Student Mental Health Services

A General Psychiatric Assessment for Students is a comprehensive review of both your current state of mind and being, and your mental health history. Most patients initially come for a General Psychiatric Assessment as they are in a period of distress, a time of great change (like studying overseas) or have decided that they would like extra, expert support for a challenge they have been dealing with alone until now.

A General Psychiatric Assessment can be uniquely insightful in understanding how mental, physical and social factors interplay, as well as providing steer and clear guidance on steps that can be taken to benefit you, and your overall wellness. In some cases, a General Psychiatric Assessment can also lead to a formal diagnosis, which some people find clarifying, or comforting, and can help give access to specialist support and resources.

Presentations that our team commonly assist with include anxiety, depression, panic disorders, trauma, OCD, eating disorders, adjustment disorders, personality disorders including BPD, substance misuse issues, bipolar disorder, bereavement issues, anger management issues, phobias, fatigue states, schizophrenia, psychosis and much more.

A general psychiatric assessment is usually 50 minutes or 1 hour appointment with a psychiatrist, who is both a medical doctor and a trained mental health professional and member or Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. This allows for a full medical mental health assessment, which involves talking about the problems you are currently experiencing and how these, among other factors, have affected you throughout your life within the context of your physical health and any medication and substance use.

Your symptoms’ origins, what may have precipitated them now and possibly strategies to best manage them in future will also be discussed with your psychiatrist. Whether you are a student studying abroad in the UK or a domestic student, you are experiencing a major life transition. As a result, you will likely be asked how you are coping with this change academically and socially. Some aspects of your family’s medical history may be relevant and enquired about too.

From this, your psychiatrist will be able to determine if a referral to a psychiatric sub-specialist may be necessary, for example in the case of suspected ADHD, Autism, Eating Disorder, Substance Misuse or others. A psychiatric assessment is an opportunity for you to gain clarity on factors that may be contributing to your presenting difficulty and working towards a personalised plan to improve this with the support and guidance of a mental health expert.

Our entire team of Consultant Psychiatrists can provide general psychiatric assessments for the student population; many of our psychiatrists also hold sub-specialty interests, speak languages other than English, or have academic research areas that you might find speak to you.

We'd advise either browsing through their profiles, or speaking to our Patient Services team, to find a psychiatrist who would be a good fit for your situation. It may also be that your particular University have worked with us before, and hold an existing relationship with one of our Psychiatrists, which you might find useful.

The cost for a 50-60 minute initial appointment with a Consultant Psychiatrist ranges from £395 - £530. We accept all international, and many UK, health insurers.

Many of our psychiatrists publish their specific fees on their profile pages, or you can always write to our Patient Services team on patientservices@sloanecourtclinic.com to enquire in more detail.

Contact our team by emailing patientservices@sloanecourtclinic.com, who will be happy to help, and guide you through the process of booking your assessment.

A comprehensive guide of answers to questions relating to our entire General Adult Mental Health service can be found here, and we also have a sub-set of Student-related FAQs here.

After the psychiatric assessment, most patients will be asked to return for at least one follow-up appointment with the same psychiatrist to further discuss a treatment plan and check in on their mental health since the previous session.

Patients are encouraged to be active contributors to their treatment and will be able to ask questions to ensure all aspects of it are attainable. Treatment plans may include physical, psychological and social interventions such as:

• Blood tests and diagnostic testing, physical scans and questionnaire completion

• Medication

• Psychological therapy with the psychiatrists themselves or with a clinical psychologist with expertise in your area of concern

• Lifestyle recommendations – e.g. taking more exercise, changes to diet, reflecting on relationships/ social life/ job, substance reduction, behavioural activation, and much more.

To ensure seamless continuation of care, your initial assessing psychiatrist would be the person you would see for follow-up appointments and - for overseas students only in the UK for a defined period - the clinician that you would see throughout your time in London.

In rare circumstances, for example if your assessing psychiatrist is unwell or on extended Leave, you will be invited to make your follow-up appointment with a colleague who is covering their patients - this psychiatric colleague will have been briefed on your case, and often will have worked closely with your assessing psychiatrist for many years.

Follow-up appointments are either 30 or 50-60 minutes in length, depending on what you agree with your psychiatrist, and the fees are between £225 - £285 for 30 minutes, or £395 - £520 for 50-60 minutes depending on clinician. Our clinicians accept all international, and many UK, health insurers.

Our Patient Services team will have advised you of the follow-up fee of your chosen clinician before booking in for your initial assessment, or you can always contact the Clinic at any time to check fee levels.

