Meet Ashley Carr U of T Pharmacy's on-location Wellness Counsellor

Mental wellness is key to academic success. To support student mental health, U of T’s Health & Wellness program has created an embedded counselling service to improve access to counselling.

Ashley Carr is the on-location counsellor for the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and offers confidential counselling services to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in our degree programs. Many students find it helpful to meet with a counsellor to learn how to manage stress around schedules, exams, relationships, or any unexpected challenge.

Why did you decide to focus your career on mental health?

I have always felt that our individual stories and experiences deserve to be heard and understood and I am passionate about providing that space for my clients. I feel honoured to be a witness to peoples' strength, resiliency, and courage, and to help them improve their overall well-being and mental health.

What are the most important skills to build mental wellness? 

I believe that self-awareness is crucial to building strong mental wellness, as well as having a space to reflect on our challenges as well as successes. It is also important to develop a variety of coping skills and strategies to manage stress, such as taking care of our bodies, journaling and sharing feelings with others, meditation, and taking time to breathe deeply as we go through the day.

Why is it important to talk about mental health?

Communication is powerful. The more space we give to stories about mental health, the more we can reduce stigma and increase help-seeking. By talking about mental health in a variety of ways that includes our successes, strengths, challenges, and barriers, we can continue to understand how complex, human, and collaborative the topic of mental health really is.

What is one thing you do every day for your mental health?

Spending quality time with my cat. No matter what kind of day I'm having or what I'm spending my time doing, taking breaks to hang out with my cat provides a quiet joy that feels simply nourishing.

How to book an appointment

All full-time and part-time students can call Health & Wellness at 416-978-8030 (select Option “5”) to register and schedule their first appointment with the Faculty of Pharmacy’s dedicated counsellor.  Follow-up appointments are booked directly with the Wellness Counsellor.  Scheduled appointments will be held each Wednesday, Thursday or Friday afternoon at the Faculty of Pharmacy.