After a busy Winter term, many of us will be looking forward to some welcome time off in the Spring break, which runs from 29 March - 5 April inclusive. This page provides a summary of useful resources and contact points during this time, including some clarifications about the best resources to use in an emergency or crisis, as well as a number of external links that you may find helpful depending on your circumstances.
Urgent and crisis support
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Please note that, while they will be monitored periodically during the Spring break, LSE's own wellbeing resources should not be the first point of contact if urgent support is required. Always call 999 if you need help straight away. If you are feeling suicidal, or are worried about someone close to you, it is best to contact your / their doctor. You can always contact a doctor through the NHS GP website or ask to see someone at the Accident and Emergency department of your nearest hospital.
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Central London Samaritans offers confidential support to anyone passing through a crisis or thinking of taking their own lives. They can be phoned on 020 7734 2800 or the national number 08457 90 90 90. Walk in support is also available 9.00 am - 9.00 pm, seven days a week at 46 Marshall Street, W1. They are also available for email contact via jo@samaritans.org, and will try to respond to within 24 hours. The Samaritans is also an excellent source of contact numbers for specialist advice for many issues.
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Shout provides a free 24/7 crisis text support service. Text 85258 for an immediate response.
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This webpage provides advice and guidance about what you can do if you're worried about someone.
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This webpage provides free, confidential and independent information - including both crisis appointments and longer term support - for anyone who has experienced sexual violence or harassment.
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
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Confidential telephone counselling is available for all staff courtesy of the Employee Assistance Programme). The EAP aims to provide staff with access to confidential support on a number of different aspects of wellbeing.
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You can contact the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) by calling 0800 107 6147 (quoting LSE as the name of your employer) or access the online portal by visiting www.colleaguesupport.co.uk (entering code 206011 as your username and password). There's no limit to the number of calls you can make and your anonymity is assured at all times.
Staff Counselling
The Staff Counselling office will be closed during Spring break and emails won't be monitored. The Out of Office autoreply for staff.counselling@lse.ac.uk is always on. It’s updated to explain when the inbox is next checked and who to contact for help (depending on annual leave and working days). It has email contact for the Head of Counselling (when the School is open), and has links to services that remain open out of hours: primarily the EAP counselling service and NHS urgent mental health services (including A&E, Samaritans, how to make a safety plan and more).
Staff Wellbeing
Please note that any urgent wellbeing concerns or issues should be addressed using the resources outlined above. The Staff Wellbeing mailbox (Staffwellbeing@lse.ac.uk) will be monitored periodically during the Spring break, but please be aware that there may be a delay in responses. In the meantime, please do feel free to refer to the Staff Wellbeing webpages. Ahead of and during the Spring break, we'd particularly mention LSE Extras (the online benefits platform for staff) which has 11 flash offers between 25 March - 1 April as part of an Easter Extravaganza. Log into your LSE Extras account during this time period and you can save more with Tesco, Currys, Costa, Clarks and many more retailers!
LSE Extras is your go-to place during the Spring break for your financial wellbeing. If you're focusing on your physical wellbeing, remember that you can still access ClassPass (allowing you to buy discounted credits to exchange for access to any number of gyms, fitness classes, spas and more) when the campus is closed.