Counselling

We support all employees and students at the University of Cologne with questions relating to discrimination and abuse of power by providing advice, mediation and assistance with complaints.

This service is free of charge and is, of course, provided in confidence.

Further information

Who can get advice from us?

Our office advises and informs all employees and students of the University of Cologne.

What happens during counselling?

After you have contacted our office by phone or email, we will get back to you with a proposal for a personal meeting. This can take place in person, on the phone or digitally.

During the initial consultation, we will listen to you, categorise what has happened or your concerns and go through your options for action together. Your wishes for the further process are also recorded. To ensure the quality of the counselling, rudimentary information is documented. However, only members of our office has access to the documentation - unless otherwise agreed with you.

After the initial discussion, you decide whether and how to proceed. Possible further steps could be that we accompany you to a meeting, contact the head of your department (together) or support you with a formal complaint. We will not take action without your request and your concerns will be treated confidentially at all times.

The guidelines for people seeking advice provide you with an initial overview of how you can respond to discrimination.

We works closely with other advice centres at the UoC. We may suggest that you seek support from another counselling centre that is better suited to your concerns.

How can I prepare well for a consultation?

Good preparation can help us to find out together more quickly how we can best support you. It makes sense to think about the facts of the case in advance and document them as precisely as possible.

A memory log can be a great help here. It is best to make a note:

What exactly happened? (Describe the incident as specifically as possible)
When did it happen? (Date, time, period)
Who was involved? (Names or functions, if known)
How did you feel in the situation?

You are welcome to use our template for self-documentation of incidents. This will help you to record the events in a structured way - this can also be helpful as evidence later on.

Also consider what wishes or demands you have. The following reflection questions can be helpful:
What would have to change in the current situation for me to feel better?
What specific changes would I like to see?
Where do I see my personal limits? What is no longer negotiable for me?
What specific support do I want from the counselling centre?

You don't have to have definitive answers to all these questions yet. We will of course support you in sorting them out together during the counselling session.

If you wish, you can also bring someone you trust with you - sometimes it helps not to be alone.

What does ‘confidential’ mean?

The protection of your personal data and concerns is a top priority in our counselling services. We treat all information that you share with us - whether in conversation, by e-mail or by other means - as strictly confidential. This means that we will not pass on any information without your express consent. Confidentiality creates a safe space in which you can speak openly - and is a fundamental prerequisite for us to provide respectful and empowering counselling.

What to do in an acute threat situation?

Any member of the University of Cologne who perceives threatening behaviour or is affected by violence or the use of violence can contact the Threat Management team for support. Possible threats can be: physical, verbal or written violence, threats of violence, bringing and displaying weapons, expression of violent fantasies, sexual assault, expression of suicidal intentions, stalking and bullying.

What should you generally consider or do in the event of a possible threat?

Try to remain calm.
Contact the threat management team immediately.
Avoid any escalation.
Do not try to resolve the threat yourself without contacting the threat management team.

Threat Management Team
+49 221 470-8899
bm-team(at)verw.uni-koeln(dot)de

If there is an acute danger, immediately alert the police (110) and/or the internal emergency number +49 221 470-2200 (caretaker's office main building).

Formal complaint

If you would like to make a formal complaint about abuse of power, discrimination, bullying, physical or psychological violence, you can contact us. We will advise and support you in this process.

The following diagram shows how the procedure for a complaint of discrimination looks like.

Further information can be found in the anti-discrimination guidelines of the University of Cologne.

Counseling and complaint offices for students

Counseling and contact points: