu.au/students/learning/online-study-help
Beyond Blue advice: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/looking-after-your-mental-health-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak
Headspace (covid-specific content): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/weathering-storm-helping-world-curb-rising-stress-anxiety-pierson/?trackingId=oSdFEhDwQSK0UnDr11UPUA%3D%3D
Triple J Hack tips
Life in Mind (collection of links to lots of different mental health resources e.g. Beyond Blue, headspace, Butterfly Foundation etc.): https://www.lifeinmindaustralia.com.au/support-for-those-impacted-by-adverse-events/mental-health-support-for-covid-19
Helpful article about COVID, grief, and dealing with it: https://hbr.org/2020/03/that-discomfort-youre-feeling-is-grief?fbclid=IwAR0-lhdJ64RZxKkZbswmeYkY9Glouxjr5NCSuf9XtCDYiJSkeBfxQKkydDg
Tips from the Happy Academic: Pandemic paralysis and how to cope
Tips from Occupational Therapy Australia: Managing the personal disruption caused by COVID-19
Online meditations:
Mini grounding meditation – this 5-minute podcast is a short meditation designed to settle a busy mind.
Free online meditations – this site includes a number of different meditations ranging from three-minutes to 15-minutes duration.
Managing mental health for healthcare workers (BMJ): https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1211
The University of Tasmania have some resources about Self Care during this COVID period
1. Self-care and COVID 19 webinar by UTAS Counselling service; watch the recording from of a previous UTAS wellbeing webinar entitled Self-care & COVID-19:
https://au-lti.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/playback/load/6f7c4fccf8bc415f8f0100777bbecaae
2. For those of you who are looking for ideas about ways to self-care or even to find new things to occupy your time, check out this article:
50 fun activities to do at home: https://utas.shorthandstories.com/home-activities/
3. UTAS also has online counselling– it is free, confidential and available for anyone who requires it. Sign up at the link below:
https://askus.utas.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1981/related/1/session/
4. If you require a counsellor after-hours, you can call the University Crisis Line:
1300 511 709 ( or text 0488 884 168)
It is available between 5pm – 9am everyday.
5. UTAS also has some articles about how to cope with COVID:
https://utas.shorthandstories.com/corona-self-care/index.html
6. UTAS also has some audio recording to help you cope with stress and for muscle relaxation exercises:
https://askus.utas.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/2470/session
Last updated 17 September 2020