Health and wellbeing services at Griffith
Whether you’ve just entered university life or you’ve made the UniBar your home – it’s no secret that uni can be tough. Throw in lockdown, a global pandemic and an assignment that’s due in twenty minutes and you’ve got yourself a perfect storm.
Sometimes we need some assistance to get through tough times. Luckily, Griffith has a wide range of health and wellbeing services to help whenever you need to reach out.
The uni understands there are many factors that contribute to our health and wellbeing. These include healthy lifestyle choices, social engagement, self-care and looking after your mental health. The Griffith Health and Wellness centre provides students with a variety of industry resources and self-assessment tools to guide them through making choices that support positive wellbeing. But the support doesn’t just stop there.
For students needing clinical assistance (or just someone to talk to), Griffith offers pastoral care, counselling and psychology clinics. These options are available on campus but are currently being delivered via telehealth appointments.
Griffith also offers clinics in dentistry and oral health, exercise physiology, dietetics, physiotherapy, speech pathology and gut health. These are currently being delivered via telehealth appointments. But wait, there’s more!
The Nathan and Gold Campuses health services are currently offering;
- Face-to-face consultations, telehealth consultations for medical consultations not requiring a physical examination, as well as all mental health nurse, psychologist and psychiatrist appointments
- Flu vaccinations for students and staff
- Student immunisations for clinical placement
If you feel yourself getting a little bit sniffly, you can book in to see a doctor or student doctor at the health centres at Nathan and Gold Coast. While you’re there, you can also get your vaccinations and serology for your placements!
Don’t feel afraid to reach out for help during these times; there are a variety of resources and people there for support. Sometimes talking to a professional can help you reassess your priorities. Other times, seeing a doctor can make you realise that headache you’ve had for three weeks isn’t just ‘stress’.
In my first year of study, I got super sick, but I still tried to carry on with my studies. By the time I realised continuing with full-time study wasn’t the brightest idea, census date had already passed. To be honest, I felt trapped. One day I (finally) went and spoke to a doctor, and they informed me I had more options then I thought. With the doctor’s support and documentation, I was able to withdraw from two of my subjects without academic or financial penalty and get special consideration for my other two. I can not imagine what I would have done without them.
Griffith has a variety of resources and support services waiting to support us all. My advice is to take advantage of them!
By Annabelle Bamford-Mareroa