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MIT resources for the care, counseling of students

MIT's care network for students ranges from orientation and information to academic advice, health care and education, counseling, support and emergency services. It is a mixture of services provided by professional counselors, administrative staff and student organizations on campus, in residences, on the telephone and on the World Wide Web.

Here is a list of many of the available resources for students and their friends in emergencies; for nights and weekends; for weekdays (including offices which provide informal advice), and on the telephone and web.

Counseling and Support Services

Office of the Dean for Student Life

  • Confidential counseling is available for all students, and for any member of the MIT community who may be worried about a student.
  • Five counseling deans deal with a wide range of undergraduate and graduate student problems, from academic problems to depression. There is also a coordinator of programs and support for women students, and an assistant to the dean who assists with personal or administrative problems.

The Dean's Office also does academic and personal counseling for undergraduate and graduate students; consultation with Institute faculty, staff, families and friends regarding a range of personal difficulties, from adjustment issues and study problems to crisis situations and chronic distress; special support to student groups such as women, students of color, students with disabilities, and gay and lesbian students (including counseling, programs and special events); advocacy for students at Committee on Academic Performance (CAP) meetings, including semester-end grades meetings; readmission of students from leaves of absence and withdrawals, both voluntary and required by the CAP; supervision of Nightline, a peer counseling hotline (617 253-8800); and granting excused absences from final exams for students who have extenuating personal circumstances.

Related Offices

Advice and Orientation

Experienced staff and faculty provide orientation information and advice to students:

  • Faculty advisers and associate advisers
  • MIT Center for Work, Family & Personal Life , telephone 617-253-1592
  • spouses&partners@mit, telephone 617-253-1614
Mental Health Services

Same Day Conferences for New Mental Health Patients

Students seeking mental health services for the first time get a 15 to 20 minute telephone conference the same day with a senior clinician at MIT's Mental Health Service, Monday through Friday, by calling 617-253-2916. The system provides quicker assessment of patient needs, decreased waiting time for initial appointments for new patients, better matching between patient and clinician, and more efficient scheduling.

Mental Health Offers 15 Therapy, Support and Discussion Groups

MIT Medical's Mental Health Service is offering 15 different therapy, support, and discussion groups, including groups for graduate students, undergraduates, members of the class of '03, gay men graduate students, women, Asian women, Black women, and Latinas. Other groups will focus on specific issues like struggling with weight, relationship and work issues, coming out, dealing with a crisis, or alcohol.

More information on group therapy, answers to frequently asked questions, and detailed information on each group is available at MIT Medical's Mental Health Service web site or by calling 617-253-2916.

The therapy, support, and discussion groups are part of the Mental Health Service's increasing emphasis on outreach to the MIT community. Nearly half the groups are new this year.

New Staff Bolster Mental Health and Outreach Services

Alan Siegel, previously director of the Division of Psychology at the Cambridge Health Alliance, was named chief of MIT Medical's mental health service, effective Sept. 1, 2002.

Siegel, a psychologist, received the A.B., Ed.M., and Ed.D. degrees from Boston University and trained as a psychoanalyst at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, where he serves on the Executive Council and the Ethics and Professional Practices Committee. His doctoral dissertation investigated depression and alienation among college freshmen and the effect of these emotional states on suicidal tendencies, academic achievement, drug use, patterns of friendship, sexual behaviors and family relationships.

Maryanne Kirkbride, M.S./M.B.A., R.N., director of public health at the Codman Square Health Center since 1994, was named clinical director for campus life, a new senior outreach position, as of August 26, 2002.

Kirkbride serves as a liaison between MIT Medical and the larger MIT community. She works closely with students, faculty and staff, and administrators from departments throughout the Institute. She also manages MIT Medical's Health Education Service.

Five other new mental health clinicians have joined the MIT Mental Health Service since September, 2002:

Alexandra Beckett, M.D., a psychiatrist with particular interest in student mental health issues, eating disorders, and international health issues, particularly in developing countries.

Danielle Webster, A.P.R.N., B.C., a psychiatric nurse practitioner who provides weekend urgent on call care and campus outreach programs for MIT's Mental Health Service. She is also a research associate in developmental biopsychiatry at McLean Hospital.