A comprehensive guide of answers to questions relating to our entire General Adult Mental Health service can be found here, and we also have a sub-set of Student-related FAQs here.

There is no one size fits all approach for psychological therapy, and our team of highly experienced clinical and counselling psychologists use a variety of evidence-based treatments, approaches and methods that will always correspond to your presenting challenges. Various types of talking therapies, which may include CBT and third-wave approaches, can be employed in the treatment of different symptoms. Your psychologist would work alongside you to find a combination of approaches and techniques that feel right for you.

Therapy gives you a safe space to talk openly, share without fear of judgement, and learn methods and techniques to help you re-find balance. Therapy can also be a way to process difficult life experiences, past traumas, loss, and confront any fears you may have. It is also a space to learn more about healthy inter-personal relationships (be those romantic, platonic, familial or professional) and reflect on the makeup of your own relationship network. Many will often find therapy a place where realisations occur, about your values, hopes or aspirations, or about things that may have happened in your past.

A therapeutic relationship is based on mutual trust, respect, learning, and openness - for many, this kind of relationship may be new in and of itself and can be a valuable experience in opening up to another person.

Your first few appointments with a psychologist are based on getting to know one another and form an assessment phase of therapy where the psychologist seeks out the necessary background information from both you directly, and your psychiatric report, and formulates a plan on how they feel you can best be supported. From then on, the duration and frequency of sessions will vary based on both your preference, and the psychological therapy used but, in most cases, sessions will take place once a week for 50 minutes.

Our full team of Clinical and Counselling Psychologists, as well as our Psychiatric Psychotherapists, are able to provide psychological intervention and therapy, and have worked with many students from all around the world.

Fees per therapy session vary depending on clinician, but fall within the range of £180 - £250 per 50-minute appointment. Our team accept all international, and many UK, health insurers.

Many of our team publish their fees on their profile pages, or you can contact our Patient Services team on patientservices@sloanecourtclinic.com to enquire after more detail.

A comprehensive guide of answers to questions relating to our entire General Adult Mental Health service can be found here, and we also have a sub-set of Student-related FAQs here.

This service includes an hour long general mental health assessment with a psychiatrist with a focus on continuing your care for an existing condition or diagnosis. The assessment will provide a space for you to explain your current difficulties in the context of how they have previously been managed. It is useful to send in or bring with you any previous reports or letters from previous treatments to this appointment.

Your psychiatrist will likely ask you about any other previous diagnoses or mental health history, your personal history, family history, medical history, drug and alcohol history as well. The purpose of this appointment will be to review your mental wellbeing and maintain your ongoing treatment regime as set out by your clinician in your home country. This can include the continuation of prescribing for presentations including, but not limited to, ADHD.

Our entire team of Consultant Psychiatrists can provide general psychiatric continuation of care; many of our psychiatrists also hold sub-specialty interests, speak languages other than English, or have academic research areas that you might find speak to you.

We'd advise either browsing through their profiles, or speaking to our Patient Services team, to find a psychiatrist who would be a good fit for your situation, and particular needs.

The cost for a 50-60 minute initial appointment with a Consultant Psychiatrist ranges from £395 - £530. Shorter follow-up appointments are either 30 or 50-60 minutes in length, depending on what you agree with your psychiatrist, and the fees are between £225 - £285 for 30 minutes, or £395 - £520 for 50-60 minutes depending on clinician.

Many of our psychiatrists publish their specific fees on their profile pages, or you can always write to our Patient Services team on patientservices@sloanecourtclinic.com to enquire in more detail.

A comprehensive guide of answers to questions relating to our entire General Adult Mental Health service can be found here, and we also have a sub-set of Student-related FAQs here.

Many of those who have received a diagnosis for any mental health disorders are keen to take medication to manage their symptoms. In instances where patients are either already taking many medications or take medication with known interactions, careful consideration needs to be taken when choosing a medication.

Medication prescribed during pregnancy also require thorough review. It can be helpful in some circumstances to consult our Consultant Pharmacist as she can provide additional educational advice and guidance that may be very helpful.

Our resident Consultant Pharmacist is Dr Siobhan Gee, acting deputy director of pharmacy and consultant pharmacist for psychiatric liaison at South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Gee's fees for a consultation are £400 for an hour, and £200 for 30 minutes.

A comprehensive guide of answers to questions relating to our entire General Adult Mental Health service can be found here, and we also have a sub-set of Student-related FAQs here.