The short answer: Confirm both price and session allowance before booking because the official page says low cost without giving a counseling fee table.¹
Start with Student Health and Well-being Center
Book it: Call or email the center to arrange a private in-person or Zoom visit. The current phone number is 661-395-4336. Open the official service page →¹
Who can use it: All enrolled Bakersfield College students, including students using the virtual service. What it costs: The center describes mental-health support as low cost but does not publish one counseling copay on its main page.¹
The limit that matters
No fixed current session allowance is published on the main center page. This is the fact to confirm again at intake, because staffing and campus rules can change during the academic year.¹
If you need help today
Call the center during open hours; use emergency services for immediate danger. After hours: Use 988. Bakersfield College’s Uwill partnership is not an after-hours therapy route — the college describes it as free 24/7 access to a physician for non-emergency medical needs, plus self-guided sessions such as yoga, meditation and mindfulness; it does not publish counselling through Uwill.²
Medication and longer-term therapy
Psychiatry: No routine campus psychiatry benefit is published. When campus care is too short: The center refers students to external care when campus appointments are insufficient. Uwill covers physician access and self-guided sessions rather than therapy.²
If you use a parent’s insurance, billing paperwork can disclose that care was used. Read the student privacy and EOB route →. If money is the obstacle, compare Medi-Cal →, sliding-scale care →, and California-wide telehealth →.
Choose the right Bakersfield College door
| What you need | Start here | What to say or ask |
|---|---|---|
| Help today | Call the center during open hours; use emergency services for immediate danger. | “I need urgent support today.” If you may be in immediate danger, call 911. |
| A first counseling visit | Call or email the center to arrange a private in-person or Zoom visit. | Ask whether intake counts toward the session allowance and when the first clinical visit can happen. |
| Evening or weekend support | Use 988. Uwill is physician access and self-guided sessions, not counselling. | Ask whether this is crisis-only, one-time support or a route that can schedule recurring care. |
| Medication | No routine campus psychiatry benefit is published. | Ask whether a referral is required, what a visit costs and who handles refills between terms. |
| Weekly, specialized or longer-term therapy | The center refers students to external care when campus appointments are insufficient. | Say what matters: specialty, identity, location, telehealth, language, insurance and maximum price. |
Before you spend money outside campus
Campus counseling and outside insurance are separate. Before booking an outside therapist, ask:
- Is this clinician in-network for my exact plan—not just the insurance company?
- What will I owe before and after my deductible?
- Does the plan require a campus referral or prior authorization?
- If the clinician is out-of-network, will they provide a superbill and where do I submit it?
If you use a parent’s plan, ask the insurer how to request confidential communications before the first claim. An explanation of benefits can otherwise show that care was used.
What to ask in the first appointment
- What is my individual-session limit this term or year, and does intake count?
- If I need weekly or specialized care, who starts the outside referral?
- Is psychiatry separate, and does it require a campus or insurance referral?
- What can I use while I am waiting: a group, same-day consultation, or virtual care?
- Will any charge or insurance explanation be sent to someone else?
Verification record
Every campus-specific statement above was read on an official Bakersfield College page. Core access facts are due for re-check by 2026-11-22. A missing number is reported as “not published,” never filled from an old catalog or another campus.
Sources
- Bakersfield College — Student Health and Wellness Center, read 2026-08-24.
- Bakersfield College — Uwill Health Services, read 2026-08-24.