Mental Health & Support

If you are struggling, we have partnered with experts to help you in complete confidence.

Mental health problems and addictive tendencies can happen to anyone, of any age, from any background, of any race, at any time. It can be a difficult, lonely and frightening time. But here at The Manchester College, we work closely with some fantastic experts who can support you through your struggles.

Here at The Manchester College we support all of our students we have a dedicated Student Experience Support Team and dedicated Mental Health First Aiders. Together with our students and staff, we have developed our Mental Health and Wellbeing Charter.

We recognise the need for and aim to create a positive environment for our students and proactively support our student’s mental health.

Everyone matters

We will listen to you

We will find a safe space and time to talk

We will show kindness and compassion

We will be respectful

We will offer you support and guidance

We will refer you to services who can offer support

We will be open and inclusive

We will help you to succeed

• Support Resources

  Helpful information, advice and guidance on the following:

  • Alcohol  

  • Benefits of Talking Therapy 

  • Bereavement 

  • Cannabis 

  • Cocaine 

  • Controlling Anger 

  • Coping with Bereavement 

  • Coping with Financial Worries 

  • Dealing with Depression 

  • Depression 

  • Depression Help Groups 

  • Eating disorders

  • Exercise for Depression 

  • Feeling Better and Happy 

  • Feeling Lonley

  • Gambling

  • Gaming

  • Internet and social media

  • ​Improving your Mental Wellbeing 

  • Mental Wellbeing - Audio Guides ​

  • Mood Self Assessment ​

  • Mental Health Support for LGBTQ+ ​

  • Mindfulness 

  • Raising Low Self-Esteem 

  • Reducing Stress 

  • Relieving Stress 

  • Stress

  • Panic 

  • Signs Someone is Depressed 

  • Student Stress 

  • Self-help Therapies

  • Student Mental Health 

  • Students Against Depression

  • Time Management 

  • Types of Therapy 

• Support Contacts in Manchester

  Be Well (Central and South Manchester) - 0161 470 7120

  Energise Centre (Salford) - 0161 212 5700

  Kath Locke Centre (Manchester) - 0161 455 0211

  Living Well Rochdale - 01706 751 190

  Manchester MIND - 0161 769 5732

  Talking Therapies - 0161 226 3871

  Zion Centre (Manchester) - 0161 226 5412

• Support Organisations

  Anxiety UK - Advice and support for people living with anxiety. 08444 775 774 anxietyuk.org.uk

  b-eat - Supporting people affected by eating disorders Provides a helpline, step-by-step programmes, and support for people with anxiety disorders Adult helpline: 0808 801 0677 Youthline: 0808 801 0711  b-eat.co.uk

  British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy - 01455 883 300 bacp.co.uk

  Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) - Information and support for men. 0800 58 58 58  thecalmzone.net

  Carers UK - Independent information and support for carers. 0808 808 7777 carersuk.org

  FRANK - Confidential drugs advice and information. 0300 123 6600 talktofrank.com

  Hearing Voices Network - Information and support for people who hear voices or have other unshared perceptions. 01142 718 210 hearing-voices.org

  The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) - Evidence-based guidelines on treatments - nice.org.uk

  NHS Choices - Provides information on a wide range of health and social care topics. Also provides an online search tool to find NHS services near you. nhs.uk

  No Panic -  Provides a helpline, step-by-step programmes, and support for people with anxiety disorders. Helpline 0844 967 4848 (10am–10pm) nopanic.org.uk

  Papyrus - Provides information and support for anyone under 35 who is struggling with suicidal feelings, or anyone concerned about a young person who might be struggling. 0800 068 4141 (weekdays 10am–10pm, weekends 2pm–10pm and bank holidays 2pm–10pm) papyrus-uk.org

  Samaritans - Emotional support for anyone feeling down, experiencing distress or struggling to cope. 24-hour helpline: 116 123 (freephone) samaritans.org

  Sane - Offers emotional support and information to anyone affected by mental health problems. SANEline: 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm)

  Student Minds - Mental health support for students. studentminds.org.uk

  Time to Change - National campaign to end stigma and discrimination against people with mental health problems in England (Time to Change) and Wales (Time to Change Wales). Run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness. 020 8215 2356 time-to-change.org.uk

  Turning Point - Provides services for people with drug, alcohol and mental health problems. 02074 817 600 turning-point.co.uk

  Young Minds - Local Minds provide services such as talking therapies, peer support, and advocacy. Helplines Anxiety UK anxietyuk.org.uk 08444 775 774 Advice and support for people living with anxiety youngminds.org

• Mindfulness Apps

  The SU have recommended their top-tier apps, helping them to beat fatigue, find motivation and recharge the batteries.

  The Students’ Union (SU) not only represents your views and academic interests but is here to ensure you are supported too! 

