• Mental Health Resources
• Physical Health and Medical Resources
• Self Care and Wellness
• Alcohol and Other Drugs
• Safety

Mental Health Resources

UVA Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

Located within the Department of Student Health and Wellness, CAPS is the University’s primary student counseling clinic and provides group and brief individual therapy, psychiatric services, care management, and emergency and crisis services.  CAPS also hosts SilverCloud, a tailored online program that uses cognitive behavioral approaches to address stress, anxiety, depression, sleep, and well-being. CAPS is open Mon-Fri 8-5 (4:30 during winter break and summer). CAPS is located at Student Health and Wellness, 550 Brandon Ave., 4^th floor.  The main number for CAPS is 434-243-5150.  Parking garage for Student Health and Wellness is accessed from Monroe Street. Services during term time are funded through your student fees.  There is no additional cost to meetings with Student Health professionals during the academic year.  

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and the Law School - SL135C

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is the University of Virginia's primary student counseling clinic (CAPS link). Its mission is to be responsive to the mental health needs of UVA students and to foster their success and growth as students and people while also providing consultation, education, outreach and crisis management to the broader UVA community.

Dr. Kate Gibson is a psychologist with UVA’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).  She is located at the school of law and focuses exclusively on the mental health and wellness of law school students.  Dr. Gibson, a licensed psychologist, has been at CAPS since 2006 and at the law school since 2015.  She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and is a licensed attorney who practiced for 8 years at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now Wilmer Hale) before becoming a psychologist. More Information About Services and Hours

Among the services, Dr. Gibson provides are:

• Consultation for students and faculty and staff (for concerns about students)
• Assessment
• Brief individual therapy
• Outreach activities such as presentations, guest talks in class, or meeting with your organization
• Referrals

Hours:  Dr. Gibson’s hours are 8-5 M-Fri.

Location:  Dr. Gibson’s office is SL 135c and is accessed through the waiting room at SL 135d.  Her office is located in the Karsh Student Services Center around the corner from the Admissions Office and across the hall from the Graduate Studies Office.

Cost:  In person visits with Dr. Gibson (and other professionals of UVA Student Health) are funded through your student fees.  There is no additional cost to meet with Dr. Gibson or her Student Health colleagues during the academic year.

Title IX:  Dr. Gibson is a Confidential Employee under UVA’s Title IX policy.  This means students may individually consult with Dr. Gibson on issues related to incidents of gender or sexual-based violence while leaving the choice on reporting to the University to the individual.

How to Make an Appointment

Students who are interested with meeting with Dr. Gibson can make an initial appointment online, by calling the CAPS main number 434-243-5150 and identifying yourself as a law student, or by emailing Dr. Gibson directly kg9n@virginia.edu.  A first meeting will be by phone and take approximately 45 minutes.  During the meeting you will have the chance to review your concerns and plan appropriate next steps with her.  

Law students may also choose to meet with a different CAPS therapist and can start this process by calling the CAPS main number 434-243-5150.

Community Connection and Outreach

Dr. Gibson enjoys meeting with student groups, faculty and staff.  She is available for presentations or discussions on mental health issues.  Dr. Gibson is interested in hearing about students’ experiences at the law school and thoughts about improving mental health services and mental health programming.  You can also contact her if you would like to arrange for mental health presentations or programming for your organization or class by emailing kg9n@virginia.edu.

Immediate Mental Health Support:

• TalkNow: a free 24/7 service available to UVA students through the TimelyCare app.  Students can connect with a mental health professional any time of day, either by phone or video call.
• CAPS Walk-in hours:  Students can walk in to CAPS (4^th floor, 550 Brandon Ave.) and speak to the on-call clinician, Mon - Fri 8-4:30.
• CAPS On Call:  Students can call the main CAPS number (434-243-5150) and ask to speak with an on-call clinician 24/7.
• ​Emergency situations:  In an emergency or life-threatening situation, you should call 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency room (often UVA Hospital).

Trauma and Classroom Context

Things that reference a traumatic event, such as classroom material, may evoke difficult, sometimes strong, individual reactions. Distressing memories or reactions may cause people to feel as if they are reliving the event, or to become more concerned that the event might occur again. Regardless of whether anyone witnessed violence personally, or heard about it through media or other sources, it is possible to feel reactions if material evokes the trauma. This can occur regardless of how long ago the trauma occurred. This resource can provide you with more information about these reactions and suggestions for coping with them.

Dave Nee Foundation: LawLifeLine

Anonymous, confidential online resource for law students that provides general information regarding mental health issues as well as specific resources and services available to students in their communities.

Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center

The Women’s Center provides counseling to students and other men and women in the Charlottesville community, as well as a range of other community and leadership development services. Counselors work with a range of issues and the Women’s Center has a particular focus on issues of interpersonal violence. In addition to counselors, the Women’s Center has two confidential advocates with whom students can consult about on issues related to incidents of sexual or gender-based violence while leaving the choice on reporting to the University to the individual.

Sheila C. Johnson Center for Human Services at the Curry School of Education

The Sheila Johnson Center provides counseling for students and other women and men in the Charlottesville community as well as assessment services. Counseling is provided by supervised clinical and school psychology doctoral graduate students in the Curry School. The Sheila Johnson Center is a smaller center; the number of therapy clients is limited by the availability of graduate student therapists.

Mary D. Ainsworth Clinic at the UVA Department of Psychology

The Ainsworth Clinic provides brief and long-term therapy for University students, as well as adults and children from the Charlottesville community. Therapy is provided by clinical faculty members and supervised graduate student therapists. The Ainsworth Clinic is a smaller center; the number of therapy clients is limited by the availability of faculty and graduate student therapists.

UVA Helpline

(434) 295-TALK (8255)

Helpline is a student-run and student-operated anonymous, confidential telephone service serving the students of the University of Virginia. The helpline is staffed by UVA student volunteers and operates 24/7 during term time until finals. Volunteers are available to discuss any issues the caller may be dealing with and to provide referrals to other resources as appropriate.
 

Physical Health and Medical Resources

UVA Student Health

UVA's Student Health and Wellness is a fully accredited health care and wellness facility that provides students with high-quality, confidential health care. There are four units in Student Health and Wellness: Medical Services, CAPS, Student Disability Access Center (SDAC) and Health Promotion.  The services at the Student Health Center are available to all registered students who have paid the comprehensive fee regardless of insurance coverage, and professional visits with a care provider have been pre-paid through the payment of this comprehensive fee. Student Health and Wellness is located at 550 Brandon Ave. and parking is available. 

Health Insurance

Other Hospitals, Clinics and Outpatient Services

Resources for Pregnancy, Birth and Infancy
 

Self-Care and Wellness

Living in Charlottesville

Athletic/Recreational Facility Schedule

LGBTQ Student Services

Office of African-American Affairs

UVA Athletics Tickets

UVA Student Life Site

Free UVA Arts Tickets

All full-time enrolled, degree-seeking UVA students can reserve one complimentary ticket for every performance of each eligible event. This includes undergraduate students in any school and graduate students in any school, including Medical, Law and Darden students; and all students enrolled in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Student tickets are not transferable, and can only be used by UVA students.

Wahoo Well

Contemplative Sciences Center (CSC)

Contemplative Sciences Center focuses education and programs to facilitate human flourishing. Programs and resources include mindfulness and flourishing apps (Insight Timer, Flourish@UVA), meditation, yoga, tai chi.  

Alcohol and Other Drugs

Wahoo Well consists of a confidential well-being survey and two confidential follow up one on one meetings. In your meeting you will be provided an opportunity to be heard, encouraged, and validated in a way that motivates you to accomplish personally meaningful goals. 

Wahoo Well

Wahoo Well provides extensive resources for students concerned with their use of substances.

Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program

The Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program (VJLAP) is an independent non-profit organization providing 100% confidential, free, and non-disciplinary support to Virginia’s law students, bar applicants, and other legal professionals relating to mental health and substance use concerns (e.g., from stress to addiction).

VJLAP provides individual and group supportive counseling, connects individuals to services and volunteer mentors, and monitors individuals for third-party character references for disciplinary, court, bar, and bar examiner hearings.

VJLAP provides guidance and may monitor those concerned about needing advocacy of accountability following conduct or behaviors that could all into question the ability to practice law in an ethical, competent, and professional matter. No information will ever be shared to a third-party without written consent by the subject.

Contact information:

• Website: vjlap.org

• Main Office: 24/7 HelpLine- 877.545.4682; email- info@vjlap.org

• UVA Contact Person: Janet Van Cuyk (UVA ’04)- 804.405.1609; jvancuyk@vjlap.org

Safety

Law School's Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness Resources

UVA Title IX Resources

Report a Bias Incident

Report Hazing

Report an Incident of Sexual and Gender Based Violence

Not On Our Grounds: A University of Virginia Initiative to End Sexual Violence

UVA Police Department

Officer Ben Rexrode of the UVA Police Department can provide assistance in creating personal safety plans for survivors of violence or stalking. He can be contacted at br7u@virginia.edu.