On this page you can find links to service from the university to help you when you have been stressed out, are worried about study delay or want a professional to talk to. We will also share tips on taking care of your mental health, research on mental health and things our association has been doing to improve your mental health. You can also find information about the confidential contact persons that we have within Francken.

Ways to reach out to professionals within the university

• Many students encounter study- or phase of life problems during their studies. For example, they experience stress complaints, struggle with their identity or feel anxious or depressed. In such cases you can contact the psychologists of the Student Service Centre (SSC).
• During your studies, you may find that you could use some extra support in certain areas. You may feel that you could perhaps study more effectively than you do now. Or you may find it difficult to encourage yourself to study, have difficulty writing academic texts, or have panic strikes at the thought of impending exams. The trainers of the Student Service Centre (SSC) offer various courses, workshops and support in the field of study skills, personal development, stress management, self-discipline and study choice.
• Every student hopes, of course, to finish his or her studies flawlessly, but sometimes there are circumstances that make studying more difficult, or that can cause study delay. In that case, it will probably be a good idea to make an appointment with one of the student counsellors of the Student Service Centre (SSC). Whether it concerns personal circumstances, a functional impairment, or other study-related questions that you cannot or do not want to solve within your study programme, the student counsellor is happy to provide you with advice and inform you about the available (financial) arrangements and resources.
• Are you a (prospective) student dealing with extraordinary circumstances that may influence your study progress? The student counsellors, student psychologists and trainers of the SSC offer support in various ways.
• More information on student well-being and support at the University of Groningen can be found here!

Mental health at Francken

There are also Confidential contact persons in Francken. These are two persons who have had a training on this position. They are available for members to talk about stress, problems within the association or personal struggles. These Confidential contact persons are a listening ear and are easy to approach. You can talk to them when you come across them or reach them at confidential.persons.francken@gmail.com. Note that both of them can read these emails, so if you would like to let only one of them know what is going on you can just send email and set a meeting to talk about things. The confidential contact persons are Csilla Tijssen, David Dijkman and Filippo Carretta, feel free to also just walk up to them if you see them in the room or at events.

Hi, I’m Csilla, a now fifth year Astronomy student. I started as confidential contact person last year, during my board year at Francken. I’m a pretty active person, I love doing sports (mostly climbing and running) and I’m also still quite active at Francken (I’m in 5 committees at the moment). Please don’t hesitate to contact me or just walk up to me, I’m always happy to try and help or just be a listening ear!

Hey, I am David. I am a 4th year Applied Physics student and current board of Francken. Playing boardgames is one of my favourite pastimes and I also really enjoy playing guitar! I have been active at Francken all throughout my studies and you can often find me in the Francken room. Don't hesitate to say hello!

Hello, I am Filippo Carretta and I am an Italian Applied Physics master student. For those who don't know me I was on the 38th board of our association, Francken, as the Secretary and commissioner of Education. However now I am just a regular member :) I am though a rather international student, as aside from my Italian nationality I grew up in Africa where I did my whole schooling at home. After I passed my final highschool exam I came to Groningen to start my bachelors in Applied Physics, which I finished before dedicating a year to Francken. However, I am excited to be part of this association and to be a confidential person. I hope that you feel free to come up to me and chat about anything that might be on your mind.

Mental health care

• Information on mental health care in the Netherlands can be found here.
• How to get mental health care in the Netherlands can be found here.