Beyond the Disability Services Office, there are numerous resources available on Occidental’s campus for students to use in order to support academic accommodations, ranging from general mental health resources, to coaching in writing, to captioning services.
The Emmons Wellness Center is Oxy’s main medical center, where students can receive a wide range of support. This includes counseling, Covid testing, dietary services, group therapy, drop-in chats, and more. They can also direct students to other resources, both on and off-campus.
How to get to Emmons:
The Emmons Wellness Center is located on Emmons Road, behind the AGC Administrative Center/up the hill to the right of Haines Hall. Emmons can be located on a map using this link.
How to make an appointment at Emmons:
Medical provider hours: Monday-Friday from 9am-12pm and 1-4pm for scheduled and walk-in appointments. To schedule an appointment call (323) 259-2657 or email emmons@oxy.edu.
Relevant services that Emmons provides:
- Prescription Refills
- Students can refill their prescriptions right on campus through Emmons, without having to visit an outside pharmacy. To begin the process, email or call Emmons with the address/number listed above with your prescription plan, and you will be contacted shortly afterwards.
- Walk-ins
- Walk-in schedules for Emmons tend to fluctuate day-by-day, due to the numerous different meetings and schedules on campus that may interfere. However, a good guideline to go by concerning walk-ins for various needs are the regular hours listed above: Monday-Friday from 9am-12pm and 1-4pm, with the exception of Wednesday, on which Emmons is closed from 12-2.
- Counseling
- Emmons provides short-term individual therapy, walk-ins, group therapy, drop-in chats, crisis support, and consultations for off-campus referrals. Both in-person and online options are available. Every service, with the exception of psychiatry, is free of charge for all Oxy students. The extensive resources available for counseling through Emmons are outlined more specifically on their website. To begin a counseling process, email or call Emmons at the address/number listed above. Walk-in appointments are also available every weekday from 2-4pm; if you visit Emmons at those times wishing to see a counselor, you will see one before you leave.
If you need a private space to take counseling/therapy sessions over Zoom, you can reserve empty rooms in the library. To do so, email Disability Services at accessibility@oxy.edu.
Assessment Providers
The Disability Services Psycho-educational Testing Program can assess and diagnose students. If you are interested in getting on the waitlist for psycho-educational testing, go to office hours to meet with Disability Services. Students are prioritized for testing based on financial need and wait time may be over a year.
Office hours are located in Berkus Hall. Check in at the Dean of Students’ office there, and someone from Disability Services will meet you. The hours are:
Monday 1-2 p.m. (Mariam Ashchyan)
Wednesday 1-2 p.m. (Linda Doo)
Wednesday 3-4 p.m. (Mariam Ashchyan)
Friday 1-2 p.m. (Linda Doo)
If you need immediate assessment and do not want to be put on the waitlist (approximately 1-year wait), you can find a list of off-campus assessment providers.
Kognito Training Module
The Kognito Training Module is an online simulated training to help students recognize early signs of distress in themselves or a friend, productive communication strategies, and the next steps to take in the process.
Emmons Wellness Center
(See further information above)
Oxy 24/7 Helpline
Occidental’s confidential helpline can be accessed at any time, for reasons such as mental health crises, substance abuse issues, or trauma. To access it, call: (323) 341-4141.
Other Student Support Groups
Under the “Resources for personal support” section, many on-campus support groups are listed, as well as their meeting times. Examples include:
- Oxy’s Student Grief Group
- What’s the Word, Hummingbird?, informal counseling for POC, LGBTQ+, first gen, and international students
- Oxy’s Disordered Eating Support Group
- Oxy’s Mindfulness Group
If you need a private space to take counseling/therapy sessions over Zoom, you can reserve empty rooms in the library. To do so, email Disability Services at accessibility@oxy.edu.
If students are unable to get to locations on Occidental’s campus due to the terrain or distance, they can call Campus Safety at (323) 259-2599 and ask to be dropped to different locations in a Campus Safety vehicle.
Captioning
These websites are downloadable and provide real-time captioning to spoken words, whether in-person or over virtual lessons.
Transcribing
Screen readers such as the ones listed below can read selected text on your screen out loud.
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Safari
Designated peer tutors are available for many different courses in order to offer support and assistance to other students. Typically upperclassmen, these students have office hours on the ground floor of the library at their own specific times in which other students can pop in and ask for help in anything related to the subject at hand. To find out when the peer tutor for a particular topic is available, click the subject from the drop-down menu in the link above.
The Writing Center is a collaborative space for students to visit in order to gain one-on-one advice on any piece of writing. Designated advisors are available to look through any stage of a piece of work, and can provide support such as brainstorming, grammar edits, or general structure changes. Appointments are welcome and able to be made at this link (with instructions on how to do so here), but drop-ins are just as welcome. The center is located on the ground floor of the Academic Commons (the lowest floor of the library), and the hours are from 4-10pm every Monday-Thursday.
Multiple librarians are available for scheduled one-on-one meetings to assist with research, such as finding strong sources within scholarly databases. To make an appointment, visit the attached page and select a time to meet with the librarian that works on the topic most relevant to the research in question.
The AMP provides workshops to promote extra support and knowledge for students enrolled in courses involving general chemistry, organic chemistry, introductory physics, and cellular and molecular biology. Run by trained students, the workshops are intense group study sessions in which students can enhance their understanding of challenging topics. To learn more, email the program director, Doug Duquette at dduquette@oxy.edu.
Academic Coaching offers a one-on-one session with a staff member, focusing on improving skills such as academic planning, engagement, study tactics, organization, and time management. The goal of the program is to help students get on track with the tools that are required for strong academic performances and a balanced college experience. To make an appointment, email academiccoaching@oxy.edu with an explanation of the skills you’d like to strengthen.