Your research is important, but so is everything else outside of it. Graduate school can often be demanding. It is vital to maintain a good life-work balance, but if things get too much, and even social outlets aren't enough to help, the University of Guelph offers many resources to help and meet your needs. Links to available services and outlets are provided below.
If you have health, family or financial troubles that are interfering with your studies, going part-time for at least a semester or two could be an option for you, the transfer form can be found here. A "leave of absence" for a semester or two may also help (you can find the form here). However, going part-time or taking a leave can have disadvantages (for example in terms of scholarships, health insurance, and your visa if you're an international student), so to help in situations where you're really struggling and these courses of action can't help, we do have a department "graduate emergency pot" to help out in cases of financial need; please write to the Graduate Coordinator explaining your situation, and ask your advisor to supply a support letter too.
Resources on Campus:
Physical Health
| Gryphon Athletics | The official athletics department of the university. Services offered include fitness & recreation centres, clubs for a variety of sports, information on varsity athletics and games, individual & group fitness classes for a wide range of activities, personal physical training, and many more. Headquarters is the W. F. Mitchell Athletics Centre at the southeastern corner of campus. |
| Health & Performance Centre | The on-campus physical rehabilitation centre. They specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of acute and chronic orthopedic, musculoskeletal, sport and activity-related injuries. |
| Student Health Services | The on-campus clinic is located at the J.T. Powell building. In addition to providing primary medical care to full-time and part-time, undergraduate and graduate students along with their families and visitors, SHS promotes comprehensive health as well as initiatives to prevent disease spread. Their website contains many resources in promoting health. |
| Wellness Centre | Linked with Student Health Services, the Wellness Centre provides educational material for undergraduate and graduate students on campus regarding the promotion of health and well-being. Peer-to-peer education is also provided, including drop-in consultations, interactive programming, and distribution of resources. |
Mental Health
A general overview of mental health and well-being resources can be found in the Mental Well-being page on the University's website. And all counseling sessions are free of charge for registered students. The 'My gradskills' portal also has a course on stress and mental health.
| Counselling Services |
Counselling services is offered on the second floor of JT Powell, appointments can be made from the front desk in the building, or through extension x53244. Students who pay their fall tuition can receive individual therapy with a licensed counsellor for free and can see a doctor on campus with access ending 3 months after graduation. Group therapy requires a requisition from a doctor (x52131), therapist or an appointment with a student wellness navigator (x53244) within the university (https://wellness.uoguelph.ca/services/counselling/university-guelph-therapy-groups (includes list of groups). Counselling provides a drop-in daily from 1 - 3:30 pm for acute situations that can be accessed through the JT Powell front desk or by phone (x53244) (https://wellness.uoguelph.ca/services/counselling/same-day-drop-counselling-university-guelph). |
| Student Support Network | The SSN has drop-ins from noon to 10 pm Monday to Friday (with reduced hours during exams), virtual drop-in is from 8-10 pm and there is also SSN for black/racialized students Mondays from 4-6 pm (https://wellness.uoguelph.ca/ssn ) Trained peers offer 30-minute sessions with a drop-in system in person and online booking for their virtual services in the link prior. Previously a set of members from the Student Support Network were also at Raithby house, but only multi-faith counselling is offered from Raithby. The SSN also hosts a black and racialized graduate support network on Thursday evenings (https://gryphlife.uoguelph.ca/organization/cdo) |
| Wellness Centre | Linked with Student Health Services, the Wellness Centre provides educational material for undergraduate and graduate students on campus regarding the promotion of health and well-being. Peer-to-peer education is also provided, including drop-in consultations, interactive programming, and distribution of resources. |
Additionally, Student Accessibility Services is also on the 2nd floor of the JT Powell buildings, for immediate concerns regarding accessibility, they hold drop-in hours from 11 am - 12 pm Monday through Friday in room 2259 and virtually through the link following (https://wellness.uoguelph.ca/accessibility/how-we-do-it/daily-drop-in ).
For a complete list of all resources on campus, please refer to the Current Students page on the central university webpage.