All the Mental Health Services Available to Students
May 05, 2023 - 10:26 AM
Student Health Services is working toward a campus-wide, integrated system to serve students鈥� mental health
needs. Many services are currently up and running, with the new integrated system
deploying now.
鈥淪ometimes a student鈥檚 mental health issue may be related to economic stress, so this system will identify students in need and put them in touch with all the resources on campus that can help them,鈥� explained Seth Meyers, Assistant Director of Student Health Services.
Mental Health Services are available at the two Student Health Centers on campus.
Building 67B
Fall & Spring SemesterMonday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Building 9E Fall & Spring Semester
Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Students can call (909) 274-4400 to set up an appointment. Students in crisis situations can always call after hours and speak with someone, by pressing 鈥淥ption 2鈥�.
The services currently available on campus are:
Individual, short-term, mental health services 鈥� Six to eight therapy sessions (per academic school year) for currently enrolled students who have paid their student fees.
鈥淲e understand a student might need more than this and we can help them get connected to longer-term support,鈥� said Crissy Herzog-Kabisch, Mental Health Clinician.
鈥淲hile one-on-one therapy is the most popular mental health support,鈥� said Meyers. 鈥淚t is also a very traditional model and is not the model that is for everyone.鈥�
New to the Health Center is the Thriving Space, held every Tuesday from noon to 1:15 p.m. through May 23 in the Bldg. 67B conference room that faces the parking lot.
鈥淭hriving Space is more of a mental health lounge,鈥� said Herzog-Kabisch, who facilitates the weekly session. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a relaxed, social space that鈥檚 more informal. Students can just drop by and check it out.鈥�
鈥淪ince we are not a dormitory campus,鈥� explained Meyers. 鈥淲e have to work harder to maximize social connections.鈥�
Each week, a different topic and a hands-on activity are examined in the Thriving Space. The next one, on April 25, will be Anxiety Management, while on May 2 will tackle Positive Coping Skills, for instance.
鈥淪ome students don鈥檛 want therapy, but they do want some mental health information
and they can get it here,鈥� Herzog-Kabisch said.
Meyers pointed out that students at the Thriving Space do not need to talk about their personal problems if they do not want to.
鈥淪tudents also do not need to be a patient of the Health Center or participate in therapy,鈥� said Meyers. 鈥淭hey will spend an hour with a clinician in a group setting while participating in a mental health activity.鈥�
Also, more informal than individual therapy sessions, are the Co-located Shifts, which take place in conjunction with various Student Services.
Mental Health clinicians provide support in the Student Services鈥� spaces for students
enrolled in that service, including Aspire, Equity Center, Pride Center, and Veterans
Resource Center.
鈥淭he Co-located Shifts are a way to have our mental health services integrated with these student services programs,鈥� said Meyers.
Co-located Shifts
Aspire - Located in the Center for Black Culture and Student Excellence in Bldg. 6 - Tuesdays, 11 a.m. 鈥� 12 p.m.
Equity Center 鈥� Bldg. 16E - Thursdays, 1 p.m. 鈥� 2:30 p.m.
Pride Center 鈥� Bldg. 26A First Floor - Tuesdays, 10 am 鈥� 12 pm, Thursdays 1 p.m. 鈥� 3 p.m.
Veterans Resource Center 鈥� Bldg. 9E First Floor - Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. 鈥� 12 p.m.
What is in store for the future?
Currently, Student Health Services, in conjunction with the Behavior and Wellness system, is hard at work launching the campus-wide integration of a case management system, using COVID block grant funding. Case managers are already working in Basic Needs, the Equity Center, and Rising Scholars. In the near future, they will be added to the Veterans Center, the Pride Center, and The Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Students, according to Meyers.
These case managers are distinctly different from clinicians, in that they provide
direct support services to students, like getting them signed up with a support program
or the mental health support they need.
鈥淲e are trying to reduce the 鈥榮ilo effect鈥� that can happen in big schools,鈥� said Meyers, referring to the problem of one program or department not working with another or even being aware of what each other is doing.
These case managers will identify students who they believe will benefit from such support and assess them to ascertain all the support they may need. They will continue to follow up with the student for a school year to make sure they are getting this support and any other that may be needed.
So, what has caused this shift and a renewed effort to address students鈥� mental health needs?
鈥淭he pandemic changed things considerably,鈥� said Meyers. 鈥淢ental health needs in the community college system have always existed, but the needs were greatly exacerbated by the pandemic.鈥�
鈥淎 great increase in awareness of people鈥檚 mental health needs came with the media
attention. Increased funding in the State of California has allowed a substantial
increase in mental health services and, consequently, we have greatly increased our
mental health staffing at Mt. SAC.鈥�
For more information, to register or to log in to your patient portal, please visit the Mental Health Services website.