The UA College of Medicine-Phoenix Medical Student Mental Health Services (MSMHS) provide free, professional, and confidential counseling specifically tailored to address the mental health and wellness relevant to medical student life. Services are designed to foster the academic potential of students by enhancing their personal development as well as their psychosocial and emotional health. Services are currently being offered through HIPAA compliant virtual platform. In-person services will be offered when the campus reopens.
Students may seek therapy for a wide array of concerns. Individual counseling services address:
- Depression – Providing support and promoting healing through hopelessness, low motivation and energy, sadness, irritability, sleep disturbance, and loss of interest and pleasure in life.
- Anxiety – Coping with excessive worry, nervousness, or stress; intense discomfort in social settings (social anxiety); sudden and intense feelings of panic (panic disorder).
- Personal and Professional Identity development – Understanding, accepting, and strengthening one’s sense of self through the exploration of family, work, and personal and professional values; Exploring topics of racial, cultural, and ethnic background as it relates to one’s family origins and personal identity.
- Self-esteem – Cultivating self-compassion, assertiveness, and confidence; developing ways to reduce suffering, anxiety, social withdrawal, and self-neglect.
- Stress management – Strengthening effective ways of coping with the stress of life and change; managing expectations of self and others.
- Emotion regulation –Learning how to identify, express, and manage feelings in safe, in-control ways.
- Interpersonal difficulties – Developing ways to maintain healthy relationships whether it be with family members, friends, romantic partners, peers, instructors.
- Trauma – Coping and healing after threatening or scary events, such as witnessing death, accidents or experiencing sexual, verbal, emotional, or physical abuse.
- Career concerns – Learning to utilize and highlight strengths, effective and practical stress-management, focusing on fulfillment, utilizing communication skills, and enhancing efficiency to reduce burnout.
- Life transitions – Coping with stressful life changes, such as moving to a new area, relationship transitions, child rearing; learning self-care to better manage resulting stress.
- Academic issues – Adjusting to medical school; managing developmental and emotional challenges in school; balancing schoolwork and personal life.
- Requesting an Appointment: Enrolled medical students and Pathway Scholar students who are interested in mental health services are recommended to request an appointment by filling out the the request form. Every effort will be made to meet with a student as soon as possible.
If it is a medical emergency and/or there is a life-threatening situation, call 911.
Additional local resources:
Maricopa Crisis Line: (602) 222-9444
Maricopa Warm Line: (602) 347-1100
Contact Information:
Dr. Donna Johnson, Ph.D.
Office: HSEB A-347
Email: djohnsonphd@arizona.edu
* Available to all COM-P and Pathway students (Free)
Learn more about additional Counseling Resources and Student Services