19/04/2024
The politics of time with Carolyn Smith
The new team, part of the wider Tutorial department led by the Senior Tutor, Dr Susan Larsen, is intended to increase the support, activities, and general provision of welfare and wellbeing across the entire student body at Wolfson.
Wolfson College President, Professor Jane Clarke, said: “Our mission is to give every member of our international community of scholars the opportunity to fulfil their potential and transform society for the good of all. To achieve their full potential, all students who come to Wolfson must have the confidence that there is expert guidance and support available to help them on their individual journeys.
"We have invested significantly in new resources to support student wellbeing in College. By expanding our welfare and wellbeing team, we can now do even more to listen, to act, and to give the members of our diverse community the individual and collective support they deserve.”
The Welfare and Wellbeing Team
Tania Davies, Deputy Senior Tutor
The Wolfson Welfare and Wellbeing Team is led by Deputy Senior Tutor, Tania Davies, who is responsible for coordinating welfare roles and provision for students, as well as overseeing the strategies and policies for enhancing the student experience.
Tania previously worked as a portfolio manager, governor and senior lecturer in health research and social policy at the University of Wales. She has also trained as an addiction counsellor and worked with young people in the prison system.
“I am so thrilled to be helping the Senior Tutor build upon and enhance the wellbeing offer at Wolfson,” said. Tania. “I truly believe we have some of the most person-centred, caring, and knowledgeable people at Wolfson. Our new team is excited about the difference we can make, and already taking steps to enhance our provision, making sure students are further empowered and supported when they need it most.”
Kiran Bhatti, Student Wellbeing Advisor
Tania is supported by Dr Kiran Bhatti, the new Wolfson Student Wellbeing Advisor.
Kiran is a counselling psychologist and offers confidential one-to-one support to students regarding their mental health or wellbeing. This involves signposting to wider student support available within the college and university, and goal setting. Alongside individual support, she aims to run workshops to provide practical coping skills and strategies for common stressors.
“I love the atmosphere around Wolfson,” says Kiran, “there’s always so much activity, but I especially enjoy working one to one with students and being able to think together about how to move forward so they can live their happiest life and feel empowered.
“Over the academic year I’m looking forward to creating a varied programme of wellbeing events and mental health support to promote a positive wellbeing culture across the college.”
Sally Maccallum, College Nurse
Sally Maccalum is the Wolfson College Nurse and has been at the College for 14 years. She trained in Glasgow and holds further qualifications in Counselling from the University of Cambridge, and Health Service Management from the Royal College of Nursing.
Sally is employed part-time, offering consultations in person to Wolfson College members every weekday. Students can see her in her room at Morrison House, in the garden, or online, about anything at all concerning their health and/or wellbeing.
“What I love about my work is when I can see that I’ve made a real difference,” says Sally, “for example, when I know someone feels better because of my intervention or when they feel I understand their situation and what they’re going through.
“I’m thrilled that Wolfson students will be able to benefit from the full-time specialist support that my new colleague, Kiran Bhatti, is able to give. She brings a wealth of experience which adds value to what’s on offer both to individual students in need and via health promotion activities to the student community as a whole.”
Dr Susan Larsen, Wolfson College Senior Tutor, said: "I am delighted to welcome Tania and Kiran to join Sally and our team of hardworking Tutors to support student wellbeing at Wolfson. These new roles were devised to bring the College into alignment with the University's new Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Plan, which aims for closer coordination of college, University and external services to ensure that students receive the 'right support at the right time'.
“Since the pandemic, Cambridge, like so many other universities, has noted a steady increase in the number of students with increasingly complex mental health challenges. Our new, larger college wellbeing team now has the resources not only to respond effectively to students in difficulties, but also to develop proactive, preventative programmes to help students develop strategies for coping with concerns before they become crises.
“Our goal in this, as in everything we do, is to enable students to thrive both academically and personally while they are here. I look forward to working with Tania, Kiran, Sally and our Tutors to develop new programmes that will further enhance the Wolfson College student experience."
Student support
- Contact Tania via email at deputy-senior-tutor@wolfson.cam.ac.uk
- Contact Kiran via email at student-wellbeing@wolfson.cam.ac.uk
- Contact Sally via email at nurse@wolfson.cam.ac.uk
- Find out more about the College Tutorial Team and the support it offers
- Explore the University’s student support services
- For urgent concerns, please see crisis support and information
- Watch videos from the Reach Out student wellbeing campaign on YouTube
