A key aspect of college life is remembering to take care of yourself. Whether this is scheduling your preventive care, supporting your mental health, or seeking emergency care, you have options to prioritize your health. Below are options for assistance if you are in need of medical or mental health support.
Mental & Physical Health Services
University Health Services (UHS)
A range of services are free to UW-Madison students. Check out the links below to support your mental and physical health.
Togetherall
Togetherall is a moderated, online peer-to-peer mental health community for students to anonymously seek and provide support by sharing their experiences in a safe virtual space.
UWill
UHS Mental Health Services (MHS) partnered with Uwill to expand access to flexible, no cost, virtual counseling options for students. Mental health professionals are available for video, phone, chat, and message sessions during flexible hours.
Badger Recovery
Badger Recovery connects and supports students in or considering recovery from addiction. Badger Recovery embraces all definitions of recovery and offers a welcoming and judgment-free space to support personal recovery journeys.
- NAMI Dane County
- Crisis Text Line
- Mental Health Apps
- Affordable Dental Care
- More Smiles
- Perry Family Free Clinic
- MEDiC
- Madison Street Medicine
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by mental illness. NAMI offers supports groups and these groups operate based on a Peer Support Group model developed by NAMI Wisconsin. Each group is facilitated by at least two NAMI-trained volunteers who have lived experience managing a mental health condition. Volunteers are considered to be “experts of their own experience,” but they are not trained clinicians. This means the groups are not clinical treatment groups.
Learn more: https://www.namidanecounty.org/support
Crisis Text Line has trained crisis counselors who will list to you and help completed over text messaging. Text HOME to 741741.
Text HOME to 741741. They have trained crisis counselors who will listen to you and help completely over text messaging.
How does the Crisis Text Line Work?
- You text 741741 when in crisis, available 24/7 in the United States.
- A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds quickly.
- The Crisis Counselor helps you move from a hot moment to a cool calm to stay safe and healthy using effective active listening and suggested referrals – all through text message, using Crisis Text Line’s secure platform.
Mental health apps offer accessible, on-the-go support to assist with managing stress, anxiety, and other mental health concerns. Many of the apps provide guided meditation, self-care tips, and even virtual therapy sessions. Whether you be seeking daily mindfulness exercises or need immediate crisis support, these apps can be a convenient tool to help promote well-being. Below is a list of apps to explore and find what might work best for you.
Healthy Minds
Headspace
Calm
MindShift
Happify
Smiling Mind
Breathe2Relax (Apple) / Breathe2Relax (Google)
Clear Fear
Affordable Dental Care is a bilingual, non-profit dental clinic dedicated to providing quality and compassionate care to the uninsured and underinsured in Wisconsin.
More Smiles is a hybrid non-profit utilizing both volunteers and paid providers to provide dental services to the impoverished population of Dane County. We serve all low-income individuals ages 8 and over. We believe in long-term solutions to the access to care problem, thus emphasizing education and prevention to our patients.
The Perry Family Free Clinic (PFFC) is accepting appointments. We’re committed to providing primary care to uninsured and under-insured Black men in Dane County and surrounding areas.
Established in 1991, MEDiC is a student-led organization that runs four free health clinics and partners with three other free clinics throughout the Madison area.
The MEDiC program provides a unique opportunity for students to work interprofessionally with peers from other health professions education programs, integrating medical, pharmacy, nursing, physical therapy, and physician assistant students.
Madison Street Medicine is on a mission to develop programming and services to fill gaps in access to healthcare and housing in the Madison area. They envision a community where individuals experiencing housing insecurity have equitable housing and healthcare.
Health Insurance Resources
University Health Services (UHS)
A range of services are free to UW-Madison students. Additionally, students can purchase health coverage through UW.
Covering Wisconsin
Covering Wisconsin is a nonprofit organization that helps people in Wisconsin find and use health insurance.
