Let’s Talk

Whether it’s stress, sadness, relationship problems, academic concerns, or coping with the impact of world events, sharing your concerns with another person can make a positive difference. “Let’s Talk” is a program that provides brief, informal, virtual consultations for UWM students with counselors from the Student Health and Wellness Center.

Let’s Talk remains “informal” in that it is not therapy or crisis intervention. Let’s Talk does not require setting up additional services or completing any comprehensive paperwork prior to the consultation. Consultations are confidential, can span a variety of topics, and are limited to about 20 minutes in length. The counselor’s role is to listen to your concerns, answer questions, and provide support and recommendations for resources and next steps. If you have additional questions about Let’s Talk, please take time to consult the FAQ below.

In general, Let’s Talk consultations take place virtually via Microsoft Teams.

  • Virtual: Monday – Friday between 11 am – 2:00pm
Sign up for a Virtual Let’s Talk Consultation

    In-Person Drop-In

    In-Person, drop-in Let’s Talk sessions are available on Mondays and Tuesdays. See below for days, times and locations during which a SHAW Counselor will be available.

    Tuesdays, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

    Tuesdays, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

    How is Let’s Talk different from counseling?

    Let’s Talk serves as an informal consultation on general issues, questions or concerns connected to mental health. In contrast, counseling at SHAW is an ongoing service for students that involves an initial assessment interview and ongoing treatment of goal areas identified the student and counselor. Short-term therapy usually consists of regularly scheduled 50-minute appointments.

    Your “Let’s Talk” counselor can help you determine whether formal counseling at SHAW would be useful for you and, if appropriate, assist you in scheduling an initial appointment.

    Who should sign up for Let’s Talk?

    Let’s Talk is open to all enrolled UWM students. Let’s Talk is the best fit for:

    • Students who are not sure about counseling 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 someone with whom to talk it through.
    • Students who have a concern about a friend and want some ideas about what next steps to take.
    Let’s Talk visits are confidential. Are there any limits to confidentiality?

    Let’s Talk consultations are entirely confidential with the same exceptions as in individual counseling. These exceptions include if you were to disclose a threat of imminent harm to yourself or someone else or if you were to describe ongoing child or elderly abuse. Anonymous information is collected about attendance so that we can keep track of the number of students we are serving. Let’s Talk visits are never reported on a student’s official university record.

    Additional questions about Let’s Talk?

    If you have any additional questions or unique requests regarding Let’s Talk consultations, please contact Carrie Fleider.

    The Let’s Talk Program at UWM is based upon the Let’s Talk Program developed at Cornell University. With permission, material for this website has been adapted or reproduced from the Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Let’s Talk websites. We would like to thank Wai-Kwong Wong at Cornell and Amanda Ngola at UW-Madison for their consultation and willingness to share resources, which helped us to initiate this program on our campus.

    Unable to find a time that you can attend or want to talk to a trained crisis responder right now? Learn more about UW Mental Health Support 24/7. Trained crisis responders provide phone support 24/7, and text and video support 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. (CST)