The short answer: Three individual sessions per semester makes planning concrete: use session one to decide whether the remaining two are enough, and start the outside referral immediately if they are not.¹

Start with Student Health and Counseling Services

Book it: Use MyPioneerHealth, call 510-885-3735 or visit the SHCS front desk. The current phone number is 510-885-3735. Open the official service page →¹

Who can use it: Currently registered students; some Open University and Extended Education students can pay the health fee for eligibility. What it costs: Basic counseling is included in the student health fee.¹

The limit that matters

Starting fall 2026: three individual sessions per semester. Group and crisis sessions remain unlimited. 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

Same-day crisis appointments are available; call rather than booking online for urgent symptoms. After hours: Call 510-885-3735, option 2, for after-hours and weekend counseling.²

In crisis? Call or text 988 — free, 24/7.

Medication and longer-term therapy

Psychiatry: Psychiatry is available by referral and must be scheduled by phone or in person. When campus care is too short: SHCS helps students connect to an outside counselor when brief campus care is insufficient and publishes non-endorsed referral resources.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 →.

What to ask in the first appointment

  1. What is my individual-session limit this term or year, and does intake count?
  2. If I need weekly or specialized care, who starts the outside referral?
  3. Is psychiatry separate, and does it require a campus or insurance referral?
  4. What can I use while I am waiting: a group, same-day consultation, or virtual care?
  5. Will any charge or insurance explanation be sent to someone else?

Verification record

Every campus-specific statement above was read on an official Cal State East Bay 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

  1. Cal State East Bay — Counseling, read 2026-08-24.
  2. Cal State East Bay — Counseling scope, read 2026-08-24.
  3. Cal State East Bay — SHCS FAQ, read 2026-08-24.