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! Masks are required for in-person meetings.
Read about What to Expect when making an appointment.
Individual Therapy
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.
Group Therapy and Workshops
All currently enrolled students are welcome to participate in our online workshops. A variety of therapy groups are also available in-person.
We offer a range of psychoeducational workshops, support groups, and specialized group therapy for a wide 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. We also collaborate with the Caltech Center for Inclusivity and Diversity (CCID) to offer groups for underrepresented minorities, as well as the International Office with the Intercultural Discussion Group. 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.
Consultation
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.