Services Offered

Counseling Services now offers the choice of meeting in-person or over our HIPAA-compliant Zoom platform. When you schedule your appointment, please let us know which you'd prefer!

We offer goal-directed individual psychotherapy, which means that we work with students to identify goals and work together to achieve them. Unlike many institutions, we don't have session limits - but most of our clients are seen for an average of 8 sessions. Your clinician will work with you to create a treatment plan, and will use a questionnaire called the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS) to track progress. If you are referred for individual therapy following your initial appointment, you will have an intake session that will explore your bio-psycho-social history and focus on your current concerns. Our clinicians utilize a variety of interventions, including cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, short-term psychodynamic, motivational interviewing, and dialectical behavioral therapy strategies. Our goal is to work alongside students to understand their goals and develop an individualized plan that honors each student's cultural context and intersecting identities, and prioritizes collaboration throughout the process. If you are interested in open-ended or longer-term therapy, or if your presenting concerns would benefit from more specialized care, we can help you connect with a local provider who offers these services.

We are happy to announce that we are now offering short-term couples therapy at SWS, in addition to our individual and group services. Students who are in a committed, mature, and collaborative relationship are invited to participate in this opportunity. One of our experienced couples clinicians will meet with both parties to conduct an initial screening, during which goals and recommendations will be discussed.

Please note that this is a short-term (4-6 sessions) model informed by Emotionally Focused Therapy and is appropriate for couples who wish to deepen their connection, enhance communication, and better understand their attachment style. This is a highly collaborative model in which the clinician takes an active role by guiding partners towards exploring new ways of interacting.

It is only required for one member of the couple to be currently enrolled either as an undergraduate or graduate student at Caltech, yet it is required for both parties to attend all scheduled sessions in person.

Feel free to contact the counseling center for additional information or to schedule an initial visit with a SWS couples therapist.

We offer a range of psychoeducational workshops, support groups, and specialized group therapy for a variety of presenting concerns. Some groups require a brief screening and our many workshops are drop-in, and no RSVP is required. Offerings vary each term. Click here to view our list of workshops and groups. While some students are hesitant to access group resources at first, most students find these to be valuable resources and are relieved to find that they are not alone in the struggles they face. The groups and workshops we offer are skills-based and can help students learn more about how to manage the day-to-day stressors of Caltech.

In addition to individual and group resources, we offer consultation to students, faculty, and staff on a range of issues. Our goal is to help community members have supportive conversations with peers and advisees, and assist with connection to skills and resources. If you are concerned about a friend, we welcome the opportunity to consult about how to best help, as well as set boundaries around your helping role.