Struggling with life at uni? Get in touch with Spazio Ascolto

If you are struggling with your studies, with passing exams, or if you are facing other issues regarding your university path, you can now rely on Spazio Ascolto, Ca’ Foscari’s free counselling service. Counselling sessions are an opportunity to talk about your situation at university and to acquire new tools to overcome the challenges you are facing. 

What is this service? 

Spazio Ascolto is intended to become a point of reference for everyone who is facing challenges during their time at university. The Service aims to help students develop greater awareness of their issues, and to equip them with tools and resources to face them successfully. 

Who is it for?

You can refer to Spazio Ascolto if you are studying at Ca’ Foscari and you are experiencing difficulties such as (but not limited to):

• difficulties in passing exams and deadlocks in your academic path

• difficulties in continuing your studies because you doubt the choice you made

• uneasiness or malaise regarding your life as a student.

You may also be referred to Spazio Ascolto if you are a high-school student who, during the Academic Guidance sessions, expressed uncertainty about the choice of a programme of studies.

How can I request the service? 

You can request the service by booking an appointment on the website. You can book a maximum of three sessions in a timeslot between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., either in person at Ca’ Foscari (the university's headquarters) or online on GMeet. 
 
We have spoken with Chiara Samele Acquaviva, a psychologist who has specialised in psychotherapy in adolescence and youth, and who is the counsellor at Spazio Ascolto. 

What are the most frequent issues that students face, considering that we have been living during a pandemic for the last two years?

During the last two years, university students have been suffering because of the lack of social interaction with their peers, changes in their everyday-academic life, and a sense of constant uncertainty. Because of this situation, many students are experiencing anxiety, sadness, and a lack of trust in the future. The pandemic has had an impact on academic studies, because even though young people have shown great resilience when facing difficulties — in psychological terms — the fact that the situation has lasted for so long has made them feel exasperated. 

What can we do to help students at this difficult time?  

During this phase in which we are starting to return to a more normal situation, both academically and socially, we can help students by giving them a place in which they can reflect on their current situation, regain their self-confidence, and reactivate the abilities and resources they already have, but that were strained during the pandemic. Spazio Ascolto is a place where students can be listened to without filters, so it can be particularly useful during the first few months at university, but also now that we are readapting to the situation and reorganising our lives in psychological terms, too.

To learn more about Spazio Ascolto, check out the website.