The short answer: Sierra publishes both a term cap and an enrollment-long cap. Track the 18-visit total if you expect to attend for several years.¹
Start with Student Health Services
Book it: Use the health-services appointment request for the campus therapist or register for TimelyCare with a Sierra email. The current phone number is 916-660-7490. Open the official service page →¹
Second campus line: Nevada County's Health Center is (530) 274-5317.¹ Who can use it: Currently enrolled students who paid the mandatory health-services fee. What it costs: Campus mental-health visits and TimelyCare are free; TimelyCare does not require insurance.¹
The limit that matters
Six free one-hour campus therapist visits per semester, with a maximum of 18 while attending Sierra College. 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
Sierra publishes no crisis or walk-in route through Student Health Services; distress on campus is routed to the Behavioral Intervention CARE Team.³ Health Center hours are Rocklin Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Nevada County Monday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday to noon.¹ Any hour: TimelyCare TalkNow is free and 24/7, "365 days a year."¹ ²
Medication and longer-term therapy
Psychiatry: Medication management is not listed as part of the campus counseling allowance. When campus care is too short: Health Services links a "Local Mental Health Resources" list, and outside providers — Placer County Health & Human Services, the Sacramento LGBT Center, Stand Up Placer and Lighthouse Counseling — hold published weekly office hours on campus.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 Sierra College door
| What you need | Start here | What to say or ask |
|---|---|---|
| Help today | Use Student Health Services while open. | “I need urgent support today.” If you may be in immediate danger, call 911. |
| A first counseling visit | Use the health-services appointment request for the campus therapist or register for TimelyCare with a Sierra email. | Ask whether intake counts toward the session allowance and when the first clinical visit can happen. |
| Evening or weekend support | TimelyCare TalkNow is free and available 24/7, 365 days a year. | Ask whether this is crisis-only, one-time support or a route that can schedule recurring care. |
| Medication | Medication management is not listed as part of the campus counseling allowance. | Ask whether a referral is required, what a visit costs and who handles refills between terms. |
| Weekly, specialized or longer-term therapy | Health Services and TimelyCare can help identify continuing care outside the campus therapist schedule. | 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 Sierra 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
- Sierra College — Health Services and mental health, read 2026-09-12.
- Sierra College — Basic needs and mental-health access, read 2026-09-12.
- Sierra College — Behavioral Intervention CARE Team, read 2026-09-12.
Correction, 12 September 2026: this page said to "use Student Health Services while open" for urgent help and that TimelyCare covers "breaks." Sierra publishes no crisis or walk-in route through Health Services — on-campus distress goes to the CARE Team — and the published TimelyCare wording is "365 days a year."