Let's Chat!
Let’s Chat Wildcats!
“Let’s Chat!” is a drop-in service that offers informal, confidential consultations with a Chico State counselor.
Let’s Chat consultations are…
- Free to all Chico State students!
- Offered in different locations on campus.
- Offered first come first serve (no appointment necessary).
- Typically, 30 min in length.
- No paperwork needed.
- Not a substitute for formal counseling.
- Not a crisis resource, and not appropriate for urgent concerns or mental health emergencies.
Reasons to Attend Let’s Chat
- Academic challenges.
- Health and wellness.
- Anxiety and Stress.
- Challenges faced by students, (adjustment to college, break up, roommate stress, social issues).
- Balancing academics, work, and family.
During a Let’s Chat! consultation, a counselor can listen to specific problems, provide practical strategies, information, and support regarding general wellness-related issues. This is a great opportunity to talk with a mental health professional and ask questions about your general well-being, learn about campus resources, and get connected to formal counseling if needed. Let’s Chat! is not a substitute for counseling and does not constitute mental health treatment. Please refer to our FAQs below for more details.
Other options offered by the WellCat Counseling Center include: individual counseling, group counseling, crisis sessions and the 24/7 ProtoCall Hotline. In a crisis, please call 9-1-1 or the ProtoCall hotline at 855-530-6802.
What is Let’s Chat?
Let's Chat! is a program that provides easy access to informal consultations with counselors from Chico State. It is not necessary to schedule an appointment, and there is no fee or paperwork required. Drop ins are first come first serve.
Who should visit Let’s Chat?
This service is open to all Chico State students. Let's Chat! is the best fit for the following people:
- Students who have never been in counseling before and are not sure if it’s right for them and wonder what it's like to talk with a counselor.
Students who are not interested in ongoing counseling but would like the perspective of a counselor. - Students who have a specific problem and would like to talk it through with someone, such as a break-up, school stress, or adjustment difficulties.
- Students who are interested in learning more about what campus resources are available to them and how to access them.
Let's Chat! drop-in hours are not suitable for the utilization of:
- Students with immediate or urgent mental health concerns.
- Students who are experiencing self-harm, suicidal ideation, or homicidal ideation.
- Students who need to process a recent trauma or sexual assault.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis call 9-1-1 or our 24/7 hotline # 530-898-6802. Crisis Support
What happens at a Let’s Chat! Drop In?
Let's Chat! visits are typically 30 minutes, and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Sometimes there is a wait, and occasionally when it’s very busy, the counselor might not have enough time to see everyone. However, there are Let’s Chat! hours, Monday through Friday during the semester, so you can try again the next day. During the consultation the counselor will listen closely to your concerns and provide support, perspective, and suggestions for resources.
How is Let’s Chat! different than counseling sessions?
Students who access formal counseling through the WellCat Counseling Center schedule appointments to meet with a counselor, and sometimes participate in ongoing counseling. Counseling requires an Intake session and paperwork that includes an Informed Consent for treatment.
In contrast, Let's Chat! is not formal counseling and is not intended to be a substitute for mental health treatment. Rather, it is a convenient drop-in service where students can have an informal consultation with a counselor, for a 1-time meeting.
I think I have a problem that requires counseling, but I don’t really know much about counseling. Can I see someone at Let’s Chat! to discuss this?
Absolutely! The counselor will talk through your issue with you and help you determine the best way to get help.
Let’s Chat! consultations are confidential, what does that mean? Are there limits to confidentiality?
Conversations with Let's Chat! counselors are confidential, with a few exceptions. Counselors may need to share information in an emergency when there is an immediate threat of harm to self or others. Counselors are required by law to report when a minor, elderly person, or someone otherwise incapacitated and unable to act on his/her own behalf, is being abused. Let's Chat counselors keep a brief written non-clinical note of their contact with students, that includes the students’ name, phone number, and student ID number. If there is an emergency, or a student is referred to the counseling center, the counseling staff will have access to the non-clinical note. The nonclinical note is not part of a student’s medical record.
The Let’s Chat! counselor asked me to scan a QR code to take a survey after my consultation. What is the purpose of the survey and is it confidential?
We designed a brief survey in order to collect data about Let’s Chat! to provide better services in the future, like which student populations are using the service and which times and locations are most popular. The survey does not include students name or student ID and is kept confidential. Filling out the survey is optional!
I’m currently seeing a counselor at the counseling center, but I don’t feel like we are a good fit. Should I go to Let’s Chat! instead?
The best thing to do in this situation is to talk directly with your counselor. Counselors are eager to get your feedback, positive or negative. Oftentimes, an open conversation about your concern helps smooth out any wrinkles. If, after talking with your counselor, you prefer to transfer to someone else, just ask your counselor directly, and they can help you transfer to a different counselor.
What else do I need to know?
Although Let's Chat! counselors are professionals, Let's Chat! is not a substitute for psychotherapy or formal counseling and does not constitute mental health treatment. Let's Chat counselors provide these consultations to help students with specific problems and to introduce them to what it's like to speak with a counselor. Your Let's Chat! counselor can help you determine whether formal counseling would be useful for you and, if appropriate, assist you in scheduling an appointment.
The Let’s Chat Wildcats! program at the California State University of Chico is based in part on the Let’s Talk! program at Cornell University. With permission, some of the material from this webpage has been duplicated from the Cornell University Let’s Talk! Website. We thank them for the development of the program.
“Let’s Chat!”
Drop-In Hours
Spring 2025 Semester
Tuesday
Location: The Well (BMU Basement)
Wednesday
Melissa Harter, LCSW
10:00am-12:00pm
Location: Prevention (EJ 150)
Courtney Chambless, PhD
2:00pm-4:00pm
Location: WellCat Health Center
Thursday
10:00am-12:00pm
Location: MESA (O’Connell 114)
10:00am-12:00pm
Location: The Well (BMU Basement)
Friday
Melissa Harter, LCSW
2:00pm-4:00pm
Location: Prevention (EJ 150)