How should universities support students in counselling, psychotherapy and occupational therapy?
Prioritise quick, human responses, design placements as a predictable service, tighten timetabling and communications, and sustain strong personal tutoring. Across the National Student Survey (NSS), Student support comments are positive overall at 68.6% Positive, but disabled students’ tone is lower (index 28.0), so equity needs targeted attention. Within counselling, psychotherapy and occupational therapy, feedback is more mixed at 52.9% Positive, with placements featuring in 16.8% of comments and often driving pressure on operations. The category reflects how services help students navigate study and life across the sector, while this CAH area covers practice-based programmes where applied learning and wellbeing intersect; together they focus this story on what works.
This post looks at the unique challenges and needs of students in counselling, psychotherapy, and occupational therapy courses regarding university support systems. These students face distinct pressures that require well-tailored support. Understanding the student voice, including text analysis of survey comments, ensures their specific concerns inform action. Integrating this feedback into support strategies strengthens both academic progress and wellbeing. Students often prioritise mental health support, empathetic interactions from university staff, and access to learning resources; listening carefully helps target interventions where they matter most.
Why does timely mental health support matter in these programmes?
Students in counselling, psychotherapy, and occupational therapy manage their own wellbeing while training to support others, so delays in access to services intensify risk. Provide rapid triage with named case ownership, straightforward referral routes, and proactive follow-up to resolution. Standardise accessible communications and track time-to-resolution so students know what will happen and when. Given lower sentiment among disabled students at sector level, adopt anticipatory adjustments rather than reactive fixes.
How should staff demonstrate empathy in practice?
Students value staff who acknowledge the emotional intensity of their programmes and respond proportionately. Train colleagues to recognise when to adjust deadlines, offer alternative assessments aligned to learning outcomes, and guide students to appropriate services. Make empathy visible in communications and decisions, not just tone, to reduce stress and build trust in the academic relationship.
Why do supportive tutors determine success?
In these disciplines, a supportive tutor acts as educator, mentor and professional role model. Student feedback in this CAH area rates Personal Tutor interactions very positively (index +58.7), and this is often the anchor when placements or timetabling feel unpredictable. Equip tutors with time, information flows, and referral pathways so their pastoral and academic guidance is timely and actionable.
What are the implications of virtual learning for practice-based disciplines?
Remote delivery cannot always reproduce the nuance of in‑person therapeutic practice, and students report reduced immediacy of feedback and fewer hands‑on opportunities. Blend carefully: use structured simulations, facilitated skills labs, and small‑group supervision online, co‑designed with students. Link virtual activities directly to placement preparation and reflective assessment so time online advances practical competence rather than duplicating content.
Which wellbeing and study skills resources make a difference?
Generic materials help some students, but many need discipline‑specific support that recognises emotional labour and the rhythms of placement. Provide stress and time‑management workshops tailored to client‑facing roles, assessment brief clinics aligned to marking criteria, and short onboarding refreshers at key assessment points. Ensure resources are easy to find, written in accessible language, and accompanied by clear next steps.
How do respect policies influence learning climates?
Respect policies underpin psychological safety, which enables students to engage with sensitive material and reflective practice. Policies need visible enforcement: regular staff training, simple reporting routes, and transparent follow‑up. Invite students to scrutinise how policies work in practice within modules and on placement, and publish improvement actions so confidence grows over time.
What should universities change now?
- Treat placements as a designed service: publish allocation windows, confirm expectations early, clarify supervision roles, and align feedback cycles with assessment briefs.
- Tighten operational rhythm: a single source of truth for course communications, weekly “what changed and why” updates, and visible ownership of timetables and changes.
- Close equity gaps in support: rapid triage, named case ownership, and proactive follow‑ups; offer extended hours and multiple contact routes (drop‑in, phone, live chat) with a clear “front door”.
- Make assessment expectations transparent: annotated exemplars, checklist‑style rubrics aligned to marking criteria, and realistic feedback turnaround commitments.
- Address value concerns: state what students can expect (contact, support access, facilities) and show how resources are prioritised where they add most value.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
Student Voice Analytics surfaces where to act first by turning open‑text feedback into clear priorities. You can track this topic’s volume and sentiment over time, compare like‑for‑like across this CAH area and student demographics, and drill down from provider to school, programme and cohort. Export concise, anonymised summaries to brief programme teams and professional services, and monitor whether changes to placements, timetabling, assessment clarity or support access are working.
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More posts on counselling, psychotherapy and occupational therapy student views:
- What does student feedback tell us about delivery of teaching on counselling, psychotherapy and occupational therapy courses?
- What do counselling, psychotherapy and occupational therapy students need from timetables?
- Do students feel therapy programmes offer sufficient breadth and relevance?
- Are placements working for counselling, psychotherapy and occupational therapy students?