Our mission is to promote academic and personal success by providing students with the information, services, and mental health resources they need to have a healthy, enriching experience at SLU-Madrid.

At the Wellness Center, students can consult with a counselor regarding a personal or mental health issue of concern. Counselors will help students identify the issue and any campus or community services that may be available and useful for the student and that will enhance their personal and emotional well-being. Students may also participate in wellness activities on campus that encourage healthy lifestyles, such as stress management, coping skills and self-care activities, or other psychoeducational programs designed to address common mental health issues and concerns among college students.

The counselors at the Wellness Center work closely with the Office of Student Affairs to coordinate services for students on both a campus and an individual level, such as health promotion activities, wellness checks, suicide prevention, alcohol and drug awareness programs, or other health services required by students that may benefit from a collaborative effort between Wellness Center and Student Affairs staff, such as addiction or eating disorders.

Access Screening Resources for a Possible Eating Disorder

Mental Health Services

SLU-Madrid works closely with Sinews Multilingual Therapy Institute, a private mental health clinic in the city center that specializes in providing multilingual mental health services to international clients.  Students needing mental health services will be referred to Sinews for both psychiatry and psychotherapy services with a bilingual, licensed mental health professional. The Wellness Center also maintains a list of other bilingual mental health providers in the Madrid area upon request.

Registered students are eligible to receive six therapy sessions with a Sinews psychologist, free of charge.  (Additional sessions or services will need to be paid for by the student. A discounted rate is available for SLU-Madrid students.) To access this service, make an appointment with a Wellness counselor to request a consultation and receive more information.

Psychiatry services are also available through Sinews, meaning that students can work with an interdisciplinary team that promotes communication and cooperation among health care providers. The student medical insurance, Sanitas, does not cover Sinews services or any mental health services with providers outside of the Sanitas network.  Although Sanitas does cover some basic psychiatric care, English-speaking psychiatrists and psychologists are rarely available through the Sanitas network, and most English-speaking mental health providers in Spain work in the private health care sector on a fee-for-service basis.  

For this reason, SLU-Madrid strongly recommends that students with pre-existing mental health conditions and/or students who anticipate the need for regular mental health services plan for extra health care expenses prior to their arrival in Madrid. It is recommended that students purchase additional insurance in their home countries (for example: GeoBlue, HTH health insurance, CISI) that will cover or reimburse them for private, out-of-network mental health services. Students should budget accordingly for these services (approximately 70-80 euros for a psychotherapy session, 100-120 euros for a session with a psychiatrist) to ensure they have access to regular mental health care. More information about private mental health services as well as referrals for English-speaking psychiatrists and psychologists is available in the Wellness Center.

Suicide Prevention and Crisis Management

The counselors at the Wellness Center provide outreach to students who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. Wellness counselors work closely with our Crisis Management Team, made up of counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, and the Student Affairs staff, to ensure the well-being and safety of all students. If you or someone you know is in danger, is having thoughts of suicide, or is experiencing a crisis, visit us at the Wellness Center or request an appointment with a counselor.

• In case of psychiatric emergency outside of normal business hours, you can:
  - Go to your nearest emergency room for medical attention or call 1-1-2 if you are facing a life-threatening emergency.
  - Call SLU-Madrid's Counseling Emergency number: +34 609 269 323. This number will connect you to a highly trained mental health provider at Sinews Multilingual Therapy Institute at any time of day or night.
• Wellness Center counselors are confidential resources, which means that students who have been victims of a sexual assault or other type of assault or misconduct can consult with a Wellness Center counselor in a confidential manner.  The Wellness counselors will provide support and discuss how to report these cases to the Spanish authorities and within the SLU-Madrid Community Standards procedures if the incident took place between registered students. They will also provide information about the resources available in Madrid and at SLU-Madrid for victims of sexual assault, police reports, STD testing, etc.
• If you need more information about suicide or suicide prevention, consider participating in Saint Louis University's Ask, Listen, Refer training program, designed for all students, faculty and staff of the Saint Louis University community to help prevent suicide.