Section: Assertiveness | Student Support

Student Minds Blog

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QMUL Student Support

Planned and Unplanned absence

To report either a planned or unplanned absence from any teaching, please access the form online here or scan this QR code with your phone.

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IN CRISIS SUPPORT

IF YOUR LIFE IS IN DANGER OR IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY (INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH) CALL 999

For further support information visit the QMUL Help in Crisis Page

Drop-In Sessions

The SSO holds student drop-in sessions every Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30pm-1:30pm

Please either visit office 20, fourth floor of the Dental Hospital or email dental.sso@qmul.ac.uk at the time of the drop-in and a member of the SSO will call you on Teams within the drop-in hour.

Drop-ins are short initial meetings (about 10-15 minutes long) with the Student Support Officer.

The Student Support Drop-In sessions are for students who may not have booked an appointment but feel on the day that they could benefit from speaking to a member of the team.

They are run on a first come, first served basis and can fill up quickly, so please aim to arrive for the start of the session.

A few reasons you might attend drop in:

They can be a quick way to get an answer to a question or to get support
To get further information about our services
To be signposted to a different team
To make initial contact for a longer meeting.

If you cannot make any of the drop-in times, please get in touch as we can make other arrangements for you to speak to us (including phone and video call appointments) outside of these times.

Section outline

As Student Support Lead, I talk about assertiveness a lot with students who are struggling with their mental health.
Anxiety and depression can sometimes be linked to a sense of disempowerment and so developing assertiveness can help you take more control over your encounters with others.
- Select activity Develop your assertiveness skills
  
  Develop your assertiveness skills URL
  
  w: https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/looking-after-yourself/assertiveness
  Our experiences of encounters with others can be improved by developing assertiveness skills.
  Assertiveness works on the basis that you have as much right as anybody else to be treated respectfully and to have your opinion heard.
  Many people suffer mental health difficulties because they feel others don't respect these rights so learning some skills to stand up and assert yourself could improve your sense of well-being.
- Select activity Mind Tools - Assertiveness
  
  Mind Tools - Assertiveness URL
  
  Assertiveness is a key skill that can help you to better manage yourself, people and situations.
  It can help you to influence others in order to gain acceptance, agreement or behaviour change.
  
  It is the ability to express your opinions positively and with confidence.
  Assertive people are in control of themselves and are honest with themselves and others.