LCCA partners with Uwill to support creative talent wellbeing

As expectations of student care in creative education changes, the London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA) has partnered with Uwill, the global mental health and wellness platform, to launch a new campus-wide initiative offering immediate access to counselling services for its 8,000-strong student and staff body.

The privately owned higher education institution, known for its industry-facing programmes in fashion, design, hospitality and entrepreneurship, announced the rollout of the platform across its two London campuses earlier this month. The move reflects growing pressure on creative institutions to respond to the mental health crisis gripping UK higher education, where more than half of university students report struggling with psychological well-being, and dropout rates due to mental health have tripled in the past decade.

For LCCA, the decision is both pragmatic and strategic. “Many of our students are adult learners, balancing professional and personal responsibilities alongside their academic ambitions,” said Faye Mitcham, Interim Head of Student Accessibility Services at LCCA. “Providing responsive, immediate support isn’t just a welfare issue—it’s an investment in future creative leaders.”

The collaboration with Uwill, founded in 2020, places LCCA at the forefront of a new institutional standard, one in which access, speed, and customisation define mental health provision. Uwill’s digital-first platform offers round-the-clock access to accredited therapists via video, chat, or message, as well as 24/7 crisis support and wellness programming. Already used by over 400 institutions globally, including Princeton and Dartmouth, Uwill is being positioned as the EdTech sector’s answer to the increasing complexity of student well-being.

Beyond pastoral care

For fashion and design institutions like LCCA, which cater to students entering high-pressure creative fields, the implications are particularly acute. Mental health challenges are not simply personal—they pose a risk to academic outcomes, student retention, and future employability. As the creative industries contend with burnout, precarious work, and the intensification of competition, the call for resilient, supported talent is louder than ever.

By embedding wellness into the student experience, LCCA, part of the Global University Systems (GUS) group, is signalling that pastoral care can no longer be an auxiliary service. It must be part of the institutional fabric.

As institutions vie to attract the next generation of creative professionals, this kind of infrastructure may prove as important as course content.