Hi Elspeth, welcome to PC!

You're not wasting anyone's time here by posting. I agree with Muffy, your regular doctor would be a good place to start. That's what I did. I told my doctor I hadn't been feeling right for a very long time, that I'd become weepy, that I wasn't sleeping or concentrating well, etc... Just list the things that are wrong. The doctor will probably want to run a few tests to rule out any physical reasons for the way you're feeling. If you're diagnosed with depression, you can then ask for a referral for a therapist or counsellor.

About your uni counsellor, it's very upsetting to hear how insensitive she was. It's her job as a student counsellor to listen to and respect student problems. If she made your experience so horrible that you don't want to go back to student support, then she wasn't doing her job. Don't let her or anyone else make you think that there's little validity to your problems. They're your problems, and if they're upsetting to you, then you have every right to do what you need to in order to address them and get on with your life.

Good luck. Keep us posted on how everything goes, and again, welcome!