Counselling services for grad students

Payal Bhole, MSW, RSW, provides counselling support for graduate students

Having trouble focusing or feeling overwhelmed? Need someone to talk to?

Graduate students can access free counselling services Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Centre for Student Development and Counselling (CSDC) uses a centralized appointment system to provide counselling to scheduled clients, not on a drop-in basis. To schedule an appointment, visit the CSDC at JOR-O7C, call 416-979-5195 or email csdc@torontomu.ca.

During your initial appointment, you will meet with a CSDC counsellor and collaboratively develop a plan of care suited to your individual needs. Services include individual counselling and psychotherapy, a robust group counselling program, and connection and referral to resources within and outside TMU.

“Graduate students are a uniquely tenacious and hard-working group. Many juggle multiple roles in addition to being a student, such as intern, employee, researcher, teacher, caregiver and more," said Payal Bhole, MSW, RSW, social worker and counsellor at the YSGPS office. "Common struggles among graduate students include procrastination, perfectionism, burnout, imposter syndrome and stresses of navigating interpersonal relationships, whether it’s with loved ones or peers and supervisors. This is an incredible load during a time in life with a significant learning curve.”

Bhole is currently the “satellite” counsellor at YSGPS. Part of her role involves providing consultation for YSGPS faculty and staff, facilitating programming tailored for graduate students, and being a part of the CSDC’s roster for individual and group therapy.

For more information, please visit torontomu.ca/student-wellbeing/counselling.