Race and identity

Emotional support

At the Advice and Counselling Service, we offer 1:1 counselling and also wellbeing advice appointments to all our students. To find out more about the range of services we offer to support emotional and mental health, visit our Wellbeing Support pages.

We understand and recognise that we have a diverse student population who experience a range of challenges that might bring them to our service. We aim for all our team to be a culturally informed and sensitive however recognise that some of our students would feel more comfortable working with a counsellor who aligns with their identity and experiences.

If you would like to see a counsellor from a specific background, please do request this in your form. Although it is not always possible we will try our best to accommodate you within the capacity of the service and/or assist with an external referral if that feels more appropriate.

The Black African and Asian Therapy Network (BAATN) details options for low-cost counselling available to Black and Minority Ethnic clients in the UK.  

Student Space offer support services, information and advice to students. They have a section on their website titled Life as a Black Student which offers advice and reflections on navigating university life. There is also a helpline service for Muslim students and online support spaces for Punjabi students.

External Support Organisations

• Southall Black Sisters - a West London based charity which, among other things, runs an Advice, Advocacy and Resource centre in West London providing a comprehensive service to women experiencing violence and abuse and other forms of inequality 
• Runnymede Trust - a national think-tank leading the debate on racial inequality 
• 100 Black Men of London - a London based community mentoring programme
• Access UK - a national charity providing career services for marginalised people 
• The Amos Bursary - a national charity working to reduce the gap in prospects between young black people and young white people 
• Generating Genius - a London based Charity aiming to open doors to STEM careers for BAME students 
• The Reach Out Project - a London based charity opening up new opportunities for young BAME people 
• UK Black Pride - Europe's largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean-heritage LGBTQIA+ people  
• Operation Black Vote - a national charity which aims to increase the number of BAME people who vote in the UK 

Racism and Hate Crime

Queen Mary University of London does not tolerate any form of harassment, violence, hate crime or racism of any sort.

If you experience or witness any form of unacceptable behaviour on our campuses please contact Security immediately, or report it via Report + Support.  

The Report + Support pages also list specialist organisations who support victims of racism and hate crimes.