Counselling and Student Support Services

Student Support for Disabilities and Other Conditions

Our goal is to ensure that all students have equitable access to learning opportunities and support throughout their studies.

If you have disabilities and/or other eligible conditions, we will work with you to develop an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) detailing the approved accommodations, reasonable adjustments and alterations to reduce barriers for learning.

What do we mean by disabilities and other conditions?

• Physical disabilities such as mobility and sensory impairment
• Neurodivergence and Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs) for example Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia
• Chronic long term or recurring health conditions for example heart conditions, Epilepsy, Diabetes, Cancer, HIV
• Mental health conditions for example Anxiety, Depression, Eating Disorder, Bi-Polar, Personality Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Any combination of the above

We also provide learning support for students with temporary conditions like broken bones or during pregnancy as needed.

What we can provide

The sort of bespoke learning support available in-house includes a range of measures depending on your needs, this may include:

• Flexibility around hand-in deadlines for assignments and dissertation if needed
• Additional time for personal tutorials
• Study skills support for academic skills development (see more below)
• Adjustment for examinations, such as having more time and sitting in a distraction-reduced environment
• Presentations, alternatives such as pre-recording and screening to the class
• Additional assistance on study trips and visits
• Extended loans and borrower allowance from the library
• Adjustment to the location of where lectures take place where possible to help with accessibility within the building.

Study skills support

Students with an approved ILP may have specialist study skills support with personalised advice on academic skills development, tailored to your specific learning needs.

This is designed to help you manage on the course and write assignments, including for example:

• Effective time management and organising strategies
• How to manage reading tasks for research
• Developing critical thinking skills
• Planning assignment and dissertation writing
• Note-taking techniques
• Research
• Proofreading and editing.

If you have a known condition, it’s advisable to register with Student Support as soon as possible and gather evidence of your diagnoses before leaving home, as it can be more difficult gathering the supporting documents from afar.

If you’ve had a support plan during your undergraduate studies, it would also be helpful for us to have a copy of this.

For further information see our current Student Support Policy.

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)

In addition to the in-house learning support, UK students may be eligible to apply for external funding to meet additional costs of equipment, assistive software, specialist mentoring/study skills support, BSL Sign Language Interpreting and other support needs with the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).

For information see disabled students allowances.

Counselling Services

Counselling

Counselling is a professional therapeutic service, providing emotional and psychological support to people in therapy.

Any Sotheby’s Institute of Art MA student can request an initial consultation appointment for counselling – this is an assessment session to discuss your needs and make plans.

After the initial consultation, if appropriate, we can offer ongoing support with short term, focused counselling to support you during your studies.

The service is provided in-house for your convenience. It is independent from your MA program, private and confidential, bound by the BACP professional code of ethics.

Wellbeing Check-in

The sessions can be used for an informal chat with the Counsellor about any personal matter that’s on your mind or getting in the way of your studies.

These one-off sessions can be used for quick queries, information, advice and guidance on wellbeing-related issues, including whether coming for counselling might be helpful.

Once you’ve enrolled and registered at the start of the MA program, you will be eligible to access these services.

For students with disabilities we are happy to work with you in advance to develop an ILP ahead of joining the program.