Xiaolu Hsi, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist who comes to MIT from the Cambridge Health Alliance, where she cofounded their Asian Mental Health Clinic. Hsi's clinical specialties include major mental illness, ADHD, learning disabilities, and international acculturation issues. She is bilingual in English and Mandarin.

Simon M.W. Lejeune, M.D., a psychiatrist with particular interest in young adult issues, addictions, and major mental illness.

Evelyne Lo, M.S.N., A.P.R.N-B.C., P.C., a psychiatric nurse practitioner who will provide weekend urgent on call care and campus mental health outreach programs beginning in June 2003. Lo is bilingual in English and Cantonese.

Recruiting continues for one additional full-time mental health clinician and two new health education mental health outreach staff.

Walk-in Hours in Mental Health 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday

The Mental Health Service (617-253-2916) has free urgent, brief, walk-in counseling every weekday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Regular appointments are available until 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and on Friday until 5 p.m..

Emergency Telephone Numbers
  • MIT Police: Telephone 617-253-1212 ; From Campus, dial 100
  • MIT Medical: Urgent medical and mental health care (24 hours) 617-253-1311
  • Nightline, the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. anonymous telephone line (617 253-8800) run by students since 1978.
Emergency Care, 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week
  • Emergency care, free and open to all students at MIT Medical, Building E23 (617-253-1311)
  • A comprehensive medical center on campus, including an 18-bed hospital
  • 24 hours a day staffing of urgent medical care
  • 24 hours a day, a mental health clinician is on call
  • 18-bed inpatient service
  • Network of world-renowned hospitals for emergency care and more complex care
  • MIT Campus Police, reached by dialing 100 from any campus phone
  • All MIT police are Emergency Medical Technicians
  • 24-hour campus ambulance service

Nights and Weekends:

  • A dean is on call on nights and weekends for emergencies (who may be reached through Campus Police [617-253-1212]) Dial 100 on campus.
  • MIT Medical's Mental Health Service (617-253-2916) and Internal Medicine are open for regular appointments in the evening, Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.). A mental health clinician is always on call, 24 hours a day, for urgent mental health care.
  • In a program begun in 2001, five residential life associates now live in dorms and function as student-life support professionals, connecting with students and helping housemasters with programming.
  • Housemasters and graduate resident tutors are trained to recognize mental health and other health issues and are familiar with Institute support resources. They often are the first MIT adults to know about student problems.
  • A residential-based advising program pairs freshmen with older students who help new students make the transition to college life.
  • Resident tutors in fraternities, sororities and independent living groups.
  • Nightline is the daily 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. anonymous phone line, run by student peer counselors since 1978. Student counselors receive training supervised by the Dean's Counseling and Support Services and MIT Medical's Mental Health Service.
  • Nearly 75 MedLINKS student peer advocate representatives live in campus and off-campus residences. MedLINKS is a service of MIT Medical. All MedLINKS students attend a 20 hour training program and continuing education meetings to facilitate their roles on campus.

Monday through Friday:

MIT Medical:

  • Walk-in urgent, brief counseling 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, with weekday appointments also available until 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and until 5 p.m. on Friday.
  • MIT Medical's Mental Health Service, Internal Medicine, Laboratory and Pharmacy are open in the evening (Monday through Thursday until 7 PM).
  • Specialties with evening hours to 7 p.m. include dental on Monday and Wednesday; allergy on Monday; and eye, pediatrics, dermatology, and X-ray/mammography on Tuesday.
  • Same-day appointments for urgent needs can be scheduled by phone
  • The combination of significantly expanded on-campus mental health services, free for all registered MIT students, plus extensive off-campus outpatient and inpatient psychiatric benefits in the MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan, which enrolled 70% of students in 2002-2003, provides one of the strongest student mental health benefit packages of U.S. universities.

MIT Medical's confidential Mental Health services include evaluation, consultation, brief treatment, and referral for a wide range of adjustment, psychological, and substance abuse issues. Consultation to parents is also available. The professional staff includes 25 psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and psychiatric nurse clinicians.

