Let's Talk | Student Health and Wellness

What is it?

The Let's Talk: Mental Health Office Hours program provides informal, confidential consultation with therapists from SHaW. The service is free of charge and offered on a first come, first served basis. More info like dates, time and location can be found here.

Clinicians provide support, coaching, and connect students to other campus resources as needed. Although therapists provide this service, it is not a substitute for formal counseling. The Let's Talk: Mental Health Office Hours program is also not suited to treat mental health emergencies; students who are experiencing a mental health crisis should see Crisis Support or Immediate Support Resources.

Who is it for?

Students who may benefit from attending a Let's Talk: Mental Health Office Hours session include:

Students who want help connecting to resources but are unsure where to begin
Students who are looking for advice on a non-clinical issue
Students who are unsure about therapy and are curious about what it is like to talk to a therapist
Students who may have concerns about the mental health of a friend and seek advice on how to support their friend
- If a student is not an imminent risk, and is refusing your support in contacting our office, you may also consider contacting the UConn Student CARE Team.

How is this program beneficial?

Let's Talk: Mental Health Office Hours creates space for students to seek immediate support for non-crisis concerns. By doing so, we support students in need before they reach the level of crisis. Furthermore, Let's Talk contributes to our social justice mission by reducing barriers to mental health services for student populations who are less likely to seek formal mental health treatment.

*The Let's Talk & Consultation service is inspired by Cornell University’s Let’s Talk program.

This service is open to all UConn undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Let's Talk is the best fit for the following people:

Students who have never been in counseling before, are not sure if it is right for them and wonder what it's like to talk with a clinician.
Students who are not interested in ongoing counseling but would like the perspective of a clinician.
Students who have a specific problem and would like to talk it through with someone.
Students who are interested in learning more about what campus resources are available to them and how to access them.

Although Let's Talk clinicians are professionals, Let's Talk is not a substitute for psychotherapy or formal counseling and does not constitute mental health treatment. Let's Talk clinicians provide these consultations to help students with specific problems and to introduce them to what it's like to speak with a therapist. Your Let's Talk clinician can help you determine whether formal therapy at SHaW would be useful for you and, if appropriate, assist you in scheduling an appointment.

Conversations with Let's Talk clinicians are confidential, with a few very rare exceptions. Clinicians may need to share information in an emergency when there is an immediate threat of harm to self or others. Clinicians are required by law to report when a minor, elderly person, or someone otherwise incapacitated and unable to act on their own behalf is being abused. Let's Talk clinicians keep brief written notes of their contacts with students, and in the event that there is an emergency, or a student is referred to SHaW, other staff may see that a student spoke with a Let’s Talk counselor.

Finally, these notes can be released in the unlikely event of a court order. Let's Talk visits are never noted on a student's official university record. We don't want anything to be a barrier to students accessing help. If you have further questions about confidentiality, we encourage you to discuss them with a Let's Talk counselor.

The Let’s Talk program at UConn is based in part of the Let’s Talk program at Cornell University. With permission, some of the material from this webpage has been duplicated from the Cornell Let’s Talk website.