Mental well-being
Your students days can be a challenging time so it’s natural that you might need a little help from time to time. Find out who you can turn to, how to boost your well-being, and how you can come into contact with other students. Also learn what to do if personal circumstances begin to affect your studies.
Urgent situations
- Life-threatening situations: Call 112
- Suicidal thoughts:
- from a Dutch phone: call 113
- from a non-Dutch phone: call your country's hotline
- or chat online via 113.nl (click on ‘Chatten’) or your country's online chat service
If you need urgent psychological help, contact your GP. Outside office hours, you can contact the ‘Out of hours doctor’s post’ in Leiden or The Hague.
Student well-being website
The student well-being website provides tips and tricks to help you successfully get through your time as a student. Find out how to work on your own well-being, learn about the support on offer, and discover how to come into contact with fellow students.
Student psychologists
- If you are registered as a student of Leiden University, you can use the services of the student psychologists.
- Also take a look on your faculty or study programme tab to see if they offer additional services.
The student psychologists can help with both study-related and personal problems. During your first consultation, you will together look into the best course of action for your situation. In some cases, that might be a workshop or training course in study skills or personal development. In other cases, the psychologist might offer you short-term individual guidance.
Not for specialised or long-term help
The student psychologist will not make a diagnosis nor offer therapy for serious psychological or psychiatric problems. If you require specialised or long-term help, please contact your GP to arrange a referral.
Important: make one appointment only!
If you need subsequent appointments, the student psychologist will discuss this with you during your first consultation.
How to make an appointment
- Select an appointment type. There are three types of appointment: online, in-person in Leiden, and in-person in The Hague.
- If the system gives you the option, select a resource (staff member).
Note: if you skip step 1 and (if prompted) step 2, you won’t be able to see available slots! - Search in the calendar for an available slot. The system only shows availability for the coming three weeks.
- Can’t find a slot? Try again later. New slots are added every day and sometimes there are cancellations.
Does the appointment system not load or you can’t click to the next month? Open the appointment system in a new window.
Can't make an appointment? Let us know
We would like to know how often this happens. Please let us know via this form and help us to improve our services.
Cancelling your appointment
Can't make it to your appointment? Please let us know right away by calling +31 (0)71-5278026. Your slot can then be booked by another student.
Self-help: workshops and courses
You can also follow a range of Leiden University workshops and courses that address study-related and personal problems.
Courses
Workshops
- Procrastination - Get started!
Ask your question by email
Do you have a short question that isn’t in the Student psychologists FAQ? Send it to the student psychologists by email. Note that this is not intended as an alternative for a personal consultation. If you want to discuss something in more depth, make an appointment.
Affecting your studies? Notify someone!
Are mental well-being issues or personal circumstances having an impact on your studies? Let your study adviser or coordinator know right away! Together you can decide on the best way to prevent you falling further behind and risk being issued with negative binding study advice (BSA). If you follow the official procedures for reporting and minimising study delay, the board of examiners must take your circumstances into consideration when issuing binding study advice.
Learn more about binding study advice (BSA) and exceptional circumstances.
Humanities Well-being Ambassadors
We are excited to introduce you to our Well-being Ambassadors team! Our mission is simple, yet impactful: we're here to enhance the way our university nurtures well-being, and transform the conversation around student welfare.
You can contact us at studentwellbeing@hum.leidenuniv.nl
What do we do?
Well, picture us as the advocates of well-being on campus. We craft thoughtful campaigns, raise awareness about well-being challenges, and brainstorm solutions that can make a real difference. We see ourselves as the vital bridge between existing well-being initiatives and faculty staff members. We want to create linking arms with other efforts to build a seamless support network for everyone.
Let's talk goals.
Our Student Well-being Ambassador Team is all about action. We're dedicated to promoting well-being across the Humanities faculty by spotlighting ongoing initiatives and exploring fresh approaches to integrate well-being into student life. Our targets align with the five key principles of student well-being outlined in the university-wide ‘Vision on Student Well-Being.’ We're committed to making meaningful progress in each of them.
So, whether you're a student, a faculty member, or simply someone who believes in the power of well-being: we invite you to share your ideas and join us on this journey. Together, let's cultivate a campus culture where everyone can thrive.
Vision on Student Well-Being:
- Principle 1: Awareness starts in the learning environment
- Principle 2: Prevention and early detection in a culture in which student well-being can be discussed openly
- Principle 3: The University and its faculties provide an appropriate range of student support services
- Principle 4: Advancing the expertise of student advisers to achieve an optimal chain of student support
- Principle 5: Promoting the well-being of students by creating a sense of belonging and a safe study environment
Read more about the Vision here.
