The short answer: The six visits cover an academic year, not each term. Plan an outside referral early if you need care beyond roughly one visit every other month.¹

Start with Student Health Services Mental Health

Book it: Use the health portal or call Student Health Services for an in-person or virtual appointment. The current phone number is 310-660-3643. Open the official service page →¹

Who can use it: Currently enrolled students attending a for-credit class who paid the health fee. What it costs: Six short-term counseling sessions are included in the health fee with no added charge.¹

The limit that matters

Six sessions per academic year; the center helps with community or insurance referrals for ongoing care. 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

Student Health Services offers crisis assessment during open hours. After hours: Call the after-hours emotional-crisis line at 310-660-3377.²

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

Medication and longer-term therapy

Psychiatry: The counseling staff do not prescribe psychotropic medication. When campus care is too short: A psychologist provides community referrals or guidance using insurance when ongoing or specialized care is needed.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 El Camino 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

  1. El Camino — Mental Health, read 2026-08-24.
  2. El Camino — Center for Well-Being, read 2026-08-24.