Let's Talk Residential Life Counseling

Whether it is stress, sadness, relationship problems or academic pressures, sharing your concern with another person can make a positive difference. Let's Talk is brief consultation and is available to all student residents within University Housing at San Francisco State University. It's informal, confidential, completely free, no appointment is necessary and no topic is off limits. It is a place where you can talk about concerns and receive expert suggestions about solutions and resources or just have someone to listen and offer support. 

Although Let's Talk consultants are also mental health professionals, Let's Talk is not a substitute for formal counseling or psychotherapy and does not constitute mental health treatment

The Let's Talk program at San Francisco State University is based in part on the Let's Talk programs at Cornell University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of California, Berkeley. With permission, some of the material describing this program has been duplicated from the Cornell University and the University of Notre Dame Let's Talk website. We would like to personally thank Matt Boone, LCSW, for his guidance in the development of our program.

Let's Talk Hours

Tuesdays:  3 pm – 4 pm:  Office in Mary Park Lounge

Tuesdays:  4 pm – 5 pm:  Office across from Village Market

Wednesdays:  12 noon – 1 pm:  Office off conference room in Manzanita Square

Wednesdays:  2:30 – 3:30 pm:  Office off Mary Ward Hall lobby

Fridays:  12 noon – 1 pm:  University Park North 295 Buckingham Ground Level Office

Let's Talk FAQ

Counselors at the Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) provide brief counseling, which usually consists of weekly 45 minute appointments. Let's Talk is an informal, drop-in consultation (usually around 15 minutes) where students can meet with an expert counseling consultant from time to time.

Please check back in the future for when Let’s Talk counseling will be available again.

The Let's Talk counseling consultant will carefully listen to your concerns, ask you some brief questions, and will work to understand your goal for coming in. Once your problem and goal are clear and, depending on your needs, the consultant will offer suggestions and/or resources for addressing your concern.

Absolutely. The counseling consultant will talk through your issue with you and help you determine the best way to get help. The consultant can help you set up an intake appointment at CAPS on campus if you decide that you would like to pursue ongoing counseling.

If you believe you need to be seen sooner than the appointment you were given, it's best to call CAPS directly and explain your situation.

Since regular counseling visits are not available at Let's Talk, following up with the referral is a good idea. Unfortunately, CAPS cannot provide ongoing counseling to every student who requests it.

Conversations with a Let's Talk counseling consultants are confidential, with a few rare exceptions. Consultants may need to share information in an emergency such as:

  • an immediate threat of harm to yourself or others
  • required by law to report when a minor, elderly person, or someone otherwise incapacitated and unable to act on his/her own behalf is being abused

If you have further questions about confidentiality, we encourage you to discuss them with a Let's Talk consultant.