Counselling Services for International Students

Important information for 2020-21

Students located inside Canada

For students residing in Canada, counselling sessions will continue to be available as part of regular services while the College adapts to social distancing requirements in response to COVID-19. Counselling appointments may be offered by phone, web-based video counselling, or when Provincial Health guidelines allow for a return to face to face service, in person.

Book an appointment with an International Student Counsellor

Contact the Counselling Centre at 250-370-3571. The Counselling Centre is open Monday-Friday 9am-4pm.

Students located outside Canada

Due to privacy, legal and ethical limitations Camosun College cannot provide counselling services to students located outside of Canada.

Here2Talk support for all students

All students (located inside or outside Canada) can access Here2Talk, which provides 24/7 confidential mental health counselling and community referrals for BC post-secondary students through app, phone and web.

Emergency/Urgent support

If you have an emergency or need urgent support after-hours, please contact the Vancouver Island Crisis Line at 1-888-494-3888 or contact Here2Talk at 1-877-857-3397. Both services are available 24/7.

Why talk to a counsellor?

Counselling supports and helps students develop strategies to deal with challenges that many international students experience.  These challenges can include, but are not limited to:

• Routines
• Relationships
• Reflections about self (identity)
• Roles
• Social and cultural assumptions,
• Understanding of rules and cultural expectations

Your meeting with a counsellor will be private and confidential. Unless you give them permission to discuss your concerns, counsellors are trained and required by their profession to keep everything you tell them private and confidential.

Personal counselling

Personal counselling helps students:

• develop skills to help with personal change
• reduce stress to help students experience success in college and life
• learn coping strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety
• work on personal difficulties
• reduce stress, manage depression, deal with grief and loss
• improve self-confidence, relationships and health
• create balanced lifestyles

Career counselling

Career counselling can help you to:

• identify a career direction or educational program which matches your interests, abilities, work values and preferences.
• research careers and occupations
• set career goals
• make informed career and life decisions
• learn about labour market information
• assist students to learn and use the Myers Briggs Type Inventory, Strong Interest Inventory and other inventories in the personal and career planning process.

Educational counselling

Educational counselling works on challenges that can impact academic progress. For example:

• understanding and adjusting to the post-secondary classroom in Canada
• time management and procrastination
• learning styles
• learning strategies for group and classroom presentations.
• coping with and reducing test anxiety
• educational decision-making
• communication skills for working with instructors and other students.
• working out conflicts in the classroom or on campus
• withdrawal from courses.

Booking appointments

Appointments can be booked in several ways. Appointments are booked through the Counselling Department by phone or by visiting the department at the following locations.

Appointments are normally 50 minutes long.

Lansdowne • Dawson 202

Hours Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm • Closed noon-1pm
Phone: 250-370-3571
Fax: 250-370-3833

Interurban • Campus Centre 314

Hours: Mon-Fri 9am - 4pm • Closed noon-1pm
Phone: 250-370-4925

If students prefer, they can email Brian Herron (herron@camosun.ca), Anna Stein (steina@camosun.ca) or Marie Abbott (abbottm@camosun.ca) to book an appointment.  Please note that the international counsellors work out of the International Office.