The psychological support services in English available to students
If you want to talk or confide in someone, the support services listed below speak English and are available for students. They are free and confidential. We have tracked them down in the 30 académies in both the metropolitan and overseas territories of France by telephone and by email, and we've made one downloadable PDF document for each académie.
The French version of this website contains the same files, but also including places that speak French but not English. Depending on how comfortable you are in French, you can also find support there, keeping in mind that the staff in these spaces mean well and will do their best to support you.
Feel free to check our FAQs here to find your way around.
Psychological support services in each of the académies
All the documents below were last updated as part of a national full refresh project between October and December 2021. Every service has been contacted to check the most recent information.
Are you aware of a student support service that we missed, or that needs updating? Tell us about it by contacting us!
Overview of the main structures available to students
Bretagne
Centre-Val de Loire
University health services (SSU, SUMPPS or SIUMPPS)
Specific to students registered at a university or a gathering of universities, these are services located on the campuses of institutions that offer free medical and/or psychological or psychiatric consultations.
University Psychological Help Desks (BAPU)
Public centres that offer free psychological support to students (not just university students), often for medium and long-term treatment.
Psychological Medical Centres (CMP)
Public centres that are open to all residents of a geographical area (and therefore including students who live in that area). They offer psychological and psychiatric consultations free of charge and can often accommodate people in emergency situations.
Youth Listening Reception Centres; Teenagers' Centre; Youth Health Centres
Local and friendly centres that offer free psychological support and mental health information resources for young people, usually up to the age of 25.
Census of structures by academy
Bretagne
Centre-Val de Loire
Martinique
Pays-de-la-Loire
Réunion
Listening services available to students throughout France
General listening
SOS Help
Open to anyone who speaks English – 7 days a week – 3pm-11pm
Free, anonymous and confidential listening service that offers empathetic, non-judgmental emotional support to those going through a difficult time. Loneliness, mental or physical health, family conflict, bereavement and suicidal thoughts are some of the issues raised by callers.
F.A.Q.
What if I call and no one answers?
Firstly, don't be discouraged - if the structures are overloaded, it's not a sign that you did wrong to call or that you will never get an answer. Here's how to proceed:
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Look what time it is - the national helplines are open during the day, and many are open throughout the night, so you can call them if the local structures don't answer.
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You can try to call back the structures you called earlier - it's advisable to call in the morning between 9.30am and noon and in the afternoon.
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Don't hesitate to call several times and send emails - you are not spamming, you are just looking for the support you are entitled to, so insist if you have to.
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If it's an emergency, you can go to the emergency psychiatric services in the hospitals in your area: a psychiatrist is always available at any time. And for any immediate psycho-somatic emergency, you must call the SAMU by dialling 15.
I can't find a particular structure
We have done our best to identify as many structures as possible. If there is a particular structure that you think is missing or about which you would like to have more information, you can send us an e-mail.