More Web Resources

MIT's care network for students ranges from orientation and information to academic advice, health care and education, counseling, support and emergency services. It is a mixture of services provided by professional counselors, administrative staff and student organizations on campus, in residences, on the telephone and on the World Wide Web.

Here is a list of many of the available resources for students and their friends in emergencies; for nights and weekends; for weekdays (including offices which provide informal advice), and on the telephone and web.

Counseling and Support Services

Office of the Dean for Student Life

  • Confidential counseling is available for all students, and for any member of the MIT community who may be worried about a student.
  • Five counseling deans deal with a wide range of undergraduate and graduate student problems, from academic problems to depression. There is also a coordinator of programs and support for women students, and an assistant to the dean who assists with personal or administrative problems.

The Dean's Office also does academic and personal counseling for undergraduate and graduate students; consultation with Institute faculty, staff, families and friends regarding a range of personal difficulties, from adjustment issues and study problems to crisis situations and chronic distress; special support to student groups such as women, students of color, students with disabilities, and gay and lesbian students (including counseling, programs and special events); advocacy for students at Committee on Academic Performance (CAP) meetings, including semester-end grades meetings; readmission of students from leaves of absence and withdrawals, both voluntary and required by the CAP; supervision of Nightline, a peer counseling hotline (617 253-8800); and granting excused absences from final exams for students who have extenuating personal circumstances.

Related Offices

Advice and Orientation

Experienced staff and faculty provide orientation information and advice to students:

  • Faculty advisers and associate advisers
  • MIT Center for Work, Family & Personal Life , telephone 617-253-1592
  • spouses&partners@mit, telephone 617-253-1614
Mental Health Services

Same Day Conferences for New Mental Health Patients

Students seeking mental health services for the first time get a 15 to 20 minute telephone conference the same day with a senior clinician at MIT's Mental Health Service, Monday through Friday, by calling 617-253-2916. The system provides quicker assessment of patient needs, decreased waiting time for initial appointments for new patients, better matching between patient and clinician, and more efficient scheduling.

Mental Health Offers 15 Therapy, Support and Discussion Groups

MIT Medical's Mental Health Service is offering 15 different therapy, support, and discussion groups, including groups for graduate students, undergraduates, members of the class of '03, gay men graduate students, women, Asian women, Black women, and Latinas. Other groups will focus on specific issues like struggling with weight, relationship and work issues, coming out, dealing with a crisis, or alcohol.

More information on group therapy, answers to frequently asked questions, and detailed information on each group is available at MIT Medical's Mental Health Service web site or by calling 617-253-2916.

The therapy, support, and discussion groups are part of the Mental Health Service's increasing emphasis on outreach to the MIT community. Nearly half the groups are new this year.

New Staff Bolster Mental Health and Outreach Services

Alan Siegel, previously director of the Division of Psychology at the Cambridge Health Alliance, was named chief of MIT Medical's mental health service, effective Sept. 1, 2002.

Siegel, a psychologist, received the A.B., Ed.M., and Ed.D. degrees from Boston University and trained as a psychoanalyst at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, where he serves on the Executive Council and the Ethics and Professional Practices Committee. His doctoral dissertation investigated depression and alienation among college freshmen and the effect of these emotional states on suicidal tendencies, academic achievement, drug use, patterns of friendship, sexual behaviors and family relationships.

Maryanne Kirkbride, M.S./M.B.A., R.N., director of public health at the Codman Square Health Center since 1994, was named clinical director for campus life, a new senior outreach position, as of August 26, 2002.

Kirkbride serves as a liaison between MIT Medical and the larger MIT community. She works closely with students, faculty and staff, and administrators from departments throughout the Institute. She also manages MIT Medical's Health Education Service.

Five other new mental health clinicians have joined the MIT Mental Health Service since September, 2002:

Alexandra Beckett, M.D., a psychiatrist with particular interest in student mental health issues, eating disorders, and international health issues, particularly in developing countries.

Danielle Webster, A.P.R.N., B.C., a psychiatric nurse practitioner who provides weekend urgent on call care and campus outreach programs for MIT's Mental Health Service. She is also a research associate in developmental biopsychiatry at McLean Hospital.

