Frequently Asked Questions

Our services are available to students who are eligible, currently-enrolled or continuing students whose concerns fall within our scope of practice. Continuing student status includes individuals who are taking a semester off and planning to return the following semester, those who are continuing counseling during the period between semesters (e.g., summer break), those who enrolled and then withdrew or were dropped within the same semester, and those who are on an authorized leave of absence.

All Counseling Center services are funded by Health Service Fees. Therefore, we are able to offer all of our services at no additional cost. You do not need health insurance to be eligible for services.

The Counseling Center offers a comprehensive range of mental health services to the university community. These services include individual and group therapy, outreach and consultation across the UIC community, workshops, psychiatric medication, peer support groups, and crisis intervention services. We also help connect students to additional mental health resources across campus and in the broader Chicago community to meet your individualized needs.

To make an appointment for an initial consultation at the Counseling Center, simply call (312) 996-3490 or walk-in and speak to the receptionist to schedule a specific time for an initial consultation appointment. If it is an emergency, please be sure to let us know.

Many of our services are available without an initial consultation. Check out our Services page to learn more.

An initial consultation is an appointment with a Counseling Center therapist to determine what services might be most helpful for you based on several factors including your mental health history, current concerns, and treatment goals. At the end of the appointment, your initial consultation therapist will review your treatment recommendations and provide a referral to one or more services on or off campus.

To schedule an initial consultation, call us at 312-996-3490.

We do our best to meet with you as soon as possible and accommodate your schedule. Availability of initial consultation appointments can vary throughout the year. Wait times can vary anywhere from a few hours to two weeks during peak demand times, and most students are offered an available initial consultation within several days of your request. We do not typically schedule initial consultation appointments more than two weeks in advance. Although an initial consultation is required for students seeking group or individual therapy, many of our services are available without one.

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. (UIC Hospital ER is located at 1740 W Taylor Street, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60612.)

Those students who come to the Counseling Center in crisis during the hours the Counseling Center is open are provided immediate services within the constraints of staff availability, or are provided with appropriate referrals. When the Center is not open, you can still call the Counseling Center and press “2” to speak with the on-call crisis counselor, or go to the nearest hospital Emergency Room.

IC vs SSA

Initial Consultations

  • Scheduled by calling our office at (312) 996-3490
  • Scheduled up to two weeks in advance
  • Involve more extensive paperwork
  • Generally last longer, up to 50 minutes
  • Involve a more comprehensive assessment of your mental health history
  • Generally don’t focus on resolving concerns
  • Required for referral to therapy services at the Counseling Center

Single-Session Appointments

  • Scheduled online
  • Scheduled within 24 hours
  • Involve less extensive paperwork
  • Generally briefer, up to 30 minutes
  • Involve a focused discussion on resolving a current problem
  • Generally focus on resolving a specific concern
  • Can recommend specific services and resources within and outside of the Counseling Center

Yes and no. You can access many of our services simply by signing up or scheduling an appointment online. We offer a variety of these services to give you as much flexibility as possible. We also encourage students to let their initial consultation therapist know if they have a strong preference for a specific service like a particular therapy group. We can’t always guarantee that you’ll be referred to a specific service, but we do take your preferences very seriously and want to connect you to a service you’ll feel comfortable with and engaged in.

That said, our staff cannot ethically recommend a service that we believe will be unhelpful simply because a client asks for it. Think of it like going to your primary care provider with a migraine and asking for amoxicillin. The bubblegum-flavored medicine might be delicious, but it’s not going to do anything for your migraine.

Sometimes, but not always. Individual therapy tends to be the service most people are familiar with, and this familiarity can make it feel like the default or “best” choice. In the United States, we tend to think of individual therapy as the default because our culture is highly individualistic. Especially in a community as diverse as ours at UIC, we know that this model doesn’t fit for everyone.

While individual therapy can be helpful for some people, it’s simply one of many different types of mental health services. No service is any better or worse than another. Each service addresses a unique need in a unique way. The “best” options are always the services that meet your specific needs.

If your concerns are interpersonal in nature, group therapy might be the right fit for you. In a therapy group, up to eight students meet with two trained group therapists and talk about what is troubling them. Members give feedback to each other by expressing their own feelings about what someone says or does. This interaction gives group members an opportunity to experiment with new ways of behaving and to learn more about the way they interact with others. What makes the situation unique is that it is a safe system. The content of the group sessions is confidential; what members talk about or disclose is not to be discussed outside the group. Members work to establish a level of trust that allows them to talk personally and honestly. Group trust is enhanced when all members make a commitment to the group.

When people come into a group and interact freely with other group members, they usually recreate those difficulties that brought them to group therapy in the first place. Under the skilled direction of the group therapists, the group is able to give support, offer alternatives, or gently confront one another. In this way, members’ difficulties become resolved, alternative behaviors are learned, and members develop new social techniques or ways of relating to people. During group therapy, people begin to see that they are not alone. Many people feel they are unique because of their problems, and it is encouraging to hear that other people have similar difficulties.

Yes. We have a psychiatrist on staff who can prescribe medication to students who are in ongoing therapy at the Center. If you are already taking medication and are looking to transfer your care to UIC without entering therapy, we can assist you with referral options on campus or in the community.

Yes. One of the services the Counseling Center provides is assisting students in connecting with services in the community. This can be especially helpful if you are looking for longer-term counseling, are considering leaving or taking some time off from the university before you would be finished with counseling, or would benefit from specialized care not provided at the Counseling Center. We have a variety of providers to choose from who work regularly with UIC students, including some who charge reduced fees for services based on your income.

We adhere fully to applicable professional, legal and ethical standards. Information you provide in the course of counseling is held as confidential within the Center. We will not release information about you to anyone outside the Center nor to your academic record unless we have your signed consent specifically authorizing disclosure, with the following limited exceptions: instances of imminent risk of harm to yourself or others, mandated reporting of current child or elder abuse, or a court order and legal subpoena. These exceptions are rare, and your counselor generally will discuss the decision with you and seek your consent before such action is taken. If you have designated an Emergency Mental Health Contact person, we are obligated by law to contact that person within 24 hours if you are assessed as being at imminent risk. Please know that you may rescind, change, or add an Emergency Mental Health Contact person by logging into your UIC student portal at my.UIC.edu.

We cannot release any information about you, including whether or not you are a client, to another party without your written consent except in the specific situations described above.

No. Counseling Center records are kept completely separate from academic records. In those circumstances where a student chooses to reveal they are receiving mental health services (e.g. as a factor in obtaining academic accommodation, withdrawal from UIC, or re-instatement at UIC) this information may become part of a student’s academic record.

No. Counseling Center records are kept completely separate from medical records. If you have lab tests at Family Medicine (sometimes a requirement when taking certain psychiatric medications) there may be a notation that you are seeing a psychiatrist at the Counseling Center. In those circumstances where a student chooses to reveal they are receiving mental health services as a factor in obtaining medical treatment, this information may become part of a student’s medical record.