May is Mental Health Awareness Month — a great opportunity to refresh yourself on the mental health resources available through UC. If you've been feeling anxious, depressed or overwhelmed, or if you’re having difficulty being centered and purposeful, the following UC resources can help.
Faculty and Staff Assistance Programs
The Faculty and Staff (or Employee) Assistance Program at each UC campus, medical center and national laboratory offers free, confidential resources, including:
- Child and teenager parenting concerns
- Couples and marital relationship challenges
- Elder and dependent adult care
- Depression, anxiety, and other emotional struggles
- Grief and loss
- Alcohol, drug and other addictions
Behavioral health benefits from UC’s medical plans
Mental and physical health go hand in hand, so UC’s medical coverage includes behavioral health benefits for mental health services and substance abuse treatment. Members can use their behavioral health benefits for sessions with counselors, psychologists or psychiatrists to address challenges like depression and anxiety, substance use disorders, medication management, and autism and pervasive developmental disorders.
All UC health plans also offer phone and/or video options for getting behavioral health advice and care.
Emergency resources from UC’s benefit plans
If your family is impacted by a disaster, such as a fire or earthquake, UC’s emergency resources may be able to help. Support includes replacing lost prescriptions; seeking emergency medical, dental or vision care; claims for loss of life or property, or disability; emergency access to retirement funds; and legal resources to help you recover.
Systemwide mental health resources
UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center
UCTV: Beating Burnout: Wellness for Students, Residents and Fellows, and Practicing Physicians
UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center
UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness
UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Caregiver resources
Bright Horizons Enhanced Family Supports
UC provides eligible faculty and staff with membership in Bright Horizons Enhanced Family Supports referral program which can help you find:
- Care programs for children and elders
- Pet sitters, dog walkers, trainers and other pet-care providers
- Education support for your family
- Enrichment opportunities and parenting resources and events
Eldercare resources for ARAG members
If you’re enrolled, UC’s legal insurance through ARAG offers advocacy and legal services for your parents and grandparents as well as for yourself.
Your benefits include a free consultation with an eldercare advocate who will help assess your parent’s or grandparent’s eldercare needs, develop a care plan, search for facilities and providers and negotiate discounts when available.
Your parents and grandparents can also meet with a network attorney for advice on elder law issues (e.g., Medicare/Social Security benefits, estate planning, real estate) and for an annual legal check-up.
Have another resource to add to this page? Email our editors at ucnetwork@universityofcalifornia.edu.