Xiaolu Hsi, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist who comes to MIT from the Cambridge Health Alliance, where she cofounded their Asian Mental Health Clinic. Hsi's clinical specialties include major mental illness, ADHD, learning disabilities, and international acculturation issues. She is bilingual in English and Mandarin.

Simon M.W. Lejeune, M.D., a psychiatrist with particular interest in young adult issues, addictions, and major mental illness.

Evelyne Lo, M.S.N., A.P.R.N-B.C., P.C., a psychiatric nurse practitioner who will provide weekend urgent on call care and campus mental health outreach programs beginning in June 2003. Lo is bilingual in English and Cantonese.

Recruiting continues for one additional full-time mental health clinician and two new health education mental health outreach staff.

Walk-in Hours in Mental Health 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday

The Mental Health Service (617-253-2916) has free urgent, brief, walk-in counseling every weekday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Regular appointments are available until 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and on Friday until 5 p.m..

Emergency Telephone Numbers
  • MIT Police: Telephone 617-253-1212 ; From Campus, dial 100
  • MIT Medical: Urgent medical and mental health care (24 hours) 617-253-1311
  • Nightline, the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. anonymous telephone line (617 253-8800) run by students since 1978.
Emergency Care, 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week
  • Emergency care, free and open to all students at MIT Medical, Building E23 (617-253-1311)
  • A comprehensive medical center on campus, including an 18-bed hospital
  • 24 hours a day staffing of urgent medical care
  • 24 hours a day, a mental health clinician is on call
  • 18-bed inpatient service
  • Network of world-renowned hospitals for emergency care and more complex care
  • MIT Campus Police, reached by dialing 100 from any campus phone
  • All MIT police are Emergency Medical Technicians
  • 24-hour campus ambulance service

Nights and Weekends:

  • A dean is on call on nights and weekends for emergencies (who may be reached through Campus Police [617-253-1212]) Dial 100 on campus.
  • MIT Medical's Mental Health Service (617-253-2916) and Internal Medicine are open for regular appointments in the evening, Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.). A mental health clinician is always on call, 24 hours a day, for urgent mental health care.
  • In a program begun in 2001, five residential life associates now live in dorms and function as student-life support professionals, connecting with students and helping housemasters with programming.
  • Housemasters and graduate resident tutors are trained to recognize mental health and other health issues and are familiar with Institute support resources. They often are the first MIT adults to know about student problems.
  • A residential-based advising program pairs freshmen with older students who help new students make the transition to college life.
  • Resident tutors in fraternities, sororities and independent living groups.
  • Nightline is the daily 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. anonymous phone line, run by student peer counselors since 1978. Student counselors receive training supervised by the Dean's Counseling and Support Services and MIT Medical's Mental Health Service.
  • Nearly 75 MedLINKS student peer advocate representatives live in campus and off-campus residences. MedLINKS is a service of MIT Medical. All MedLINKS students attend a 20 hour training program and continuing education meetings to facilitate their roles on campus.

Monday through Friday:

MIT Medical:

  • Walk-in urgent, brief counseling 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, with weekday appointments also available until 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and until 5 p.m. on Friday.
  • MIT Medical's Mental Health Service, Internal Medicine, Laboratory and Pharmacy are open in the evening (Monday through Thursday until 7 PM).
  • Specialties with evening hours to 7 p.m. include dental on Monday and Wednesday; allergy on Monday; and eye, pediatrics, dermatology, and X-ray/mammography on Tuesday.
  • Same-day appointments for urgent needs can be scheduled by phone
  • The combination of significantly expanded on-campus mental health services, free for all registered MIT students, plus extensive off-campus outpatient and inpatient psychiatric benefits in the MIT Student Extended Insurance Plan, which enrolled 70% of students in 2002-2003, provides one of the strongest student mental health benefit packages of U.S. universities.

MIT Medical's confidential Mental Health services include evaluation, consultation, brief treatment, and referral for a wide range of adjustment, psychological, and substance abuse issues. Consultation to parents is also available. The professional staff includes 25 psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and psychiatric nurse clinicians.

More Web Resources

Related Topics

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