Managing anxiety and stress
Support to understand what increases pressure and build strategies for managing difficult periods, deadlines or transitions.
DSA and university support
Specialist Mentoring for Students
Online one-to-one support for study, confidence and wellbeing.
Specialist Mentoring helps students manage the parts of university life that can feel difficult, stressful or overwhelming. Sessions are confidential, practical and tailored to your needs.
Mentoring is not counselling. It focuses on study-related strategies, routines, confidence and wellbeing.
If you also need academic strategies for reading, writing, planning or revision, Specialist Study Skills Support may sit alongside mentoring.
Support may be funded through Disabled Students’ Allowance, arranged through your university support team or accessed through another support route.
What is Specialist Mentoring?
Specialist Mentoring gives you regular space to talk through the parts of student life that feel hard to manage.
That might include anxiety before deadlines, loss of motivation, difficulty keeping routines, overwhelm, confidence issues, stress around communication or struggling to balance study, rest and everyday life.
Your mentor will not tell you what to do or take over your decisions. They will help you understand what is getting in the way and work with you to build practical ways forward.
What mentoring can help with
Mentoring is practical support for the parts of student life that affect study, confidence and wellbeing.
Confidence and motivation
Support to rebuild confidence, recognise progress and keep going when study feels difficult or overwhelming.
Time management and organisation
Support to plan your week, manage deadlines, create routines and reduce last-minute pressure.
Study habits and boundaries
Support to create healthier study patterns, manage rest, avoid burnout and set clearer boundaries around work.
Overwhelm and workload
Support to break tasks down, prioritise what matters and make large pieces of work feel more manageable.
Communication and self-advocacy
Support to prepare for conversations with tutors, student support teams or university services when you need to explain your needs.
What mentoring is not
Specialist Mentoring is not counselling, therapy or crisis support.
It can support your wellbeing, but it does this through practical, study-related strategies. If you need therapeutic support, urgent mental health help or crisis support, your mentor may encourage you to contact your GP, university wellbeing team, local NHS services or emergency support.
This distinction matters because mentoring is focused on helping you manage student life, study routines, motivation, confidence and access needs. It is not a replacement for clinical or therapeutic care.
Who may benefit from mentoring?
Specialist Mentoring may be helpful if you:
experience anxiety, depression or other mental health challenges
find university life overwhelming
struggle with motivation, confidence or routines
have ADHD, autism or another neurodivergent profile
find transitions or change difficult
feel stuck, avoidant or unsure where to begin
need help balancing study, wellbeing and everyday life
have mentoring recommended through DSA or your university
You do not need to be in crisis to benefit from mentoring. Many students use mentoring to stay steady, build confidence and keep moving through their course.
What your sessions feel like
Mentoring sessions are calm, confidential and shaped around what is happening for you at the time.
You might use a session to talk through a difficult week, plan around deadlines, prepare for a meeting, rebuild a routine, reflect on what is working or identify what is causing stress.
A session might involve:
- breaking down what feels overwhelming
- planning your week in a realistic way
- building routines around study, rest and wellbeing
- identifying triggers or patterns
- preparing for communication with your university
- reviewing progress and adjusting strategies
- developing confidence around asking for support
The aim is to help you feel less alone with the pressure and more able to take the next step.
How mentoring can help
Mentoring can help you move from feeling stuck or overwhelmed toward clearer, more manageable next steps.
“Everything feels too much.”
A calmer way to break things down
“I cannot get started.”
Small first steps and realistic routines
“I keep falling behind.”
Planning, prioritising and review habits
“I feel anxious about deadlines.”
Strategies for managing pressure
“I do not know how to ask for help.”
Confidence and communication skills
“I keep burning out.”
Healthier study habits and boundaries
“I feel like I am not coping.”
Practical support and next steps
How support is arranged
Through DSA
Many students access Specialist Mentoring through Disabled Students’ Allowance if it has been recommended in their entitlement letter.
Through your university
Mentoring may also be arranged through your university’s disability, inclusion or student support team.
Other support routes
Some students access support through research council funding, NHS bursary routes, university hardship funds or self-funded sessions.
If you are not sure which route applies to you, contact us and we can help you understand the next step.
For a fuller explanation of DSA, read our Disabled Students’ Allowance guide.
How to get started
1
Check your support letter or recommendation
This might be a DSA entitlement letter, university support plan or other recommendation.
2
Contact Calling All Minds
Tell us what support has been approved or recommended. If you are unsure, we can help you understand it.
3
Book your online session
We will help arrange a session with the right mentor.
4
Build practical strategies
Sessions focus on what is happening now, while helping you build strategies you can use throughout your studies.
Ready to get started?
If Specialist Mentoring has been recommended through DSA, your university or another support route, contact us and we will help you arrange the next step.
Get startedRelated support
If you are exploring student support, these pages can help you understand your options.
Support for Students
A simple overview of student support, DSA-funded sessions, assistive technology, study skills and mentoring.
Support for StudentsAssistive Technology Training
Support with software, apps and digital tools for reading, writing, planning, note-taking, focus and revision.
Assistive Technology TrainingSpecialist Study Skills Support
Support with note-taking, academic writing, time management, revision, critical thinking and independent study.
Specialist Study Skills SupportDisabled Students’ Allowance guide
A clear guide to DSA, eligibility, needs assessments, funding and arranging support.
Disabled Students’ Allowance guideEducation Support
Our wider education services for disabled and neurodivergent students.
Education SupportMental Health Contacts
Directory providing UK helplines, crisis services, and organisations tailored for neurodivergent individuals.
Mental Health ContactsFrequently Asked Questions
Clear answers about Specialist Mentoring, DSA, university support and online sessions.
Specialist Mentoring is one-to-one support for students experiencing mental health conditions or other challenges that may affect learning, confidence, wellbeing or academic progress. It helps you build practical strategies for managing study and student life.
No. Specialist Mentoring is not counselling or therapy. It can support wellbeing, confidence, routines and study-related challenges, but it is not clinical or therapeutic support.
It may be helpful for students with mental health conditions, ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, long-term health conditions, sensory needs, cognitive processing differences or other access needs that affect study.
Yes, if Specialist Mentoring is recommended in your DSA entitlement letter. Your letter should explain what has been approved and how to arrange support.
Yes. Mentoring may be arranged through your university, usually through a disability, inclusion or student support team. If this applies to you, your university will normally explain how to access or book your sessions.
Yes. All Calling All Minds student mentoring sessions take place online, so you can access support from university, home or another place where you feel comfortable and able to focus.
You can talk about study-related anxiety, stress, motivation, confidence, routines, organisation, deadlines, communication with your university, managing workload and balancing study with wellbeing.
No. Mentoring is not only for crisis moments. Many students use mentoring to stay organised, manage stress, build confidence and keep steady through their course.
Yes. Mentoring can help students with ADHD build routines, manage deadlines, reduce overwhelm, plan tasks and develop strategies for motivation and focus.
Yes. Mentoring can support autistic students with routines, transitions, workload planning, communication, managing change, sensory overwhelm and confidence around university life.
No. Specialist Mentoring focuses on wellbeing, confidence, routines, motivation and study-related challenges. Specialist Study Skills Support focuses more directly on academic strategies such as reading, writing, note-taking, revision and critical thinking. Some students benefit from both.
You can bring whatever feels relevant: a deadline, a difficult week, a timetable, a worry, a pattern you have noticed or something you want to plan. Your mentor will help you work through it calmly and practically.