Counselling Services for International Students

Book an appointment with an International Student Counsellor

Contact the Counselling Centre at 250-371-3571 to book an appointment. Phone, video, and in-person counselling appointments are available for international students Monday-Friday between 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. Students in other countries are invited to access Here2Talk, which provides 24/7 confidential mental health counselling and community referrals for BC post-secondary students through app, phone and web.

Urgent 24-Hour Support

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

Why talk to a counsellor?

College life and a new culture can bring changes which might require making adjustments in many areas of your life. New ideas, strategies, or resources might be needed as you navigate these changes. Sometimes it can help to talk about your experiences, questions or confusion in a non-judgmental and confidential environment. 

Counsellors can help with:

• Personal concerns, including stress management strategies, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, isolation, loneliness, grief and loss, self-esteem and identity, cultural transition, etc.
• Career planning and exploration
• Success in academic and educational goals
• Decision-making and problem solving

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 and strategies that support personal growth
• self reflect and make sense of feelings and emotions
• learn coping strategies for reducing stress and anxiety
• manage and move through depression
• deal with grief and loss
• improve self-confidence, relationships and overall health
• explore and strengthen connection to your personal identity
• create a balanced life style that support success in academic goals

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.

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

Counselling appointments are available Monday-Friday between 9-4pm at Lansdowne and Interurban.

Appointments can be booked in several ways: by phoning the Counselling Centre, by visiting the Counselling Centre at Lansdowne or Interurban, or by emailing the international student counsellors directly.

Appointments are normally 50 minutes long.

Lansdowne • Dawson 202

Hours Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm
Phone: 250-370-3571  

Interurban • Campus Centre 314

Hours: Mon and Thurs 1:30pm - 6:30pm
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.