Services

Mental Health Services offers a range of no-cost, confidential mental health resources to Johns Hopkins University students, learners and trainees.

To learn about your eligibility for services, please click here.

Getting Started

An initial consultation (IC) appointment is the first step to determining which resources will be most helpful to you. All IC appointments are 20-25 minutes in length and take place via Zoom. Same-day or next-day appointments can be made by calling the clinic that serves your program.

Prior to your appointment, you must complete a consent form and a few brief questionnaires to help the clinician who will meet with you understand your needs. (When you make your appointment, you’ll be sent a link to these forms.) The IC appointment will focus on the reason you are seeking care, and assessment of any risk factors and questions about your mental health history. At the conclusion of the IC appointment, the clinician will review their recommendations for your care, which may include Mental Health Services resources, a referral to a community provider, or a connection to other helpful Hopkins resources.

Philosophy of Care

Student Health and Well-Being Mental Health Services (SHWB-MHS) is committed to supporting as many students and trainees as possible within our scope of service. We don’t have rigid session limits, and the majority of the treatment we provide is goal-oriented. This means that your treatment team will work with you to address a specific concern or mental health condition. If you prefer weekly therapy appointments, or have a mental health condition that requires specialized or more intensive treatment, our case management staff can assist you with referrals to community providers who accept your insurance.

Our approach to care is grounded in our values of equity and justice; we take into account each learner’s circumstances, acuity of their condition or concern, and access to resources when making treatment recommendations and providing care. We also strive to provide flexible options that meet the needs of our diverse community including informal Chat with a Counselor hours, same-day single session therapy, and a variety of groups and workshops.

Scope of Service

SHWB-MHS provides a range of confidential, goal-oriented mental health services. Counseling, psychiatric services, group therapy, workshops, and online resources are available at no cost to students and trainees; any medication or required laboratory tests can be paid out-of-pocket or billed by the pharmacy or lab to your insurance.

All students and trainees seeking care at SHWB-MHS will be scheduled for an Initial Consultation (IC) appointment to assess for risk and make informed treatment recommendations. If your individualized treatment recommendations fall outside of our Scope of Service, you will be provided with referrals to off-campus resources and supported through the process of connecting with ongoing care. Referrals to off-campus resources may occur during the IC appointment, after further assessment of your needs during an initial course of goal-oriented treatment, or if the nature of your condition or presenting concerns change over time.

Common concerns that may be addressed through goal-oriented treatment at SHWB-MHS:

  • Most anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and social anxiety
  • Mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder
  • Adjustment and developmental concerns (e.g. transition to college or professional program, evolving life circumstances)
  • Relationship and interpersonal concerns (e.g., with advisors, family, friends, roommates, partners)
  • Self-esteem concerns
  • Identity development (e.g. sexual, racial/ethnic, religious, gender, etc.)
  • Academic concerns (e.g. performance anxiety, perfectionism, attentional issues, under or over-achievement, and low motivation)
  • Attention and executive functioning concerns
  • Trauma, interpersonal violence and sexual assault
  • Grief and loss
  • Racial trauma (e.g. impact of oppression, power, and/or privilege)
  • Other concerns, which may include: disability, body image, healthy lifestyle choices, setting healthy boundaries

NOTE: To ensure that learners are connected to care as quickly as possible, SHWB-MHS does not maintain a waiting list for treatment. During periods of high demand for services, learners may be connected to care off-campus or through TimelyCare.

Services offered by SHWB-MHS:

Common concerns and situations that are not appropriate for goal-oriented treatment at SHWB-MHS:

  • A preference for open-ended or weekly therapy
  • Requests for medication management only (generally, clients are referred to psychiatric care by their therapist or primary care provider)
  • A recommended treatment plan that requires intensive treatment (e.g. partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, dialectical behavioral therapy, eating disorder treatment, etc.). Some examples include:
    • Eating disorders requiring active specialty management
    • Substance abuse and/or dependence requiring active specialty management
    • Long standing conditions for which a long-term stable relationship with a therapist is the most appropriate treatment
    • When the severity or complexity of the diagnosed condition cannot be appropriately and ethically treated in our office setting
  • Chronic cancellations, no-shows and non-engagement in recommended treatment plan
  • Requests for ongoing counseling when already participating in treatment with another mental health provider
  • Mandated mental health evaluation or counseling
  • Family and couples therapy
  • Psychological assessments, fitness for study, or forensic evaluations (e.g., employment security assessment, litigation, or legal adjudications)
  • Court appearances, testimony, participation in OIE investigations, and court-ordered assessment and treatment
  • Counseling services focused on gaining clinical experience (e.g. for learners enrolled in a counseling graduate program)
  • Psychological evaluations for the purpose of determining disability status or to make recommendations for students who have been diagnosed with a disability
  • Assessment and documentation for emotional support animals