  With student’s now studying at home and adjusting to the online delivery of all learning, we wanted to remind students of the importance of self-care and refocusing on your wellbeing. So, our SU Officers have pulled together some of their favourite wellbeing apps for you to consider. 

  Headspace

  Designed to help you train your mind and body for a healthier, happier life and get the most out of your day, Headspace can be used anywhere. The free version of the app includes meditations and exercises that will teach you the essentials of meditation and mindfulness.

  Calm 

  Calm is the perfect meditation app for beginners due to a tailored seven-day beginner's programme, but it also includes programmes for more advanced users.

  If you're looking to improve your sleeping patterns and need help finding a routine, the 'Sleep Stories' feature included bedtime stories perfect for those who like background noise.

  Stand up! 

  Different to other wellbeing apps, Stand up! is ideal for students who are finding it hard to switch off. Sometimes it can be easy to overwork ourselves when feel the presence of an impending deadline. 

  Stand up sends timed and regular notifications reminding us to simply stand up. Tailor your intervals and recommended standing time to fit your routine, but you may find stretching the legs or just looking out the window can keep your mind ticking over nicely. 

  Aura

  Aura is the perfect combination of your favourite mindfulness apps rolled into one. With plenty of features to keep things interesting Aura offers daily meditations, life coaching, nature sounds, stories, and music, which are all personalised based on the mood you select when you open the app. 

  There's also an option to track your moods and review patterns in how you feel and set reminders to breathe and take breaks throughout the day.

  Pick me up! 

  Make your own happy box and share a digital HappyBox full of songs, photos and words for when you're feeling down.

  The Mix

  Turn your screen into a stress-relief tool: Make a stress head of your own and relax as you chase your very own pet peeve around until you catch it and smash it

  NHS: Change4Life

  Create a family meal plan: Healthy, cheap and quick meals. 

  Create a self-care plan of two things that you can do in the day to look after your wellbeing. (yoga, indoor work out with Joe Wicks/other YouTube, go for a walk, go for a run, listen to music, creative writing).

• Wellbeing Podcasts

  We've put together a selection of some of the best wellbeing podcasts to support you with your mental health and wellbeing:

  Happy Place Podcast - Fearne Cotton 

  Mental Health Foundation - Dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic and mental health

  Mind

  Mind - Real Life Stories 

  NHS Support Audio Guides

  Socially Awkward Podcast (Spotify) 

• Self Help eBooks

  Our libraries team have put together a list of recommend self help eBooks on a wide range of topics that can be downloaded by students for free via VLE Books and Ebsco:

  Anorexia

  Weight expectations: one man's recovery from anorexia by Dave Chawner

  Anxiety

  Starving the anxiety gremlin: a cognitive behavioural therapy workbook on anxiety management for young people by Kate Collins-Connelly

  Can I tell you about anxiety?: a guide for friends, family and professionals by Lucy Willetts

  Autism

  Life on the autism spectrum: a guide for girls and women by Karen McKibbin

  Overcoming anxiety and depression on the autism spectrum: a self-help guide using CBT by Lee Wilkinson

  Depression

  Can I tell you about depression?: a guide for friends, family and professionals by Christopher Dowrick

  Lost connections; uncovering the real causes of depression - and the unexpected solutions by Johann Hari

  Dyslexia

  The self-help guide for teens with dyslexia: useful stuff you may not learn at school by Alais Winton

  Grief

  Coping with grief by Dianne McKissock

  Eating Disorders

  Eating disorders: the path to recovery by Kate Middleton

  Elena vanishing: a memoir by Elena Dunkle

  Mental Health

  Health Improvement Profile by Sheila Hardy

  Introduction Mental Health by Caroline Kinsella

  Mental: Everything You Never Knew You Needed to Know About Mental Health by Steve Ellen and Caterhine Deveny

  The Ultimate Achievement Journal: Daily Inspiration for Peak Fitness Performance by Haley Perfus

  Mood and Self-Esteem

  Mind over mood: change how you feel by changing the way you think by Dennis Greenberger

  How to Deal with Low Self-Esteem by Christine Wilding

  The Self-Esteem Workbook by Glenn R. Schiraldi

  OCD

  Breaking free from OCD: a CBT guide for young people and their families by Jo Derisley

  Obsessive compulsions: the OCD of everyday life by C.Thomas Gualtieri

  Touch and go Joe: an adolescent's experiences of OCD by Joe Wells

  Positive Thinking

  Reasons to stay alive by Matt Haig

  Stress and Fear

  Exam stress? No worries! by Su Dorland

  The teenage guide to stress by Nicola Morgan

  Self help for your nerves: learn to relax and enjoy life again by overcoming stress and fear by Dr Claire Weeks

  Starving the stress gremlin: a cognitive behavioural therapy workbook on stress management for young people by Kate Collins-Donnelly