Introducing Claire Thompson
In her role as Fitzwilliam College Wellbeing Coordinator, Claire provides 1:1 Confidential Support/Advice to staff and students for matters relating to psychological wellbeing – with the aim of signposting individuals to:
• Appropriate support services within College, University or NHS through GPs, counselling, therapy or crisis support if required.
• Guided self-help resources involving tools for management of anxiety/low mood; self-care; mindfulness; low-intensity CBT tools; and nature-based practices.
Appointments will be kept up to 30 mins and can be held in person or online. Times for appointments include mornings, afternoons and some evenings. Claire will endeavour to respond to e-mails within two working days.
Claire works in collaboration with the wider wellbeing and pastoral team in Fitzwilliam College (including Chaplain, Student Health Advisor, Tutors, Senior Tutor and Welfare Reps) and coordinate and organise Wellbeing events and initiatives across the college.
To seek advice relating to psychological wellbeing or book an appointment with Claire, e-mail wellbeing@fitz.cam.ac.uk (account monitored Monday-Friday from 9am to 5pm).
The vision for Wellbeing at Fitzwilliam College is to develop a culture which that supports wellbeing and mental health for the whole community. Taking care of our physical and mental health and wellbeing is vital if we are to fulfill our potential while enjoying our student and working lives. Fitzwilliam can be a place in which we not only thrive academically and professionally but also continue to learn about what it means to be human, living together in an uncertain world.
A significant root cause of our wellbeing and mental health challenges is our disconnection from ourselves, each other and the wider world. This disconnection means we have lost the ability to value and pay attention to our physical and emotional needs and respond accordingly. To varying degrees, many of us have needed to cast aside our emotions from a young age. But our physical and psychological experiences are essential because they provide feedback on our needs – on what’s meaningful and what matters to us, on what’s okay and not okay for us.
Our bodies and minds are our guides to living happy, healthy, meaningful lives. When we fail to pay attention to them – at best we begin to lose our ability to live to our greatest potential. At worse we can start to experience more acute mental health difficulties. Wellbeing and mental health issues are complex, and individual. These difficulties exist on a spectrum, from dealing with difficult emotional responses to the everyday challenges of life, to severe clinical mental illness – and everything in between.
Claire has a passion for supporting us to take better care of our physical and psychological wellbeing. She believes we need to feel heard and take better care of ourselves and each other - so that we can sustainably fulfil our personal, professional and academic potential. Aside from 1:1 appointments, Claire leads weekly mindfulness sessions from 12-12.30pm on Wednesdays and a number of other workshops and events in college. To find out more, e-mail wellbeing@fitz.cam.ac.uk.
In case of emergency
• In an emergency, or if you feel a danger to yourself, others, or are concerned about the wellbeing of another, contact the Porters on 01223 332000 for advice and support.
• In a mental health crisis, contact the First Response Service by dialling 111 and selecting option 2 for immediate advice and support from trained NHS staff - 24/7.
• If you need an emergency ambulance, call 999, then immediately inform the Porters.
• Call the Samaritans for confidential emotional support to people in distress, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Phone 116 123 (free)
• Text Shout - a text-based crisis line for immediate help. Text 85258 from your phone. It is a free service available 24/7.