Quick list of resources for urgent mental health help:
24/7 phone line for students; 213-740-9355 (WELL); calling can connect students to a counselor after hours or on weekends.
Text “TROJAN” to 741741 to connect to a trained volunteer in the Crisis Text Line. Services are available 24/7.
Call 9-8-8 to reach the national lifeline, 24/7, anywhere in the U.S.
The following is a Campus Message from:
Sarah Van Orman, MD MMM FACHA
Vice President and Chief Campus Health Officer of USC; Division Chief for College Health, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Broderick Leaks, PhD MHA
Director of Counseling and Mental Health Services, USC Student Health, Keck Medicine of USC; Vice Chair of College Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC
Steven Siegel, MD PhD
Franz Alexander Chair in Psychiatry, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC; Chief Mental Health and Wellness Officer for Keck Medicine of USC
To the USC Community:
We hope you have had a restful and enjoyable Labor Day weekend.
Taking time to enjoy yourself, connect with others, and take needed breaks is important to your mental health, and supporting your overall well-being.
As an academic institution that prides itself on intellectual rigor, USC brings many opportunities for tackling challenging work; and this will sometimes also carry stressors. Occasional stress can compel us to grow and meet new challenges – but at times, we may feel overwhelmed or disappointed, or feel we are struggling with bigger difficulties than we can manage.
Connecting to the right resource is the first step in creating a more supportive campus environment. Help is always available.
USC values the health and well-being of our community members as our highest priority, and when you need help, the Student Health team is available to support you.
As we acknowledge the upcoming World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10, we are sharing some of these resources below, so our entire community can become an informed safety net for our students and each other.
For Students
Therapy Plus: This suite of extension services and psychology education from Counseling and Mental Health Services of USC Student Health, called “Therapy Plus,” includes helpful apps, teletherapy, progress planning for overcoming the anxiety of starting in a new environment, and much more. Connecting with your sense of self, and with others, can provide a wellspring of resilience. Starting in a new college environment can be intimidating, but the right framework and tools can be really helpful. You got this!
Know what to do: The mascot dogs for wellness, Rumi and Friends, summarize helpful information for students in the “What Should I Do” poster; (an HSC grad student edition is also available) with contact information to campus offices. Download the guide or pick one up from Student Health.
Screening program for new students: The Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences is continuing its mental health screening program for all new incoming students, the My Mental Health Assessment , which invites cohorts of first-year USC students to take an assessment for conditions such as depression, anxiety, substance use disorder and suicidality. This tool will help connect students who have higher acuity to clinical services that can help them. New students should look for the email invite in their USC inboxes; second-year students who have not yet completed the screening tool are invited to complete it this year.
For Faculty and Staff
USC Workwell Center is an excellent resource for faculty and staff well-being, and includes programs for managing work-life balance, coaching teams, and more. In addition, LifeWorks for USC is a digital resource and counseling platform available for no cost to benefits-eligible employees.
Through the USC PPO, USC EPO Plus and USC Trojan Care EPO employee health insurance plans, USC employees in these plans have access to behavioral health benefits with Lyra Health. Lyra provides care for mental/emotional health at no cost to you. Whether you’re feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed, short-term support from Lyra’s top therapists and coaches can get you “unstuck” with research-backed therapeutic methods as well as a suite of online tools.
The USC Gold Folder reference sheet for faculty and staff is available for working with students who may be experiencing challenges; and the Kognito online learning module (“At-Risk Mental Health,” available through usc.kognito.com) can be an invaluable resource for self-guided learning about having supportive, trauma-informed interactions with students.
Resources: Getting help for thoughts of self-harm
- Use the 24/7 phone line for students; USC Student Health, 213-740-9355 (WELL); calling can connect students to a counselor after hours or on weekends, even when the health centers (Engemann and Eric Cohen) are closed. Immediate triage can be arranged during our open hours.
- Text “TROJAN” to 741741 to connect to a trained volunteer in the Crisis Text Line.
- Call 9-8-8 to reach the national lifeline, 24/7, anywhere in the U.S.
Always remember, help and hope are always available. Asking for help takes strength and courage, and our community is united in developing coping skills, creating resilience, and building pathways to flourishing.
