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Mental Wellbeing, Resources for the Campuses

Mental Health Resources

A Message from

Sarah Van Orman, MD, MMM, FACHA, Vice President for Campus Health and Chief Campus Health Officer

Broderick Leaks, PhD, MHA, Associate Vice President, USC Student Health, Keck Medicine of USC; Vice Chair of College Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC

Steven Siegel, MD, PhD, Vice President for Behavioral Health; Franz Alexander Chair in Psychiatry, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC

We hope you have had a restful and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. Taking time to enjoy yourself, connect with others, and take needed breaks is important to your mental health, and supporting your overall well-being.

As an academic institution that prides itself on intellectual rigor, USC brings many opportunities for tackling challenging work; and this will sometimes also carry stressors. Occasional stress can compel us to grow and meet new challenges – but at times, we may feel overwhelmed or disappointed, or feel we are struggling with bigger difficulties than we can manage.

Connecting to the right resource is the first step in creating a more supportive campus environment. Help is always available.

USC values the health and well-being of our community members as our highest priority, and when you need help, the teams at USC are available to support you.

As we acknowledge the upcoming World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10, we are sharing some of these resources below, so our entire community can become an informed safety net for our students and each other.

For Students

Counseling and Mental Health (CMH) Services, USC Student Health: The expert clinicians in CMH have a broad range of experience specializing in college mental health. Our website can point you to apps that help you ease into new friendships (Nod app); resources to help reflect on your sense of self and your well-being (Soluna app, through the CalHOPE program), and with others, can provide a wellspring of resilience. Starting in a new college environment can be intimidating, but the right framework and tools can be really helpful. You got this!

Know what to do: The mascot dogs for wellness summarize helpful information for students in the “What Should I Do” poster; (a grad student edition is also available) with contact information to campus offices. Download the guide or pick one up from Student Health. You can also follow @TrojanHealthHub on Instagram to see the latest student health updates, tips, and resources.

Suicide Prevention Training: The QPR Method. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer and is available as a USC-tailored 60-minute training from the Dept. of Physical Education & Mind Body Health in the USC Dornsife College. Peer-to-peer trainings are available for students; and staff/faculty trainings are also available. There is no cost for these trainings.

Screening program for new students: The Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences is continuing its mental health screening program for all new incoming students, the My Mental Health Assessment, which invites cohorts of new and returning USC students to take an assessment for conditions such as depression, anxiety, substance use disorder and suicidality. This tool helps connect students who have higher acuity to clinical services that can help them. Look for the email invite in your USC inbox.

The MHART (Mental Health Assistance and Response Team), a collaborative program between public safety officers and mental health counselors, ensures that campus calls involving potential mental health concerns are handled sensitively and with care for the safest possible outcomes for students in distress.

For Faculty and Staff

USC Workwell Center is an excellent resource for faculty and staff well-being, and includes programs for managing work-life balance, coaching teams, and more.

For guidance on working with students who may be showing signs of distress, The USC Gold Folder reference sheet for faculty and staff is available for working with students who may be experiencing challenges.

Resources: Getting help

  • Students, call 213-740-9355 (WELL) 24/7. Calling Student Health will provide connection to a counselor after hours or on weekends, even when the health centers (Engemann and Eric Cohen) are closed. Immediate triage can be arranged during our open hours.
  • Text “HOME” to 741741 to connect to a trained volunteer in the Crisis Text Line.
  • Call 9-8-8 to reach the national lifeline, 24/7, anywhere in the U.S.


Always remember, help and hope are always available. Asking for help takes strength and courage, and our community is united in developing coping skills, creating resilience, and building pathways to flourishing.