Frequently Asked Questions

The mission of the UHCL Counseling and Mental Health Center is to help students fulfill their goals by fostering connections with and among members of the university community, facilitating the discovery and realization of power in their strengths and developing the ability to address emotional and psychological challenges.

Therapy can help you adjust to college life and learn to manage personal problems effectively. Counseling can also help you learn strategies to cope with academic stress and develop self-awareness, personal responsibility, and skills for life-long learning.

Students who were provided services reported a reduction of symptoms (95 percent), improved self-esteem/self-worth/self-image (93 percent), improved coping skills (90 percent), reduction of negative thinking (93 percent) and improved quality of life functioning (96 percent).

The first appointment at the Counseling and Mental Health Center is called the Initial Consultation appointment. An initial consultation includes 30 minutes of paperwork and 20 minutes for a brief assessment with a therapist, which will require you to discuss personal and private information.

This assessment will allow the therapist to proceed to the next step which may include an intake appointment with your assigned therapist, referral to a group, or connecting you with other resources on campus and/or in the community.

Contact the Counseling and Mental Health Center in the following ways:

Call us at 281-283-2580 and press 1 between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please have your UHCL Student ID number available. Calls received after business hours will be returned the next business day.

Come to the Counseling and Mental Health Center at 2700 Bay Area Blvd., SSCB Room 3.103 during office hours.

Please note: due to confidentiality, email is not used by the Counseling and Mental Health Center for this purpose.

An initial consultation is a brief assessment with a therapist that will last about 20 minutes, preceded by 30 minutes of paperwork, and will require you to discuss personal and private information.

This assessment will allow the therapist to proceed to the next step which may include an intake appointment with your assigned therapist within a week, referral to a group, or connecting you with other resources on campus and/or in the community.

If you have an urgent psychological concern and you need to speak with a mental health counselor immediately, please call 281-283-2580 and press 2.

If you have a specific concern, or have questions about a specific issue, please express that at your initial consultation appointment. We will do all we can to match you with a therapist who will be most able to give you the help you need.

Check out our Transition of Care document to review your options. 

We provide free therapy services to enrolled UHCL students. For psychiatry services and testing, there are nominal fees.

If you have any questions about our services, please contact the front desk at 281-283-2580.

The Counseling and Mental Health Center follows the privacy and confidentiality practices described in our Privacy Policy (PDF). The Counseling and Mental Health Center keeps your counseling information in records that will be maintained and protected in a confidential manner, as required by law.

State and Federal Law states that there are exceptions to this general rule:

• In instances where there is imminent danger of serious harm to yourself or others.
• In cases involving physical and/or sexual abuse of children or endangered adults.
• Where otherwise requested by subpoena or mandated by court order or state/federal law.

You may sign a Consent to Release Confidential Information form legally authorizing your therapist to reveal information to other individuals or agencies of your choice. Read our Privacy Policy (PDF) to learn more about confidentiality.

In order to cancel or reschedule an appointment, please call us at 281-283-2580 and speak with the front desk staff and they can take a message and inform your therapist.

Therapy Services

Please provide at least 24 hour notice.

Excessive cancellations or failure to provide notice of a cancellation deprives other clients of therapy services and negatively affects the therapy process and your progress. Excessive cancellations may result in restrictions on service.

If you are unable to attend your appointment for any reason, you must call to reschedule before the starting time of your appointment. If you do not notify us of an absence prior to the appointment twice, you will be charged a $25 fee which must be paid before your next appointment or a payment plan arrangements must be made. If you miss three times without canceling, we will have to discuss a referral for outside services or other appropriate alternative arrangements with you.

If you are going to be late to an appointment please call and notify the office. It may be necessary to reschedule your appointment.

Psychiatry Services

To avoid a late cancellation fee, you must cancel your appointment at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment time. That will allow enough time for another student to be scheduled in the time slot you vacate.

If you do not show up for your appointment, without calling us to cancel before your scheduled appointment time, you will be charged a no-show fee equal to the entire cost of the psychiatrist’s time.

After three no-shows, or a combined total of five no-shows and late cancellations, you forfeit your eligibility to see the psychiatrist on campus, and will be referred to psychiatric services in the community.

To be eligible for psychiatric services at UHCL, you must be a currently enrolled UHCL student. For refills of your prescription beyond the period designated by the psychiatrist, you will need to return for a follow up visit. The psychiatrist will indicate the date by which you need to return in order for her to assess the helpfulness of the medication and to continue the prescription. It is your responsibility to make and keep that appointment by the indicated date.

Medication changes or renewals will not be authorized by phone or without an in-person, follow-up appointment. Counseling and Mental Health Center is unable to fill automated requests from pharmacies. Prescription requests from any source other than direct contact with the client will be ignored.

The Counseling and Mental Health Center offers couples therapy and premarital counseling for students and their partners (partners may be non-students). Services are provided for students in any type of intimate relationship, regardless of gender or living arrangement.

At least one member of the couple must be a UHCL student and must first schedule a couple’s initial consultation. Please note that both members of the couple must be present at the initial consultation appointment and complete paperwork. For more information about couples counseling, contact our office.

We do not provide ADHD assessment, nor do we offer testing or letters for university accommodations. The testing required for accommodation is offered by private psychologists in the area and we can help you with a referral to the appropriate professional.

The process of applying for accommodation must involve the Accessibility Support Center. Please keep in mind that the Accessibility Support Center does not provide testing for accommodations.

The Counseling and Mental Health Center offers a free, confidential consultation appointment to staff and faculty to assist with problem-solving and identifying next steps. The consultation appointment is an opportunity to discuss your concerns and obtain referral information for counseling resources in the community.

As we operate within a short-term model for services, the duration of counseling generally lasts between five and fifteen sessions.

Yes, all enrolled students are fully eligible for services at the Counseling and Mental Health Center.