Mental Health and Wellbeing at the Faculty of Education

Paul H. Joseph / UBC Brand & Marketing

As a UBC student, you are working to achieve your academic goals while also balancing multiple priorities and coping with challenges that can impact your capacity to learn and thrive. At times, you may feel overwhelmed and need to reach beyond your usual sources of support for a new perspective and to help you make changes in your life. At UBC you have a lot of different kinds of supports available for your mental health and wellbeing.

Counselling at UBC

Counsellors are located at various locations on campus – at the main Counselling Services office, as well as “embedded” in several faculties and departments. Students often seek counselling for help with decision-making, navigating family and social relationships, major transitions, and identity development. Counselling can also help students who are experiencing mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, and the impacts of traumatic experiences. Counsellors at UBC also specialize in helping students overcome issues that cause academic distress such as procrastination, exam anxiety, perfectionism, and problems with attention and motivation.

No matter what issues you want to address, UBC counselling staff will get to know you and find out what kind of support will work best in your particular situation. Sometimes a single session is enough for now, to give you some new tools and new ways of thinking about your problem. Sometimes a group therapy program or a brief course of individual counselling sessions would be most helpful.

UBC counsellors respect that students have unique personalities, cultures and experiences and they strive to bring a multicultural, anti-oppressive, social-justice orientation to the counselling process.

Faculty of Education Embedded Counsellor

In addition to the services available at UBC Counselling Services, there is a counsellor who is “embedded” in the Faculty of Education who is specialized in helping Education students. The embedded counsellor provides workshops and outreach support tailored specifically to the concerns that Education students commonly experience. They can also meet students individually to find out more about their particular concerns and work with you to make a wellness plan that is right for you.

Meet Dayna McCracken, the Embedded Counsellor for the Faculty of Education

Dayna McCracken has a Master of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology and is a Registered Clinical Counsellor. She has worked as a Clinical Counsellor in a variety of settings including nonprofit agencies, provincial mental health treatment centres, public mental health clinics, and private practice. Her clinical counselling experience spans across a wide range of practice areas, including issues related to anxiety, stress, depression, relationship/attachment issues, trauma, and work/school/life balance. Dayna utilizes evidence-based approaches to assist clients in attaining their counselling goals, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).

Dayna strives to provide a warm, caring space where people can express themselves, work through their challenges and feel heard. It is of great importance to Dayna to work towards an individual’s own personal goals and towards changes that they would like to see in their life. It is paramount in her practice that each person always feels safe and comfortable during their counselling session, and that they leave feeling empowered, positive and with greater peace and clarity.

How to Schedule an Appointment with the Education Embedded Counsellor

To book an appointment with Dayna, please call Counselling Services at 604 822 3811, indicate that you are a Faculty of Education student and that you would like to schedule a session with Dayna McCracken.

The Embedded Counsellor can help you navigate the full range of services that are available to you.

As a UBC student you are able to access the UBC Counselling Services Centre for wellness advising, same-day single-session appointments, and group therapy programs.

Here are some additional options available to UBC students:

Get Resources More Options

  • Here2Talk is a free and confidential mental health counselling and referral service that provides immediate, 24/7 support to students in various languages and on multiple platforms. All registered post-secondary students across BC and abroad* can speak with a trained counsellor about absolutely anything. (*Charges may apply).
  • Wellness Centre: At the Wellness Centre, talk with a trained student for tips and resources on stress, study tips, or navigating university life
  • Student Health Services: Visit a doctor, nurse, or other medical professional on campus
  • Crisis Support: Reach out for immediate help if you or someone else is in danger, or at risk of harming yourself or others
 

Help a Friend

Find information here about how to help if you’re concerned about a friend who is feeling hopeless or thinking of harming themselves.

Crisis Support

If you need crisis support or you’re currently in distress, the following resources are available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week: