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MANAGEMENT
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MANAGEMENT
Student Health & Counseling Services (SHCS)

Crisis/Urgent Care Assistance

 SHCS is NOT a Medical or Mental Health Emergency Facility. 

University Police  will respond to all medical  and mental health assistance on campus. They can be reached by dialing 911 from any campus telephone. University Police Officers will assess the nature of the emergency and either transport the person to the Student Health Center or request assistance of the paramedics.

Emergency Assistance
If you or someone else is experiencing a potentially life-threatening situation and is in need of immediate attention, call 911. You can also call CSUSM University Police at (760) 750-4567.  Or visit our list of local emergency rooms and urgent care facilities in the area.

Urgent Care Assistance

Most SHCS services are offered on an appointment basis, but situations arise that require immediate or same-day attention.  You do not need an appointment if you have a mental health crisis or urgent matter and may be connected to a counselor in person, via Zoom, or via telephone. 

In most cases, SHCS counselors are available to assist students with urgent situations or crises related to psychological concerns during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday).  Such circumstances may include, but are not limited to:

  • Current and serious thoughts or plans about attempting suicide
  • Recent release from a psychiatric hospital or recent suicide attempt
  • Current and serious thoughts or plans of harming someone else
  • Recent physical assault/abuse, sexual assault/abuse, or domestic violence
  • Intense distress due to a recent trauma (e.g., acts of discrimination or hate, domestic/physical/sexual assault or abuse, etc.)
  • Acts of discrimination, hate, or systemic oppression that are currently impacting functioning
  • Overwhelming feelings of grief due to the recent death of a loved one or end of a relationship
  • Self-destructive behaviors that feel out of control and/or put your health at risk (e.g., binge drinking, excessive drug use, etc.)
  • Hallucinations or other serious symptoms of psychosis (e.g., such as seeing/hearing things that don't exist or that others don't see/hear, odd or intrusive thoughts, etc.)
  • Concern about the immediate safety of someone else
  • Crisis related to basic needs (e.g., homelessness, hunger, etc.)

If you are in a crisis or have an urgent concern during SHCS business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 am – 4:45 pm), please call SHCS at (760) 750-4915, press 2. Crisis walk-in hours are from 8:30 am -4:30 pm. If you are in crisis or have an urgent concern after regular business hours, please call our main line at (760) 750-4915 and press 2.  You will be immediately transferred to a live crisis counselor with whom you can discuss your concerns. Or if you prefer, please review the after hours options listed below.

Please note that some situations arise that may be urgent enough that University Police may need to be called by SHCS.

After Hours

Several options exist if you need to speak with someone after SHCS is closed for mental health needs.

  • For urgent mental health needs, call (760)750-4915, Press 2
  • For potentially life-threatening situations, call 911 or University Police at  (760) 750-4567.
  • Call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800)273-TALK (8255) or dial 988 to access this number (open 24 hours a day).  988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is the new 3 digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
  • Military Veterans can call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800)273-TALK (8255), press 1 or Para asistencia en Español, llame a la línea de prevención del suicidio  al (800)273-TALK (8255), y oprima el número 2
  • Call the LGBT Youth Suicide Hotline at (866)4-U-TREVOR
  • Text the Crisis Text Line by texting "START" to 741-741 (Free, 24/7, confidential)
  • For rape or sexual assault services, call Center for Community Solutions 24/7 hotline at (888) 385-4657
  • Use the SHCS Crisis Resource Sheet.

Critical Incident Consultations

SHCS provides consultations to students, faculty and staff in response to any critical incident or disaster that may impact the well-being of the CSUSM community. We offer de-briefing and psychological-educational consultations for a variety of critical incidents, including death of a student, natural disasters, violence on campus and other traumatic events experienced or witnessed by students. Please call (760)750-4915 and select option 0, then ask to speak with the director, Dr. Alli Peters.