Psychological counseling
The Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service offers psychological support to students and doctoral candidates at the University of Bonn who are facing mental health issues that can get in the way of their degree program or doctorate. If needed, we can also advise you on finding therapy and/or put you in touch with someone who will be able to help. We distinguish between psychological clearing (brief counseling) and (one-to-one) psychological counseling in terms of the services we provide. You can also take advantage of our workshops and coaching, which focus on specific issues.
Come and seek counseling early so that your problems do not fester.
Current notice
The Central Student Advisory and Counseling Service will be closed from December 23, 2024 to January 3, 2025. The psychological clearing begins on January 9, 2025 with office hours in person.
Psychological clearing
The nature and severity of mental health issues can vary considerably. Students often find it hard to gauge at what point they are able or entitled to seek psychological counseling or treatment and who they should turn to with their problem.
The aim of our psychological clearing service is to help you assess your current situation, direct you toward suitable counseling services and facilities and show you how you can get treatment if needed. You can make use of psychological clearing for brief counseling (ca. 15 minutes) anonymously.
Please be aware that it is not a drop-in service for emergencies. If you are suffering a mental health crisis or emergency, the emergency ambulances operated by local mental health clinics are on hand around the clock. You can find their contact details further down this web page.
Psychological clearing office hours
When?
Every Thursday, 10 am to 11 am
You do not need to sign up or make an appointment in advance. Please arrive in good time for the start of the session and let the people in our office know that you have come for the office hours. Each student will be given a number an will be attended to accordingly.
On the first Thursday of the month, the psychological clearing takes place exclusively online. To take part, dial into the Zoom meeting at 10 am. Registration is not necessary. We are also operating a numbering system for our online drop-in sessions via Zoom, admitting students from the waiting room to the meeting one-by-one.
Where the demand for psychological clearing exceeds our team's capacity on the given day, we may not be able to accomodate each student seeking advice there and then. Should this be the case, we will inform you accordingly at the very start of the office hours. We very warmly invite you to return again the following week.
Where?
Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service
Poppelsdorfer Allee 49 (3rd floor)
Rooms 2.009 and 2.012
Online via Zoom on the first Thursday of the month:
Link to the Zoom meeting
Meeting ID: 669 0326 0107
Identification code: 904538
Our counselors
Sandra Schramm
2.009
Poppelsdorfer Allee 49
53115 Bonn
Luzie Bieler
2.012
Poppelsdorfer Allee 49
53115 Bonn
One-to-one psychological counseling
In personal meetings, our counselors offer (preventive) advice regarding psychological concerns, insecurities or problems that negatively impact your quality of life or academic success. Our counselors will help you develop new perspectives, your own constructive solutions and strategies to tackle challenges.
FAQs
Common reasons for seeking counseling include stress, self-doubt, anxiety, problems with concentration and motivation, negative thoughts, depressive moods, understanding symptoms, lethargy, procrastination, detrimental learning and working strategies, examination issues, difficulties making decisions or settling in as well as personal challenges. These and many other problems can impair your quality of life and get in the way of academic success.
If you are experiencing issues of this kind or would simply like to talk about something weighing on your mind, do not hesitate to get help and make an appointment at an early stage.
Our team of counselors is made up of qualified psychological psychotherapists (PPs) and a trainee psychological psychotherapist (PiA). They are bound by their duty of professional discretion and will, of course, treat your concerns in confidence. Nobody will be told about your visit to Psychological Counseling or the matters discussed without your express permission.
Dates and times for initial consultations are released up to 30 working days in advance. You are welcome to check back every day to see if you can book an appointment yet. This system is designed to reduce your waiting times.
It is often the case that even a single consultation, potentially with a few follow-up sessions, can help you regain clearer sight of your own possibilities and develop coping strategies and ideas for solutions. How long counseling lasts will vary from person to person depending on what is being discussed, although the average is between one and three appointments.
Psychological counseling sessions take place in the offices at Poppelsdorfer Allee 49, on the 3rd floor (room 2.002). Please take a seat in front of the room, we will come to you.
Individual consultations from Psychological Counseling are free of charge.
The counseling we provide is a preventive support service that is focused on resources and solutions and geared towards helping people help themselves. It is not the same as psychotherapy, which is a service provided under your health insurance and is about identifying and curing or alleviating diagnosed psychological conditions classified as disorders. Psychological counseling from the Central Study Advisory and Counseling Service at the University of Bonn does not provide any diagnoses or psychotherapy services. It cannot replace any psychotherapy that has been deemed necessary. However, psychological counseling can help to obtain an initial impression of whether psychotherapy might be an advisable course of action.
We are only able to offer counseling to University of Bonn students due to limited staffing.
Our counselors
Claudia Kerp
2.002
Poppelsdorfer Allee 49
53115 Bonn
Laura Neufeldt-Homolka
2.002
Poppelsdorfer Allee 49
53115 Bonn
Anne Zilligen
2.002
Poppelsdorfer Allee 49
53115 Bonn
Appointments
One-to-one psychological counseling is available by appointment. Dates and times for initial consultations are released up to 30 working days in advance. You are welcome to check back every day to see if you can book an appointment yet. This system is designed to reduce your waiting times.
Please be aware that, for legal reasons, you are required to consent to the collection and processing of your personal data before a consultation can be held. To do this, please complete the electronic registration and data protection forms that we will send you.
Our appointments are registered with the scheduling system terminland.de.
You can read the privacy policy for this on the following website.
Workshops and coaching
We regularly organize workshops and coaching sessions for students to strengthen their personal resources and fine-tune their study skills. They address issues such as dealing with exams, time management, leaning strategies and boosting self-esteem.
RessourcenStark durch's Studium
The “RessourcenStark durchs Studium” (“Sail through Your Studies”) series of workshops is designed to help you grow your skills and abilities over the long term and strengthen your resources, ensuring that your time as a student is successful and focused on your health.
Severe psychological crises and emergencies
Emergencies
In the event of a mental health emergency or a severe psychological crisis, you can contact the hospital below at any time of day or night:
LVR-Klinik Bonn
Kaiser-Karl-Ring 20
53111 Bonn
Phone: +49 228 551-1
If you or another person are in severe danger, you can call the fire department on 112 or the police on 110.
Suicidal thoughts and suicidal crises
With its #dubistmirwichtig (“you’re important to me”) campaign, the [U25] Deutschland initiative is raising awareness of the help available to young people going through a crisis. Besides offering anonymous email counseling from peers and experts, it also lists details of other counseling providers and services. Its information desk provides key information for those affected and their families, broken down by topic and condition.
www.u25-deutschland.de
Young people aged 26 or over who are experiencing suicidal thoughts can contact the MANO team: https://mano-beratung.de
Talking makes things easier! TelefonSeelsorge® is one of a number of services that run a 24-hour crisis phone line:
TelefonSeelsorge®, nationwide number in Germany
0800 1110111 (for Protestants)
0800 1110222 (for Catholics)
116123
www.telefonseelsorge.de
You can find more information and support on the website of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Suizidprävention (DGS): www.suizidprophylaxe.de
Other counseling providers and services
You can find a selection of the counseling services and institutions available in Bonn in our Psychosocial Counseling flyer.
University Psychotherapy Outpatient Clinic
Part of the Department of Psychology at the University of Bonn, the University Psychotherapy Outpatient Clinic provides a range of professional psychotherapy services. There is a fee for using the service, with the cost of treatment settled via statutory health insurance.
