Once you have completed an Initial Assessment appointment and the treatment recommendation is short-term, time-limited invidiual therapy within the Counseling Center, you will be assigned to a therapist in the Counseling Center. Your therapist for ongoing work may not be the same person with whom you met for your initial appointment. You and your therapist will find a time that is mutually available, and in most instances, you will meet on a bi-weekly basis. Appointments are available from 8 AM to 5 PM, with each session typically lasting for 45 to 50 minutes. At the conclusion of your work or during the course of treatment with the therapist, you both may agree that continued, longer-term therapy or other assistance may be helpful to you. If this is the case, the therapist will work with you to find appropriate referral and resource support.

If you are wanting longer-term, open-ended therapy with the potential to last multiple months or years,  a therapist who can meet with you on weekends or evenings, or want to meet with a therapist who specializes with your concerns, then a Referral and Resource Support appointment maybe best for you. This appointment is appropriate if you know you would like assistance that does not fall within the services that the Counseling Center offers.

One of the Counseling Center’s case managers would be happy to meet with you to help you connect to community providers who would be a good fit for your needs. Case Managers are also skilled in helping students obtain help for other resources like food, housing, or financial assistance, as well as helping students understand their insurance coverage. To schedule with a case manager, you would choose a Referral and Resource Appointment. To learn more about Referral and Resource Support appointments click here.

This type of appointment is where you meet with a therapist who asks a series of questions aimed at gathering comprehensive background information to help understand your current concerns and develop a treatment plan and recommendations. The treatment recommendations may be for short-term individual therapy at the Counseling Center, referral to a Counseling Center group, or referral off-campus for more open-ended therapy. Any student who is interested in our short-term therapy services should start with an Initial Assessment to see if this is an appropriate option for them.

Crisis Care is for students who are in crisis and cannot wait until a scheduled appointment. 

Examples of crisis situations include: 

• someone being in immediate risk of taking their own life or hurting someone else,
• having taken recent steps to end one’s life,
• suicide or homicidal thoughts without intent to harm oneself or others; recent sexual assault or other trauma; death of a significant person or companion in your life,
• and a personal crisis that needs rapid attention from a mental health professional.

The Counseling Center offers Crisis Care services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

To access Crisis Care during business hours (Monday – Friday, 8am-5pm), you can call our main number 949-824-6457 to request a same-day Crisis Care appointment.

Outside of the Center’s business hours, students are encouraged to give us a call at 949-824-6457  and select option #2 to speak to a mental health professional over the phone.