The Listening Service

The University Listening Service

The Listening Service offers appointments 9-5pm on weekdays, please email listening.service@ed.ac.uk to arrange an appointment. The appointments can be in person, via Microsoft Teams or a phone call.

The University Listening Service is the first UK-university staff-led Listening Service for staff and students. It offers pastoral support for staff and students and has led the way in providing a safe space for the University community to have meaningful and supportive conversations. We offer a safe confidential place to seek non-judgemental support.

The Listeners also represent multiple nationalities, ethnicities and belief and faith traditions, with a diversity across the full range of protected characteristics in equality law, which lends the Service a very broad base of appeal.

What to expect 

The Listening Service offers appointments 9-5pm on weekdays for anyone who would appreciate 'a good listening to'. 

We offer:

• Confidential, non-judgemental listening.
• Help in times of crisis.
• Links with specialist sources of help (including faith contacts if you wish).

You can come and have a conversation about any concerns, difficulties or anxieties you may be having - nothing is too big or too small. 

Previous students and staff have used The Listening Service to talk about: 

• Academic stress
• Loneliness
• Relationship difficulties
• Loss and bereavement
• Life transitions
• Mental health
• and more

'Thank you for reminding me that listening can be the loudest form of support'

'Having someone listen to me so carefully, really helped me to really hear what I was saying'

'I feel it is a beautiful gift that the University has given me'

You can come and have a one off conversation with one of our team or for a series of appointments depending on what's going on for you right now.

For support in a crisis, including out of hours support, please visit this site: https://www.ed.ac.uk/students/health-wellbeing/crisis-support