Finding a Community Mental Health Provider

Counseling Services is committed to providing and facilitating access to timely, quality care to enrolled students. We aim to create individualized treatment plans that balance student and community needs, consider a student's access to resources, and most importantly, prioritize the most effective approach to addressing a client's presenting concerns.

Students who are interested in open-ended individual treatment, who wish to be seen multiple times per week, and/or who need specialized care may be referred to a mental healthcare provider in the community.

Counseling Services can also help students with other insurance plans connect with a community provider. It is strongly recommended that students and their families check insurance coverage for behavioral health treatment in Pasadena to ensure that local care is available.

In general, if a student is referred to a therapist in the community and is also receiving treatment for medication management, Counseling Services will facilitate the transfer of care to a local psychiatrist. If a student wishes to continue psychiatric treatment at Counseling Services, it is required that the student permit collaboration and consultation between Counseling Services and the community therapist to ensure appropriate coordination of care.

Finding a Therapist - TimelyCare Virtual Health and Mental Health Visits
(Free to all Caltech students regardless of insurance)

Caltech has partnered with TimelyMD, the leading virtual health and well-being solution in higher education, to offer students free and equitable access to medical and mental health through the TimelyCare platform.

TimelyCare serves as a 24/7 virtual extension of our health and counseling center resources. Through the TimelyCare webpage or smartphone app, Caltech students can now select from a wide-ranging menu of virtual care options from licensed physicians and counselors in all 50 states – at no cost and regardless of insurance coverage – including:

• On-demand medical care
• Appointment-based medical care
• On-demand mental health support (TalkNow)
• Appointment-based mental health counseling
• Digital self-care content

TimelyCare is available even to students on medical leave. You have access to TimelyCare as long as you have a working access.caltech account.

Some benefits to you:

• Convenient 24/7 care – Physical and mental health issues often present themselves outside regular business hours, and TimelyCare makes seeking support or treatment as easy and convenient as making a video or phone call. Nationally, about 40% of mental health care visits through TimelyCare occur after hours.
• Reduced wait times – Typical consultations for on-demand services through TimelyCare begin within 5-10 minutes.
• Diverse provider network – In addition to being from diverse backgrounds, TimelyMD providers are trained to be culturally competent. For example, more than 60% of mental health providers identify as BIPOC. The platform also offers professionals who identify as LGBTQIA+, speak multiple languages and/or have various religious and spiritual beliefs. Students can choose to meet with a specific provider or select the first available.
• Peace of mind – TimelyCare is a safe, secure, and HIPAA-compliant platform that follows up with Student Wellness Services to ensure continuity of care.

Sign up for TimelyCare

Finding a Therapist - Caltech Anthem Student Advantage Plan

If you would like to find a counselor or mental health provider covered by the Anthem student insurance plan, please go to:
https://studentca.anthem.com/student/schools/caltech

1. Scroll down to "Find a provider," and click on the word "Medical." The words "Find Care Here" will appear; click on them and a new page will open.
   
2. You will see a search box. Enter enter "Pasadena, CA" (or your desired city) in the location box.
   
3. Click on the icon named "Behavioral Health."
   
4. You will then get a list of providers who should accept the Anthem plan. You may contact one of these providers on your own without a referral from Counseling Services, or you may meet with a Counseling Services staff member to help you find and connect with local referrals.

Finding a Therapist - General guide on finding a therapist and setting up an initial meeting

1. Go to psychologytoday.com. You'll see a big search box in the middle of the screen labeled "Find a Therapist."
2. Type in your Zip code. Although lots of people are doing virtual therapy now, they might want to transition to in-person at some point in the future, so it's best to have someone close by.
3. You'll get a long list of therapists. Time to filter it down to a manageable size!
4. On the left side, you'll see numerous categories that you can select to filter the list. Find your insurance plan and select that one to start.
5. Next, you should probably select the type of problem you're seeking help for - depression, anxiety, etc.
6. Finally, you can add any filters that are important to you, such as gender identity, age, or other factors that might be important to you.
7. Now you can start looking through the therapists' profiles to see if any of them catch your eye as a potentially good match. When you find one that you like, cut and paste their information into a text file so you can refer back to it later. Once you have 3-4 people who seem like potential matches, please call them and leave a voicemail. You don't have to say anything about the reason you're seeking therapy just yet; just let them know that you're a new client calling to set up an initial meeting. Leave them your name and repeat your phone # twice just to make sure that they can hear it.
8. When you find someone whose schedule matches with yours, go to the first meeting and see how it feels. If you feel that they are generally receptive and are making an effort to understand what's going on for you, that's a good sign. Listen to your gut during those first couple of meetings, and feel free to ask any questions about anything that isn't clear. If it's still feeling good after a couple of meetings, that's great! Go ahead and continue meeting with them. But if something feels off or problematic in a way that they can't discuss or talk about with you, it's totally ok to keep going down the list and look elsewhere.

Confidential Health Information Act (CHIA)

The Confidential Health Information Act (CHIA) provides Californians insured under another person's health insurance policy new confidentiality protections. These protections will allow them to submit a confidential communications request form to receive communications from their health plan directly regarding their receipt of sensitive services or any service if they feel disclosure of related information to the main policy holder could cause harm.

Read more:

• https://myhealthmyinfo.org/
• Confidential Health Information Act Fact Sheet
• Confidential Communications Request Form (California only)

Additional Resources:

• Finding A Therapist Who is a Good Fit for You
• Preparing for a Therapy Appointment