We are here to support your mental health and well-being throughout your time at Acadia. Our confidential counselling services are available to help students who may be experiencing anxiety, stress, depression, relationship concerns, academic challenges, substance use concerns, grief and loss, personal difficulties, or the impacts of sexual violence.

Faculty and Staff can participate in the Employee and Family Assistance Program.

Book an appointment online

Visit our online booking page and create an account. Once registered, you can book appointments, cancel or reschedule appointments, and view your appointment history.

What to expect

Your intake appointment is the first step in accessing counselling services. This is a 50-minute appointment where we will take time to learn about your concerns, strengths, goals, and current supports. We may also complete brief screening tools for concerns such as anxiety or depression.

Together, we will develop a plan that best meets your needs and helps you access the most appropriate supports.

As the Acadia Counselling Centre is a teaching clinic, your intake appointment may be conducted by a supervised pre-practicum counselling student. All student clinicians work under the guidance and supervision of qualified counselling professionals.

Our Approach

The Acadia Counselling Centre is informed by the Stepped Care 2.0 model, which recognizes that students have different needs and may benefit from different levels of support at different times. Our goal is to connect you with the least intensive, most effective support that meets your needs, while ensuring you can access additional services if more support is required.

We focus on building resilience, strengthening existing skills, and promoting overall well-being. We also believe that timely support and early intervention can help prevent concerns from becoming more serious.

Depending on your needs, your care plan may include:

• Individual counselling
• Group counselling and workshops
• Peer support programs
• Self-directed online resources and mental health tools
• Referrals to campus partners or community services
• Connections to specialized mental health supports when appropriate

Students may access up to 10 individual counselling sessions per academic year.

Where appointments take place

Appointments may be offered at one of two locations:

• Student Health Centre (Lower Level, Dennis House) for intake and counselling appointments.
• Shared Clinical Space with Red Spruce Mental Health (Willett House). This community-based counselling space is shared with the Acadia Counselling Centre and may be used for intake appointments and ongoing counselling sessions.

The location of your appointment will be communicated to you when your appointment is scheduled.

Confidentiality

Your discussions with your counsellor and records of your appointments are confidential. Information will not be shared without your knowledge and written consent, except in limited situations required by law.

Examples of situations where confidentiality may need to be broken include:

• Concerns about child abuse or neglect
• Medical emergencies
• Serious risk of harm to yourself or others
• Court orders or legal subpoenas

If any of these situations arise, your counsellor will discuss the process with you whenever possible.

Missed Appointments and Cancellations

We are committed to providing timely access to care for all students. When appointments are missed or not cancelled in advance, another student may lose the opportunity to access support.

If you cannot attend your appointment, please cancel it as early as possible through the online booking system. Thank you for helping us provide care to as many students as possible.

Contact us:

counselling@acadiau.ca
Tel: 902.585.1238

Dennis House, West Entrance and
Willett House, Red Spruce Mental Health Clinic

Hours:

Monday - Friday
8:30AM - 4:30PM
Closed for lunch 12:00 - 1:00PM

Book an appointment:

Please visit our online booking page and create an account to schedule and change appointments.