Maintaining mental well-being: support services at the UT Counselling Centre
The University of Tartu provides various support services, including psychological, career or academic support. Whether you are looking for a job, would like to enhance your CV, want to learn about the job market in Estonia, have any questions regarding the assessment methods or any other academic services, or simply need someone to talk to about stress, you can turn to the UT Counselling Centre. Students are welcome to visit the centre and get support – the slogan on their website says, “You study, we support”.
We invited Siim Andres, the Mental Health Advancement Coordinator at the University of Tartu, for an interview for the Mental Health episode of the Tiksu to UniTartu podcast. His passion for psychology emerged after experiences in business, entrepreneurship and scientific reading. It ultimately resulted in choosing between a degree in statistics versus psychology. Psychology won as “it was closer to dealing with human problems,” he says.
Siim Andres coordinates conversation circles, while many psychologists and experts conduct workshops on a variety of life skills, such as managing stress and organising studies. Siim’s training focuses on cognitive behavioural therapy, which, he says, “is the therapy with the strongest evidence base currently, not for all clinical diagnoses, but it’s one of the, let’s say, better ones.”
A session with a psychologist at UT
The typical session is structured so that the psychologist will first get to know the student. Together, they map different aspects of the student’s life, such as family, genetic background, professional and social life. This helps to get a picture of what the person’s life is like and how it relates to their problems. The psychologist does not necessarily tell the student how to resolve the issue, but they work together towards a solution based on all gathered information.
Siim emphasised the importance of these steps in establishing the connection and the treatment. It is important to work together rather than give advice based on statistics or general knowledge. Siim commented, “People are quite different, and what you think is normal might not be normal for them.” It is challenging to identify exactly what people are going through, as everyone has a unique background and lifestyle.
The number of sessions a student attends, or the decision to have follow-up meetings depends on the student. Students usually inform the psychologists if they want to continue. Not all cases are handled the same way due to the complexity of problems encountered in the mental health field. Sometimes, the match between a client and a psychologist doesn’t quite work out. “If you feel the chemistry between you and your therapist isn’t right, it’s worth considering a change,” Siim explained. “However, it’s also important to discuss these feelings with your therapist, as working through issues together can often improve the relationship, and you may find that switching isn’t necessary.” Miscommunication is common, and simply talking things through can strengthen the connection.
In addition, students can join support groups for anxiety and ADHD.
Common mental issues of the students
Depression and anxiety are the most common reasons students visit the counselling centre, in addition to problems with self-esteem, motivation, and imposter syndrome. There can be more specific cases as well as more different diagnoses. International students might experience various issues related to religion, homesickness, skin colour, discrimination, etc. Even understanding Estonians might be a challenge for international students. Some completely unique problems can arise unexpectedly during the sessions.
Estonian winter
People tend to seek counselling more frequently during the winter months. This is often attributed to reduced sunlight, which affects the brain’s production of chemicals that promote positive feelings. Across various mental health settings, it is commonly observed that during winter, people experience lower levels of these mood-boosting chemicals. By contrast, challenges often seem to diminish during summer, especially for children and their families. With no school and more opportunities to be outdoors, people are generally more active and engaged, which can improve mood and well-being. This pattern highlights how mental health is influenced not only by thoughts and feelings but also by our brain chemistry and the surrounding environment.
Identifying the need for support
Everyone has the right to seek support for their mental health. Siim Andres has shared an online test to assess one’s emotional well-being. It checks for a variety of common risk factors that people might have, such as anxiety, depression levels, sleep patterns, and phobic levels. It assesses the risk level but does not provide a clear understanding of the situation or determine whether a person should see a mental health specialist.
Maintaining your mental health
To maintain good mental health, people need to keep a balanced diet, sleep proper hours, exercise, have good relationships, and make time to rest. All these factors are interconnected. “If you do one thing better, the other things will also be easier. If you take away sleep, all the other things are harder,” Siim said.
It is important to understand yourself and learn how you function best. It takes a lot of work to learn about ourselves and how our patterns work to keep evolving and improving as a person. Siim suggests trying to better understand how you fit into broader society and how you can thrive there.
We wish everyone happiness and strong mental well-being! If you’re feeling stressed or just need someone to talk to, you’re welcome to visit the UT Counselling Centre (Please note that the booking page is in Estonian, but you can use automatic translation). The Counselling Centre is located on the third floor of the University of Tartu Library.
Listen to the "Mental Health and UT Counselling Centre" episode of the Tiksu to UniTartu podcast: