SPS professionals provide a safe, confidential place to discuss concerns or problems interfering with personal growth and academic achievement.  We offer a range of counseling and clinical services designed to meet students’ varied mental health needs throughout the year.

Individual Services

Professional clinicians provide brief counseling and psychotherapy to clarify your concerns, work toward the resolution of difficulties, and facilitate improved functioning within the areas of targeted concern.  Individual counseling sessions are typically less than an hour, and are scheduled with a specific staff clinician.  Counseling and psychotherapy are provided by licensed psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and advanced unlicensed trainees in these two disciplines under close supervision of our licensed staff. 

When an individual counselor determines that medication may be helpful in addition to counseling and psychotherapy, the student can be referred to an SPS staff psychiatrist to provide consultation regarding potentially useful medications and appropriate follow-up treatment.

If an individual counselor determines that more intensive or extensive treatment is required, a referral for additional services outside of SPS is provided.  Students covered by the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) are referred to Behavioral Health Services on campus at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute.  Students with private insurance are referred to appropriate providers.

Couples Counseling

Relationship difficulties can be a major source of stress and academic disruption for students.  SPS provides brief couples counseling for any enrolled student and that student’s partner – married or unmarried, student or non-student.   Individual couples counseling is always available; couples counseling groups may be available as well during the academic year.

Group Counseling

SPS provides students with the opportunity to work with others sharing common concerns in a group counseling format.   Groups have an average of 8 students and two SPS counselors.  They generally meet weekly, for 60 or 90 minutes, for a fixed period each quarter.  While our selection of groups varies throughout the year, SPS typically offers general therapy groups for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as theme-focused groups for thesis/dissertation writers, eating management, bereavement, survivors of abuse, LGBT students, and others.   <click here for Current Groups>

SPS also offers short-term groups focused on skills development across a range of important stress management topics.  Relaxation training, managing stress through cognitive techniques, and reducing public speaking anxiety are frequently covered topics. <click here for current brief groups>

Urgent Counseling Services

Although SPS operates on an appointment basis, a student may face an urgent concern or crisis that feels too overwhelming to wait for a scheduled appointment.  SPS professionals are available for immediate in-person assessment and intervention during our normal working hours, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.  Crisis counselors are available for phone consultation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by calling the SPS main phone line at 310-825-0768.