Welcome, faculty and staff. We understand that as a faculty or staff member you are a key contributor to student success. We're glad you're interested in learning about the services at University Counseling Services (UCS), and we look forward to interacting with you.
Our professional staff are available as consultants to collaborate with you in your roles as professors, administrators, advisors and counselors. Consultation involves a collegial relationship in which the consultant deals exclusively with your work-related or student-related issues. Services are free and available to any academic department or administrative unit, as well as any staff and individual faculty members.
On this page, you’ll find more information about the types of consultations we offer faculty and staff.
Dealing with Student Psychological Concerns
Your role as a resource and helper
As a resource and a helper to students, your role is defined by your personality, values and preferences, as well as your current resources such as demands in your position, time and level of stress.
We encourage faculty and staff to find a balance between your care for students and your own self-care. At University Counseling Services (UCS), we are here to help you define that balance and provide you with resources and guidance
Recognizing students in distress
In your role as faculty or staff, you are often in a unique position to help students because you may be one of the first to notice serious changes. Students may even reveal their distress to you.
If you feel you have a student who is in distress, the following resource will be useful.
Learning that a student is experiencing distress and figuring out how you can help them may be a difficult task, but don't feel you need to handle the situation alone. There are many resources within your own department and the different student support offices to help you in this process.
If you feel the need to discuss a specific student situation or if you need additional resources, please call us at (818) 677-2366 during business hours and ask to speak with Dr. Anne Eipe (Assistant Director/Clinical Coordinator), Dr. Julie Pearce (UCS Director), or the On-Call Counselor to arrange a consultation.
Making a referral to UCS
To make an appointment with a UCS counselor, please have the student call (818) 677-2366, Option 1 to schedule an Initial Evaluation appointment. However, for more urgent needs and/or students in distress, we have On-Call Counselors available during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm). You can call UCS to consult with the On-Call Counselor about a student in distress/student of concern to discuss how to best support the student. If you decide to join the student by walking them to our office, it would be helpful to give us a call to alert the On-Call Counselor about your approximate time of arrival.
We have crisis counselors available by phone after-hours (e.g., evenings, weekends, campus holiday) to provide urgent mental health care for students and also to consult with faculty about any student of concern. Please call (818) 677-2366, Option 3, to utilize our after-hours crisis and consultation services.
Critical Incident Consultation
UCS provides consultations to students, faculty and staff in response to any critical incident or disaster that may impact the well-being of the CSUN community. We offer de-briefing and psychological-educational consultations for a variety of critical incidents, including the death of a student, faculty or staff, natural disasters, violence on campus and other traumatic events experienced or witnessed. Please call (818) 677-2366 and ask to speak with Julie Pearce (UCS Director), Dr. Anne Eipe (Assistant Director/Clinical Coordinator), or the On-Call Counselor to arrange a consultation.
Suicide Prevention Training
UCS provides QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) Suicide Prevention Training for the campus community several times per month. You will learn important information about suicide statistics and trends, suicide risk factors, warning signs, and available resources both on- and off-campus.
Employee Assistance Program Consultations
University Counseling Services (UCS) does not directly provide counseling for faculty or staff. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) through Human Resources (HR) provides mental health and wellness services to faculty and staff through their LifeMatters@CSUN program. CSUN faculty and staff have access to such services at LifeMatters@CSUN - Employee Assistance Program.
