On May 22, all University Counseling Service (UCS) operations will be centralized in its primary location in the Westlawn Building on Newton Road. The location at University Capitol Center (UCC) will close May 19. This move allows therapists and staff to more efficiently provide individual therapy, group therapy, and outreach programming, while also providing a central hub for the UCS training and internship program.

“The ability of our clinical and clerical staff to be in one primary location allows our staff to be more efficient and collaborative in continuing to provide high quality care for our students,” said Michael Fletcher, director of UCS. “Streamlining administrative and clinical services will allow us to more readily and efficiently respond to requests.”

The location in UCC opened in Sept. 2017. During the COVID-19 pandemic, individual and group therapy moved online and many students are now accustomed to and benefit from that mode of therapy.

In addition to its Westlawn location, UCS will continue to offer embedded therapists who work within a community and have specialized knowledge about the community being served. Embedded therapists are available in the College of Dentistry, College of Law, Tippie College of Business, and University Housing and Dining.

UCS services will continue to be centralized at Westlawn until the first phase of remodeling at the Iowa Memorial Union is complete in 2025. 

Planned renovations to the IMU will add a new Well-Being and Mental Health Center, bringing together clinical health services, mental health counseling, wellness programs, and student care resources, such as the food pantry and case management for students experiencing emergencies, in one place. 

Providing a central location for students to access support services helps the university achieve its Strategic Plan 2022-2027 goal of embedding  well-being and mental health into all aspects of campus culture to better support students, faculty, and staff.