News & Ideas

Santa Clara’s embedded therapist program—often called Therapists in Residence or Counselors in Residence—places mental health professionals directly within six campus residence halls to provide accessible, noncrisis counseling, wellness workshops, and outreach. The model, which includes a therapy dog, has been shown to increase access to mental health resources, reduce stigma, and support students where they live.

Read more about the program in the October 2025 New York Times article “When your therapist is just a dorm room away.” Santa Clara and other universities were recognized for “rethinking the way they deliver mental health care, by adopting a model designed to meet students where they are, ideally before they face a crisis.”