The University Counselling Service have recently introduced online group support sessions for students from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds.
In light of the challenging nature of events last year, with a spotlight being shone on racism, including the Black Lives Matter movement and impact of Covid-19 on BME communities, it is important that students from these groups have access to safe spaces and well-being support.
The Counselling Service and the support group acknowledge that although they use the term BME, that it can be problematic as it does not differentiate between specific race or ethnic groups.
Workshops have been held to help students to understand the impact of trauma on different aspects of their lives, to connect with others in order to counteract feelings of isolation, and to explore the ways to improve their own well-being when encountering trauma or racism.
The sessions are facilitated by Angela Barrows and Ron Mutambirwa, both Black members of the Student Access to Mental Health Support (SAMHS) University Counselling Service.
One student who attended the workshops said they would highly recommend other BME students to sign up and said:
“The support group was so much better than I could have imagined. I didn’t realise how comforting it would be to be in a completely safe space with only other BME people.
“I was able to speak about things that I never usually feel invited to talk about with people who were understanding and didn’t judge or belittle me in any way.”
They added: “I’m so glad that these much needed spaces are being created to look out for our mental health as BME students.”
Another student said they valued that this was a space where BME students could talk about race-based trauma alongside peers as well as professionals.
They said: “‘I felt so comfortable talking about my experiences within the support group and having Black counsellors there made me feel safe. It felt special and definitely therapeutic.’
The sessions consist of a short presentation from the facilitators; a group discussion, and information on wellbeing and support. The live sessions will be held on Google Meet and the link will only be sent to students who have registered in advance. The sessions are not recorded.
Three workshops have been held so far with the next session taking place on 6 May at 3.30pm, which students can sign up for here.
The support group is also holding a session specifically for female identifying students on 10 June, and for male identifying students on 20 June.
Any questions about the support group can be directed to SAMHS@sheffield.ac.uk.
Any racism, harassment, or hate crime can be reported anonymously via Report & Support.
