Support groups

Our support groups offer a chance to share and learn from others in similar situations to you. Our current groups are:

• Bereavement support group
• TransMission
• Navigating Neurodiversity

Bereavement support group

Our in-person bereavement support group is for students who have experienced the loss of a loved one whether recent or past. We understand that everyone has their own unique experience of grief, and we also know that sharing our stories and getting support from others who have also been bereaved can be really helpful.

We hope by facilitating this group, you can get together in a confidential and safe space to share stories, thoughts and feelings and be in a supportive space where people just 'get it'.

When

The Bereavement support group runs fortnightly on Tuesdays 11.00am - 12.00pm (term-time only).

Where

Chaplaincy Lounge (2nd Floor)
Chaplaincy Centre & Prayer Rooms
St Pauls Road
Portsmouth
PO5 4AQ

Sign up here. If you would like more information or to have an informal chat about this group, email wellbeing-admin@port.ac.uk and our admin team will connect you with the practitioner running this group.

TransMission

TransMission is a supportive and relaxed space for transgender, non-binary, gender questioning and gender variant students to socialise together, make new friends and network. This group runs in-person.

When

Second Wednesday of the month, 12.00pm to 1.30pm (term-time only)

Book

Please register your interest here and we will email you with dates, times, and the venue. If you would like more information or to have an informal chat about this group, email wellbeing-admin@port.ac.uk and our admin team will connect you with the practitioner running this group.

Navigating Neurodiversity

Coming soon ... an 8 session programme run by Student Wellbeing Service and ASDAC

Email wellbeing-admin@port.ac.uk or ring 023 9284 3466 to register your interest and find out more. We look forward to hearing from you!

Setting up a new support group

Would you like to be put in touch with other students with similar circumstances to you?

Sometimes it can really help to know others are facing similar challenges and to share thoughts and coping strategies. But it might be difficult to find them – and that’s where we’d like to help.

Connect with others in the same boat

We bring together small groups of people who would like the opportunity to meet, share and support each other around a particular challenge or concern that they have in common.

Are you:

• a student who is being affected by bereavement, whether recent or in the past?
• a student who is the main carer for a family member?
• a student who commutes to university from a distance, rather than living in Portsmouth?
• a student who is estranged from their family?

Challenges like these could leave you feeling isolated when others on your course or who you live with don’t understand.

The important thing to realise is that you’re not alone and that maybe you have something to offer others who feel the same as you. For example, the students who attended our bereavement group said that it was really valuable to meet people with similar experiences and have that group support.

Find a support group

If this is something you think you’d like us to develop and provide, why not get in touch and tell us and we’ll see what we can do to help find others who feel like you. Contact us at wellbeing@port.ac.uk and put ‘It’s not just me’ in the subject line.