Ongoing time-limited individual therapy will be provided both in person or via telehealth. Schedule an appointment for free, professional, confidential counseling to:

• Get relief from stress, anxiety, and/or depressed moods
• Develop greater self-esteem and a more positive outlook
• Explore the various facets of your identity (including sexual identity concerns)
• Improve the quality of your friendships and relationships
• Relate better to your family
• Improve your academic functioning
• Clarify your career interests/strengths
• Reduce your use of alcohol or drugs
• Cultivate a healthy relationship to eating
• Improve the balance in your moods
• Work through issues of sexual abuse/assault
• Understand self-defeating or self-destructive behaviors

To meet with a counselor for therapy sessions on a regular basis, you will first need to schedule a triage appointment. A triage is the initial appointment within Counseling Services and they are conducted via telehealth. Once you schedule your triage appointment, you will be sent a link to complete paperwork for your visit and a separate link to meet with a counselor remotely by video. The appointment is scheduled for 30 minutes and will be an opportunity to discuss your reason for seeking services. The Monday following your appointment, you will be contacted by our staff to discuss next steps for treatment.

If you wish to schedule an initial triage, please call the office at 201-684-7522.

Crisis Intervention:

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency during business hours (M-F 8:30-4:30), please come to D-216 or call our main line at 201-684-7522 to be connected with our emergency on-call therapist. Please be sure to inform the receptionist about the nature of the emergency. We will do everything possible to respond promptly and/or involve other resources as needed.

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency after the office has closed (nights or weekends), simply call the main line at 201-684-7522 and follow the prompt (“Press 2”) for immediate assistance.

Alternatively, you may call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Hotline, call 911, or go to your local emergency department.

Crisis Hotlines:

• • The Suicide & Crisis Hotline: Call or text “988” to be connected with an emergency counselor
    • https://988lifeline.org/
    • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
  • Crisis Textline – Text START to 741-741
  • NJ Hopeline 1-855-654-6735
  • 2^ndFloor support line for NJ residents age 10-24 1-888-222-2228
  • LGBTQ Trevor Lifeline 866-488-7386 – thetrevorproject.org
  • Sexual Assault Hotline – 800-656-HOPE (4673) – rainn.org

Drop-ins are brief, confidential meetings with one of our counselors to discuss a specific concern. You do not need to schedule an appointment and students are seen on a first-come, first-served basis. Drop-ins are a more informal way of meeting with a counselor without looking to commit to weekly counseling appointments or formally beginning therapy.

• Monday-Friday, 1-3 PM* in D-216
• Location: In person or via telehealth – please call 201-684-7522 during drop-in hours
• No appointment necessary. Students are seen on a first-come, first-served basis for free, confidential brief consultations.**
• Open to all current Ramapo College students
• Examples of reasons to come to drop-in hours:
  • You have a brief problem to discuss and just want to speak to a counselor once.
  • You are not sure if you want to start ongoing therapy.
  • You have a specific problem and would like to talk it through with someone.
  • You are looking for another perspective on something you are going through.

*Last meeting begins at 2:40 PM.

**Even though you will be meeting with a professional counselor, drop-ins do not constitute formal mental health counseling.

For more information, please call us at 201-684-7522.

Short-term medication management with our staff psychiatrist, Dr. Bhatia, is available for students who are being seen by one of our counselors in ongoing individual therapy. Please schedule an intake appointment or speak to your therapist if you are interested in meeting with Dr. Bhatia.

Along with campus-wide prevention programming, Counseling Services offers Substance Use Disorder (SUD) assessment and treatment services for students. Please call 201-684-7522 for more information.

For information surrounding the Roadrunner Collegiate Recovery Program, including recovery housing, please click here.

If you or someone you know is in imminent danger, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911.

• Near Ramapo College, go to Bergen New Bridge Medical Center (Paramus).

Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT)

• For non-life threatening concerns about a student, consider submitting a referral to Ramapo’s Behavioral Intervention Team. The Team is a central network of campus professionals focused on caring prevention and early intervention for students experiencing serious distress or engaging in harmful or disruptive behaviors.

Suicide Prevention Training

• Ramapo College offers various training for students, faculty, and staff in suicide prevention and crisis response. Please visit this webpage to learn more.