The Counseling Services Center offers services that aim to support the college’s mission by providing opportunities for personal, social, and educational growth. We provide free psychological and counseling support services to meet the mental health and developmental needs of students in the campus community. To help foster academic, personal, and career development in students, a wide range of personal and group counseling, outreach, training, consultation, and educational services are offered. We also support the academic goals of the college through consultation with faculty, staff, and campus organizations.
Counseling services may be provided by full or part-time doctoral or masters level staff members or by graduate externs or interns under the supervision of licensed clinicians.
The Center is a fully accredited site in good standing with the standards of the International Association of Counseling Services. All of the services are FREE of charge and are available on a walk-in or appointment basis.
All of our services are confidential. Federal and state laws prohibit the disclosure of any information you provide us during counseling sessions, unless we have your prior written consent. For example, if a family member, a professor, or anyone else should inquire about the services you receive here, we would not disclose any information without your written permission. There are a few exceptions when we may disclose information without your written permission:
- If you present as a danger to yourself or someone else
- If your records are subpoenaed
- If a minor or elder is being abused or neglected
- If you want to apply for the NYPD, FBI, CIA, or various other agencies, you will be asked to sign a release form that allows us to provide your records to these agencies as part of the application process
- If you are under the age of 17.5, your parents may access your records if they submit a written request
To make an appointment, please call 212-237-8111 or walk in to L.68.00NB. WE DO NOT MAKE APPOINTMENTS ONLINE OR VIA EMAIL. PLEASE WALK IN OR CALL US.
Services Offered:
All John Jay students may access our walk-in counseling services and the intake evaluation. No currently enrolled John Jay student will be turned away if they walk in requesting to speak with a counselor at that moment or if they request an intake evaluation. However, not all John Jay students are able to be seen regularly for individual counseling, as our center is not able to appropriately meet everyone’s treatment needs.
Intake Evaluation: You will meet with a counselor for 1-2 individual sessions to discuss your current situation and relevant history. After the meeting, the counselor will inform you of our treatment recommendations and will assist you with accessing the recommended treatment.
Walk-In Counseling: At any point when we are open, you may walk in to L.68.00NB and request to speak with a counselor. In most cases, you will be able to meet immediately for a brief counseling session to discuss whatever is currently on your mind. At the end of the walk-in session, the counselor may have treatment recommendations for you.
Individual Counseling: If your intake counselor deems it appropriate for you to be seen on site, one-on-one individual counseling may be provided by our trained clinicians.
Group Counseling: We offer a variety of counseling groups during the semester. Please contact us by walking in, calling 212-237-8111, or contacting the Associate Director Cory Head, PhD at 212-887-6239 or emailing her at chead@jjay.cuny.edu to find out if you are eligible for our groups. Some groups are open to everyone without a screening and some groups require a brief screening appointment with a counselor prior to attending.
Referral Consultation: In the event that our center does not adequately meet your treatment needs, our intake specialist, Laura Diaz, MA, will assist you with finding an appropriate treatment center in the community. Please request an appointment with Laura by calling 212-237-8111 or emailing her directly at ldiaz@jjay.cuny.edu if you are interested in a referral for treatment in the community.
Psychiatric Services: Appointments with the psychiatrist are made through your individual counselor. We offer psychiatric services for students that are seen regularly in individual counseling. Please speak with your individual counselor if you are interested in meeting with our psychiatrist. In certain cases, you may meet with a psychiatrist after completing your intake evaluation. Your intake counselor will refer you to the psychiatrist in those cases.
Outreach: If you would like a counselor to provide a brief educational presentation on our services or on various counseling topics, please contact the Associate Director, Cory Head, PhD at 212-887-6239 or via email chead@jjay.cuny.edu to discuss your request. We cannot guarantee that we have staff to meet every request, but we will work with you to meet your needs.
Consultation for Staff/Faculty: You may request to speak with our Director, Gerard Bryant, PhD, or Associate Director, Cory Head, PhD, if you have a question or concern about a student’s mental health or behavior issue. Additionally, if you are concerned about violating a student’s confidentiality, we can discuss the student without a name and maintain confidentiality. We will be able to offer you suggestions on how to best approach the student regarding your concerns. Dr. Head is reached at x 6239 or chead@jjay.cuny.edu and Dr. Bryant at x 4552 or gwbryant@jjay.cuny.edu.
Substance Use Evaluations: Our College Prevention Coordinator, Deanna Feierman, LMHC, provides free and confidential screenings that assess your risk level of having a substance use disorder. Please call her at 212-237-8180 or email her at dfeierman@jjay.cuny.edu.
Substance Use Counseling: Our College Prevention Coordinator, Deanna Feierman, LMHC, also provides free and confidential counseling for substance use problems. Please call her at 212-237-8180 or email her at dfeierman@jjay.cuny.edu.
Confidential Title IX Consultations: Women’s Center Counselor, Jessica Greenfield, is the College’s Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Advocate. Jessica provides supportive services and advocacy for students navigating the Title IX process and/or dealing with gender-based violence in their lives. If you have a question or concern regarding sexual violence, sexual harassment or discrimination, intimate partner violence, or stalking, please request a confidential meeting with Jessica. You can contact her directly at 646-557-4535 or jgreenfield@jjay.cuny.edu.
To make an appointment for any of our services, please call 212-237-8111 or walk in to L.68.00NB. WE DO NOT MAKE APPOINTMENTS ONLINE OR VIA EMAIL. PLEASE WALK IN OR CALL US.