Stanford
Vaden Health Services
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Mental Health

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

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Neurodiversity and Disability at Stanford

A Guide for Students, By Students. The following is a digital rendition of Neurodiversity and Disability at Stanford, a comprehensive guide to accessing accommodations, obtaining academic support, and finding community for neurodiverse and disabled students at Stanford.

Explore Neurodiversity and Disability at Stanford Here
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Mental Health Resources at Stanford

This website is your go-to hub for navigating the many mental health and well-being resources at Stanford. Whether you are seeking advice to establish your self-care routine, looking for ways to manage stress or mental health symptoms, tips to help a friend, someone supportive to talk to, or anything in between, you are not alone.

Professional staff and your peers are ready to support you, regardless of what point you are in your mental health and well-being journey.

Access Mental Health Resources Here

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that primarily affects a person's ability to pay attention, control impulsive behaviors, and regulate hyperactivity. ADHD is usually diagnosed in childhood, but its symptoms can persist into adolescence and adulthood. Please see below for ADHD resources for Stanford Students. 

CAPS offers ADHD consultations to support students in connecting with assessments, academic support and other campus resources.

CAPS offers referral support for students who have been diagnosed with ADHD and are interested in continuing medication treatment and are not interested in an ADHD consultation. 

  • How to connect: Call CAPS at 650.723.3785 and request referral options for ADHD medication treatment
  • Cost: FREE for Stanford students
  • 1:1 coaching for school and work (strategies for optimizing performance and attention)
  • Psychoeducational evaluations as indicated for learning disabilities and ADHD
  • Post-evaluation counseling sessions to explain diagnosis and recommend solutions
  • Referrals for psychiatry services (e.g., medication management) as indicated
  • Referrals for psychological services (e.g., anxiety, depression) as indicated
  • Cost: FREE (no age limits for Stanford students)

Student Eligibility for Learning Specialist Sessions

  • Must have suspected or diagnosed LD and/or ADHD
  • No formal referral from CAPS needed; please register to start services: Register for SLC@CHC

Student Eligibility for Evaluations

  • Must have formal referral from CAPS to receive priority scheduling
  • Must meet with a learning specialist at least 3 times
  • Cost: FREE (no age limits for Stanford students)
  • Call CAPS at 650.723.3785 and request a consultation visit to discuss a referral to Schwab, Register for SLC@CHC.

The Adult ADHD Psychological Services Program provides:

  • Individual and Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ADHD
  • Individual and Group Executive Functioning Skills Training
  • Cost: Determined by insurance, $25 co-pay for Cardinal Care
  • How to Connect: Register with the DOP.
  • Academic coaching (strategies for optimizing performance and attention)
  • Workshops, study halls, and other resources
  • Tutoring
  • Specialized programming for neurodiverse students, including students with ADHD, learning differences, autism, and executive functioning challenges.
  • Cost: FREE for Stanford students
  • Website link
  • Therapy and/or medication visits with California providers off campus (including telemedicine).
  • Cost:
    • Per insurance
    • $25 co-pay for Cardinal Care visits
  • How to connect: Call CAPS at 650.723.3785 and request referral options for providers who treat ADHD.
  • Neurodiversity and Disability Guide: For students, by students. The following is a digital rendition of Neurodiversity and Disability at Stanford, a comprehensive guide to accessing accommodations, obtaining academic support, and finding community for neurodiverse and disabled students at Stanford.
  • Office of Accessible Education: The mission of the Office of Accessible Education (OAE) is to promote an accessible and inclusive environment for all students with disabilities. Through both academic and housing accommodations, we work to mitigate physical and attitudinal barriers that students might face. We are dedicated to supporting students with disabilities to give them the opportunity to perform at their highest academic potential. We also strive to promote the inclusive environment they need to experience full membership in our diverse Stanford community.

Academic Accommodations Related to Mental Health Needs

Academic or other accommodations related to mental health conditions are sometimes necessary for students while they are in school. The Office of Accessible Education can assist you with the process of obtaining needed accommodations.

Medical documentation of mental health diagnosis is usually needed when applying for accommodations. Your therapist, psychiatrist, or other medical professional engage in ongoing assessment to determine diagnosis, and to address and treat the diagnosis. When needed, your provider may give medical documentation of your diagnosis, and the impact of the diagnosis on your academics, to the Office of Accessible Education in a confidential manner.

This medical documentation is provided in the context of an ongoing treatment relationship, where both you and your provider have determined that accommodations are needed.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

CAPS is comprised of a diverse range of cross-disciplinary providers who are committed to clinical excellence and culturally responsive care. 

Emotional Support Animals and CAPS

Many staff at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) are animal lovers, as well as professionals and advocates for student mental health. We occasionally receive requests from students for letters in support of obtaining Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) to help students manage and improve their mental health while living on campus.

A service animal is trained to assist individuals with disabilities, while an emotional support animal (ESA) offers companionship to those with psychological disorders. ESAs fall under the Federal Housing Act but are not recognized as service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The American Counseling Association advises mental health counselors against recommending ESAs unless they have specialized training in Human-Animal Interventions. Ethical guidelines require licensed professionals to work within their areas of competence. At CAPS, our clinicians are qualified to assess mental health diagnoses, but using Human-Animal Interventions in counseling is beyond our scope of practice.

The use of Emotional Support Animals as a treatment intervention has many potential risks to be considered: for clients, the public, and the animal. Due to these potential risks as well as ethical codes regarding scope of practice, clinical professionals at CAPS abstain from writing letters of support for Emotional Support Animals.

Online Mental Health Resources

The CAPS clinicians have worked to pre-screen different online-based resources and phone apps that could benefit Stanford students. As always, students should use discretion in deciding which of these resources are helpful. 

  • Note: CAPS does not endorse or monitor information contained in the links below, and they are provided solely as an additional outside resource.
  • Joyable: An online treatment for social anxiety using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Users develop skills to overcome anxiety with support through coaching via phone, text, or email.
  • MoodGYM: A free, interactive program for depression and anxiety that features five modules, an interactive game, assessments, downloadable relaxation audio, and a workbook. It teaches CBT principles and offers techniques for stress management, relaxation, and meditation.
  • ULifeline: An anonymous online resource for college mental health, providing self-assessment tools and fact sheets.
  • Half of Us: Sponsored by ULifeline, it includes videos and blogs from celebrities discussing mental health issues.
  • Each Mind Matters: California’s Mental Health Movement focused on promoting mental wellness and equality.
  • Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: An organization dedicated to improving the lives of those with mood disorders.
  • American Psychological Association: Offers self-help brochures on mental health topics. 
  • Headspace: A popular and engaging meditation app that allows users to learn the basic principles of meditation and guides you through meditation exercises.
  • Happify: A "science-based happiness" app that engages users through games and activities in learning how to overcome stress and worry and increase daily happiness.
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