Can the Counsellor write a letter for departments/exam boards in mitigating circumstances?
If a student has been making use of the University Counselling Service and it is apparent that the emotional disturbance is impacting on his/her capacity to perform to his/her academic potential, the counsellor working with the particular student may be able to write a letter to substantiate the student’s request that their emotional/psychological circumstances be taken into consideration. Procedure: The student needs to make the request for a letter directly to his/her counsellor and negotiate its contents accordingly. (In keeping with the confidentiality policy, the student needs to initiate the request; attendance at counselling, etc cannot be confirmed to a third party). The student concerned will need to complete a Release of Information Consent Form. It is generally not appropriate for a counsellor to write such a letter if the student is not currently attending counselling or has not done so over a period of time with the UCS in the past, as this devalues the validity of such a
