Mental health coordinators

Discover how our Mental Health Coordinators can support you, when to reach out, and what steps to take if you're concerned for a student's immediate safety.

Our Mental Health Coordinators (MHCs) are experienced registered mental health professionals. They provide consultation and guidance for staff (and other members of the University community) who are concerned about a student who may be highly distressed, or presenting with troubling behaviour or serious health and wellbeing issues.

Consultation and guidance provided by our Mental Health Coordinators can involve:

Offering guidance around pathways into Mauri Ora or other university and external support services.
Helping make a plan to support a student's safety and wellbeing.
Liaising with external mental health services where required.
Meeting with students to provide orientation to the service and support with transitions.

Contact us

To consult and seek advice from our team, email mhc-inbox@vuw.ac.nz. We will get back to you to discuss the issue and develop a plan. If you need to speak with a Mental Health Coordinator urgently, call 04 280 2647 to speak directly with a member of our team.

A staff member seeking guidance on how to respond to a student in distress.
A family member, partner, friend, or student concerned about another student in distress.
An external provider notifying us about a student who may require counselling support during their studies at the University.

Concerns for imminent safety

If you have an immediate safety concern for a student, call the emergency services on 111. For urgent mental health support, call the national telehealth service Whakarongorau 24/7 on 0800 745 477, or visit your local hospital emergency department.

Training for staff

The mental health coordinators co-facilitate ‘Recognise, Respond, Refer’ training. This training is for University staff supporting students in distress alongside Tauria—Student Interest and Conflict Resolution team (SICR). If you would like to book training for your team, please contact RRR-training@vuw.ac.nz.