Study Ireland – Stories & Guides from International Students

As a first-year Erasmus Mundus master student, moving from Canada to Poland to Ireland within five months takes a toll. It was frustrating to leave Warsaw after finally creating a routine, learning the language, and making connections there, just to start all over again in Ireland. It is exhausting packing up an apartment’s worth of memories into two suitcases then flying across the continent alone to move into a new apartment, praying that your new roommates will be as cool as your last ones. Long story short: being an international student who constantly moves between countries while completing a master’s degree is not as glamorous as one may think.  

During my last week in Warsaw, I was beginning to feel down, exhausted, homesick, and burnt out. I had assignments to finish, packing to do, classes to attend, and goodbyes to be said, all while mourning the comfort I had created in Warsaw. It was in this week when I began searching for mental health resources available at UL. I had seen on Instagram that UL had plenty of services available, such as UL Global, UL Sport Arena, Glucksman Library, and writing and career services, so I knew they had to have a service dedicated to mental health. After a quick Google search, I found the Student Counselling and Wellbeing Service site. This service is confidential and free to students between 9 am and 5 pm Monday to Friday. 

How to navigate the service:

1. Attend the drop-in intake session.  

Their drop-in is available between 10 am and 11:40 am Monday to Friday in CM-073 (excluding public holidays) in the Main Building. You do not need an appointment to attend drop-in, simply go to CM073 during drop-in hours. If you are on placement or coop outside of the Limerick area you can request a remote drop-in by emailing counselling@ul.ie.  

 I wasn’t sure what to expect from drop-in, so I arrived shortly after 10am and waited in the waiting room for 15-20 minutes. There were only a few people ahead of me. I appreciated the quiet and calm atmosphere of the waiting room. While I waited, I completed a registration and mental health screening questionnaire. Once I completed the form, I waited a few more minutes until a Psychology Assistant could talk with me.  

The Psychology Assistant and I went to her office and discussed what I had been feeling and going through. While this was not a therapy session, rather a brief 10–15-minute consultation to get a sense of my needs it was such a relief to finally be talking about how I was feeling and understanding what my needs were.

2. Wait for their decision 

After the drop-in session, the Psychology Assistant discussed with their supervisor what the appropriate supports would be based on my needs and the resources available. Some examples of services they can assign you to are the wellbeing and resiliency programme which includes one-to-one skills sessions with a Psychology Assistant, groups or workshops, online supports, and short-term counselling. Depending on your needs, it is also possible for them to refer you to a specialist support service inside or outside of UL. 

I received an email with their decision by the end of the day and I was added to the waitlist for short-term counselling!

3. Make an appointment 

After being allocated to short-term counselling, the counselling office will call you to make an appointment when space becomes available. I struggled the most with this step and my biggest advice to anyone seeking this support is to make sure you have a working phone number in Ireland! I was still using my Polish number and did not realize that I was not receiving phone calls. It is important for your phone number to work in Ireland, as due to the demands on the service, the counselling and wellbeing service will only call you via phone to book an appointment and if you do not answer after three calls, they will remove you from the waitlist. I realized I had missed the phone call from them after I sent them an email asking if they had contacted me. They had called me a day after my drop-in session! I quickly set up an Irish phone number (there are free Irish SIM cards available at UL Global reception for international students) and easily switched my number on file. 

Attend! 

I can only speak for the short-term counselling, but the appointments book up quickly! If you cancel or do not attend a scheduled session it will count as one session, so be sure to attend your scheduled appointments. Use them or lose them! If you do not show up to appointments it means others have to wait longer for their appointment. At the end of my first session, I was able to book my next one for the following week. 

I would recommend if you were interested in attending the counselling services at UL to attend the drop-in session sooner rather than later so you can receive the appropriate care as soon as possible.  

Other services available 

Services available at UL: 

• Speak Out: https://www.ul.ie/equality-diversity-inclusion/support/speak-out-tool  

• SVH (Sexual Violence and Harassment) Prevention and Response Manager: Maria.Healy@ul.ie 

• SDCPP (Student designated contact persons panel): https://www.ul.ie/equality-diversity-inclusion/support/student-designated-contact-persons-panel  

• Student Union advice and Advocacy: https://ulstudentlife.ie/student-advice/  

• Student Health Unit: 061-202534 

National support services: 

• Free 24/7 Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 50808 

• Rape Crisis 24 Hour Hotline: 1800 778 888 

• Women’s Aid 24 Hour Helpline: 1800 341 900 

• Men’s Aid national Helpline: 01 5543811 

• LGBT+ Ireland: 1800 929539 

• Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU): https://www2.hse.ie/services/satu/  

Other tips to help your mental health 

Here are some other ways that I have been supporting my mental health while studying at UL!

• Exercising 

UL has plenty of opportunities to be active! I walk over 10,000 steps a day in UL’s beautiful campus, and I have been attending the UL Sports Arena multiple times a week to go to the gym, participate in fitness classes, and go climbing. I also joined the Yoga Society!

• Socialising 

One of my favourite things about UL is their socialising opportunities! UL Global has many events throughout the semester to make friends and socialize. Join a club or society is another great way to meet people with similar interests!

• Eating well and staying hydrated 

Although Ireland is an expensive place to live shopping at Aldi has made eating well affordable! I like to buy foods that fuel my body, like protein sources and veggies, and foods that make me happy, like baked goods and fruit. These make me feel good inside and out. It is also important to drink lots of water throughout the day. I find that this helps me have more energy and avoid headaches.   

• Prioritise yourself! 

Be kind to yourself and make time for things that bring you joy! With a busy schedule, it is easy to fall behind on activities that you enjoy. I find prioritising a few minutes of my day to do something I love, like reading (even if I only have time for one chapter), can make a huge difference in my day.