The short answer: The 24/7 line solves immediate support, not recurring therapy. Use the initial screening to request a longer-term referral before brief care ends.¹

Start with Center for Well-being and Wellbeing

Book it: Submit the official initial-screening form for phone, video or in-person care; call to ask about a same-day opening. The current phone number is 310-434-4503. Open the official service page →¹

Who can use it: Students who paid the health fee, including eligible noncredit and emeritus students; intersession eligibility must be confirmed. What it costs: Confidential short-term individual counseling is free.¹

The limit that matters

Short-term counseling; the center does not publish a fixed numerical cap on its current service 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 for same-day availability during office hours. After hours: Call the SMC 24/7 emotional-support line at 800-691-6003.²

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

Medication and longer-term therapy

Psychiatry: The center does not list medication management as a campus service. When campus care is too short: The center makes insurance-aware community referrals for longer-term or specialized treatment.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 Santa Monica 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. SMC — Center for Well-being and Wellbeing, read 2026-08-24.
  2. SMC — Suicide Prevention and Postvention, read 2026-08-24.