Schedule a Phone Screening

The first step to start counseling is to schedule a phone screening. If you need urgent assistance, please call us at 614-292-5766.

Students must schedule their own phone screening appointments. Services are only available for currently enrolled Ohio State students. If you are not currently enrolled or are a recent graduate, please see our community provider database. If you are an adult dependent under Ohio State Comprehensive Student Health Services and seeking services, please call us at 614-292-5766 during business hours to schedule a phone screening.

Counseling is a confidential service. There are limits to confidentiality when we are concerned about the imminent safety of an individual or in the cases of reported child endangerment/abuse. 

If you are a faculty/staff member, please call 1-800-678-6265 for the Ohio State Employee Assistance Program. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What happens when we call you for your phone screening?
   The phone screening is comprehensive in nature and covers numerous areas related to your overall wellbeing. You will talk with a counselor over the phone for about 10-15 minutes. The counselor will ask you for information about you and your concerns. The questions may be of a sensitive nature. It’s important for you to share as much as you can so we can provide you with clinical recommendations tailored to your needs.
   
   If you are referred for individual counseling with a CCS counselor, you may or not be matched with the counselor you spoke with over the phone. Within your first couple of sessions, you and your counselor will determine the type and amount of counseling that will best assist you.
   
   Please be aware that our number often appears as private or unavailable, and thus may be blocked by your cell phone carrier. The clinician who returns your call will need to ask you several questions of a confidential nature so you may not wish to answer in public.
   
   
2. What if I am returning for services?
   If you are returning to CCS for services, you should let the front desk staff know this when you call to schedule services. They will find your previous information so that it is available to the counselor when you return. If you have attended an appointment with a counselor at CCS within the past 3 months, you do not need to go through the triage phone screening process again. Instead, you may request your previous therapist or request to see another therapist. Either way, an ongoing therapy session can be scheduled through the front desk. 
   
   
3. If you have not attended an appointment with a counselor at CCS within the past 3 months, you will be required to go through the triage phone screening process. 
   During the triage call, you may request to see your previous therapist or someone new for ongoing sessions. Assignments cannot be guaranteed.
   
   
4. If there are no appointments available, please review these options and contact our main line during the next business day if you would like to schedule a phone screening.  Our Mental Health Support Options and On-Demand services, such as our Let's Talk consultations, are available for student use. 
5. Can I have a clinician call me back in the evening if I work all day?
   Triage hours are from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. We do have office hours in the evening, but the triage phone screening appointment, which will last 10-15 minutes, will need to be scheduled during regular business hours.