Mental Health
On Campus
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) uses a short-term care model for individual counseling and psychiatry. CAPS providers work with each student to create a personalized care plan specific to their needs and can make recommendations or referrals for ongoing care in the community as needed. CAPS is also able to provide letters of support for gender affirming care or legal processes. Depending on student interest, CAPS will sometimes host Queer Experiences Group and/or a Trans and Gender Expansive Experiences Group depending on student interest and staff capacity. Learn more about current CAPS groups here.
Local Counselors and Therapists
Finding long-term affirming mental health is important! Students are encouraged to visit CAPS to help find a local long-term mental health care provider, since CAPS maintains relationships with Evanston and Chicago-based providers while also able to consider your financial/insurance situation in identifying a provider. If you are interested in finding one on your own there are some national databases and local groups you might want to consider! We always suggestion asking your network, as personal referrals are often more insightful than national databases.
Phycology Today provides a database of mental health providers and groups based on region and speciality.
Howard Brown Health provides psychiatry (A psychiatrist diagnoses your condition and prescribes medications and other treatments to assist with mental wellness), therapy/counseling, or therapy groups.
Center on Halsted's Behavioral Health Department is now able to schedule initial screening appointments for new clients for all modalities of care (individual, relationship/family, group, and letters of support) via telehealth and some in-person.
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network is a healing justice organization that works to transform mental health for queer and trans people of color. Launched in May 2016, the network provides a space for queer and trans people of color committed to improving mental health for our communities.
Pride Counseling provides virtual support with mental health issues, your identity, or just need someone to talk to, we believe help should be accessible to everyone. Individuals in the LGBTQ community suffer from mental health issues at a disproportionately high rate, and we wanted to help. By providing online therapy to the LGBTQ community, we make help accessible and accepting of everyone. We provide a platform for people to get the help they need affordably and conveniently. Message your therapist whenever an issue arises. Schedule sessions that work with your schedule.
Suicide Help Lines
Trans Lifeline's Hotline is a peer support service run by trans people, for trans and questioning callers. Operators are located all over the U.S. and Canada, and are all trans-identified. If you are in crisis or just need someone to talk to, even if it's just about whether or not you're trans, please call. We will do our best to support you and provide you with resources. We believe that some of the best support that a trans person in crisis can have is a fellow member of our community with shared lived experience. The hotline is open 24/7! We have operators guaranteed to be on call 8:00 am-2:00 am. Operators are also frequently available during off-hours, so please call whenever you need to! Trans Lifeline is a Contact USA-accredited hotline.
The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people. We provide LGBTQ youth with 24/7 crisis counseling via phone, text, and chat.
Employee Resource
Northwestern's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to faculty, staff, and household members. The NU EAP provides 24/7/365 free and confidential access to a variety of mental health and well-being services and resources, including short-term counseling. Learn more.