Personal Counselling | Personal Counselling and Accessible Learning Services | Seneca Students

Personal Counsellors

Our counsellors provide short-term supportive counselling for a range of issues. For some students, there are disability issues that impact the ability to engage within an academic setting. Identifying the appropriate academic accommodations for a student with a disability in the postsecondary environment is an important part of the service we provide. Requirements for long-term support is often referred to appropriate specialized resources in the community. We do not provide counselling for those who seek services for court-ordered or forensically-oriented treatment.

Student challenges:

• Feelings of loneliness, shyness, self-doubt, anger or depression
• Traumatic stress and grief issues
• Gender, sexual identity or sexual orientation
• Mental health or emotional conditions or disorders
• Lack of motivation and fear of failure
• Relationships
• Stress associated with school-life balance
• Substance abuse concerns
• Survivors of assault and abuse
• Bullying
• Discrimination and harassment concerns
• Eating disorders

Student Support & Intervention Specialists

Student Support & Intervention Specialists (SSIS) focus on providing a supportive, goal-oriented relationship with students to collaboratively develop a plan to support student success. The SSIS may work with students in consultation with faculty, professors, campus resources as well as external supports in the community to ensure students have appropriate supports regarding their personal well-being.

Who do we help?

Intended to provide support to students with personal concerns or those who may be in distress or facing a critical incident, the SSIS works collaboratively with students to develop a plan of action to address challenges or the causes of concern.

For example, a SSIS may support students with short term situational challenges or students who may require higher levels of support i.e. housing, recent discharge from hospital, interpersonal difficulties that impact communications between students, staff and faculty, etc.

Goals for Student Success and Intervention services:

• Provide student-centered and strengths-based care
• Improve coordination and integration of services on and/or off-campus
• Prevention and de-escalation of crises

How can we help?

• Information, education & continuity of care
• Help understand the needs of students and develop goals 
• Follow up on the established goals and new concerns that arise
• Referrals to support services (e.g., Personal Counselling, Accessible Learning Services, Student Conduct) to facilitate collaboration on services
• Quick access/immediate consultations for students in distress
• Building rapport, fostering positive relationships with campus resources and community health services providers
• Assisting faculty and staff who may have questions or concerns on how to best support a student who may be living with mental health concerns or personal crisis

Got a question?

Contact the SSIS team, appointments available virtually or in-person:

Newnham Campus

Stephanie Song, Student Support & Intervention Specialist

stephanie.song@senecacollege.ca

Seneca@York Campus

Alejandra Bautista, Student Support & Intervention Specialist

alejandra.sechagua-bautista@senecacollege.ca

King Campus

Maya Martineau, Student Support & Intervention Specialist

maya.martineau@senecacollege.ca

Drop-ins:

Students are supported on a first come, first serve basis.

Newnham Drop-In (In-person) :

• Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon

Seneca@York Drop-In (In-person):

• Tuesdays from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm
• Thursdays from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm