Behavioral Health Services
The Student Health Center provides confidential mental health evaluation to determine whether or not medications may be helpful and to discuss how to combine them with therapy and other self-care strategies.
We work closely with the Counseling and Wellness Center, where students can access counseling, group therapy, and workshops on a variety of mental health topics.
When to Seek Help
There is no wrong reason to make an appointment. Students face a wide variety of issues that cause distress and interfere with academic success. Our team will work closely with you to evaluate your mental health needs and determine a course of treatment that may include the use of psychiatric medications.
Common Concerns We Addresss
Common concerns we address include:
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Drug and alcohol abuse
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal affective disorder
- Other mental health concerns
Appointments
If you are interested in an appointment with a provider to explore psychiatric medications, the first step is a phone appointment with a triage nurse to discuss your concerns and treatment options.
To schedule a phone appointment with a triage nurse, call the Student Health Center at 360-650-3400. Please alert the patient services representative if you have an urgent concern.
Fees
Behavioral health services are available to any Western student who has paid the quarterly Health Services Fee. Undergraduate students enrolled in six or more in-person credits per quarter are automatically assessed this quarterly fee. Graduate students or undergraduate students taking 1-5 in-person credits can choose to pay the Health Services Fee each quarter to access services. To pay the Health Services Fee, call or email the Student Health Center.
Crisis Support
Mental health support is available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, throughout the year to current Western students by calling the Counseling and Wellness Center at 360-650-3164, or walking in to either the Counseling and Wellness Center or Student Health Center during business hours.
If the situation is more urgent, call 911 or go to the Emergency Room at St. Joseph's Hospital.
Consultation and Outreach
Members of the Student Health Center staff are available to consult with students, faculty and staff on behavioral health issues. Staff members may also give presentations to campus organizations and groups on a variety of behavioral health topics as time allows. For further information call 360-650-3400.
Emotional Support Animals
An emotional support animal is a person’s pet that has been specifically prescribed as part of a treatment plan for a diagnosed disability by a licensed therapist, psychologist, or medical provider. An animal as part of the treatment plan is to bring comfort and minimize the negative symptoms of the person’s emotional/psychological disability – in other words, the presence of the animal serves to reduce functional limitations caused by the person’s diagnosis and disability that are not being addressed by therapy and/or medication. It is rare that an emotional support animal is prescribed as the only treatment for a mental health disability.
Learn more about emotional support animals at WWU.
Related Services
The Student Health Center works closely with other campus programs to support students.
- Academic Advising and Student Achievement Center (AASAC)
- Counseling and Wellness Center
- Disability Access Center
- Substance Abuse Prevention (a service of the Counseling and Wellness Center)
- Survivor Advocacy Services (a service of the Counseling and Wellness Center)