University of Texas at Austin

International Office

UT Family and Community Programs

Mental Health Care

If you are not feeling well emotionally or if you have problems in your relationship, you may need help from a doctor, a psychologist or a counselor. Students may turn to University Health Services or the Counseling and Mental Health Center. Spouses are not allowed to use these services. But if you as a student have some problems in your relationship, both you and your spouse are welcome.

If you want to turn to a hospital outside the university, look up preferred provider (PPO) in your insurance information or call your hospital for a referral. Also check into what your insurance covers (you probably did that before you got your insurance, but check it again just to make sure what treatment your insurance covers).

If you don't know where to turn, you can call Hotline at (512) 472-4357. It is a 24-hour crisis, information and referral service. You can call Hotline any time to get information about human services in Travis County. You can call Hotline day or night for counseling on any subject. And you can call 24 hours a day just for someone to listen. Hotline is administered by Austin Travis County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center. Hotline does suicide prevention, 24-hour confidential crisis counseling, a Survivors of Suicide support group, computerized information and referral, linkage to emergency mental health services, teletype service for the hearing impaired and community education presentations on suicide and prevention.

Austin Child Guidance Center is a non-profit outpatient mental health agency that serves children and youth, infancy -17 years, who are experiencing emotional or behavioral problems. The staff consists of professionals with advanced degrees and licensure in psychiatry, psychology, social work and counseling. Their phone number is (512) 451-2242.

Sunrise Center provides free or low cost, culturally-sensitive, language-appropriate mental health services to the refugee, asylee, and immigrant communities of Austin. They offer individual psychotherapy and psycho-educational group therapy to assist in adapting to American culture. Their phone number is (512) 465-9535 (office hours Monday to Friday, 9 am - 5 pm). Visit their web-site at www.geocities.com/sunrisecenteraustin.

First Call for Help's Community Resource Database, www.irissoft.com/fcfh, lets you search on a specific subject on your own. They have information about many different subjects, such as health care, child care and insurance.


Campus Resources

UT Counseling & Mental Health Center
www.utexas.edu/student/cmhc
Fifth Floor, Student Services Building
Appointments: 471-3515
Telephone Counseling: 471-2255
VAV: counseling, advocacy, outreach and peer education for issues of sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking: 471-3515

University Health Services
www.utexas.edu/student/health/index
Student Services Building
Medical care, appointments: 471-4955 (for students)
Nurse Advice Line: 475-NURSE (for students)
Anonymous HIV Testing: 708-3522
Health Promotion Resource Center: 475-8252

UT Police Department
Available 24 hours, call 471-4441

Student Judicial Services
Appointments 471-2841
To file a complaint against another student – may be done whether or not criminal charges are filed.

Domestic Violence Clinic
UT Law School 232-1358
Legal assistance for low-income victims of domestic violence

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
www.utexas.edu/hr/eap
471-3366

UT’s Voices Against Violence Project
Counseling Services for women and men in a safe and supportive environment
Advocacy Services: assistance navigating the various legal, medical and academic services, with appropriate referrals when needed
Support Groups for survivors of relationship violence and sexual assault
Outreach and Peer education
For further information or to request assistance, call 471-3515

Men Against Sexual Assault
www.utexas.edu/students/utmasa
Student organization dedicated to raising men’s awareness of sexual assault issues

Community Resources

Austin Police Department
Available 24 hours, call 911
Victim Services: Sexual assault, relationship violence & stalking: 974-5037
Travis County Sheriff’s Office
473-9709

Certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner
On call 24 hours at St. David’s Hospital, 919 E. 32nd Street, 397-4240

SafePlace
www.austin-safeplace.org
Crisis counseling and intervention, information, support and counseling
Sexual assault & relationship violence hotline
267-SAFE

Karaama
An organization for Muslim women in domestic violence situations. Has volunteers who speak a diverse group of languages.
577-SAFE

Waterloo Counseling Center
Gay, lesbian, bisexual counseling available
Sliding fee scale
Transgender and HIV therapy groups
1524 S IH-35, Suite 218
444-9922

Saheli
www.main.org/saheli-austin.org/
Support group for Asian women in abusive relationships
24-hour help line 703-8745

National Web-based Resources

UC Davis Campus Violence Prevention
www.voicesnotvictims.org

National Sexual Assault Hotline
www.rainn.org

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
www.ncadv.org/index.htm

Helpful Hotlines

Moving to another country can be a stressful situation. And if you had some kind of problems before you came here, they will come with you. But don’t give up. Even if it feels as if you don’t know what to do or where to turn, there’s always someone there to help you. Never hesitate to contact the Family and Community Programs office. Call, send an email or come and visit us at the office.