Graduate Students
Graduate students often need specialized support throughout their teaching and learning journey. Here are some key resources specifically designed for them.
Our clinics and care providers are available to all students at every campus, with appointments and programs offered in person, virtually, or by phone. Services are provided free of charge to SFU students.
Mental Health Support & Counselling Services
Health & Counselling has various professionals available including registered clinical counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and mental health nurses. Whether you’d like to learn new ways to cope with stress and anxiety or you’d like support with a personal issue that’s impacting you, contact a clinic for an intake appointment and to get connected to options.
Transition Case Manager for International Graduate Students
Graduate school in a new country is a big transition. Whether you're looking for assistance with managing stress, finding housing, understanding documents, or understanding Canadian services, the Transition Case Manager is available for one-to-one support for graduate students.
Accessibility and Disability & Neurodivergent Support
Find various options for disabled and neurodivergent students including information about connecting with the Centre for Accessible Learning.
My SSP is a service contracted by the university to provide support to all SFU students. Book a few appointments with a counsellor, chat for advice through the app, or call 24/7 for crisis support. Graduate students can find support for managing stress, navigating relationships, and can also use this service to support others.
Need urgent support?
You don't have to struggle alone. It's okay to feel overwhelmed. If you need to talk to someone now, you have options.
Dissertation & Thesis Support Group
Dissertation & Thesis Support Group is a safe and confidential space for graduate students writing their thesis or dissertation to share their experience and receive support.
Experiencing Disability as a Graduate Student
This is a group designed to provide a space for graduate students with disabilities to seek support in a safe environment with a Registered Clinical Counsellor facilitating.
Doctors, nurses, medical referrals
Doctors and nurses are available for a range of medical services, advice and care. Booking with a clinic on campus is particularly helpful if you are attending SFU from another province or country, don’t have a family doctor during your time in graduate school, or commute from another location in Metro Vancouver. Medical appointments can be booked to meet in-person at Burnaby or Vancouver campus, and tele/virtual health visits are available as needed to accommodate your schedule and location.
Tools for Well-being in the Classroom
This is an initiative that offers TAs and instructors to try out quick strategies to support well-being in classes, tutorials, and learning environments.
Bouncing Forward Resilience Course - for Graduate Students
Join this free, online, self-paced course to build resilience and enhance well-being during graduate school.
Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training
Graduate students are often in unique positions as both students and instructors. If you see someone in distress or at risk of suicide, do you know how to help? Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training is designed to provide participants with a brief introduction on how to recognize potential signs of distress and/or suicide risk, how to provide immediate support, and how to make appropriate referrals at SFU.
It's important to feel a sense of belonging. Explore a list of groups and services related to different intersecting identities and find support through community in spaces like Out on Campus, Multifaith Centre, Indigenous Student Centre, and Black Caucus.
Healthy Campus Community Initiatives
Over 300 faculty members and instructional staff across SFU are developing resources to foster well-being in learning environments. These resources include in-class activities, teaching practices, content to share with students, and much more. See what other well-being projects are underway and learn how you can get involved.
These guides were developed through a collaborative process, which included staff, faculty supervisors and graduate students.
Well-being through the Supervisory Process: Graduate Student Guide for Action
Learn to advocate for needs, and awareness of campus resources. This framework provides five conditions for optimizing this important and unique learning experience with faculty members to support satisfaction, resilience, and success.
Well-being through the Supervisory Process: A Faculty Guide to Action
This resource is intended for faculty members and focuses on seven conditions informed by research, best practice, SFU faculty Champions, and graduate students.