For students, college life can be an exciting time- lots of opportunities for new experiences, relationships, and learning about the world and ourselves.  It can sometimes also be a difficult and stressful time that can challenge a student's emotional and physical health. Some students may feel they need extra support to cope with personal issues that may be interfering with their ability to make the most of their UMBC experience and others may just benefit from our range of health and mental health services. 

Through trauma-informed, culturally sensitive counseling services, our counselors work collaboratively with students to improve their emotional well-being, balance priorities, enhance interpersonal relationships, empower them with useful coping skills to attain success in and out of the classroom, and support them to access additional outside services to meet their needs. Our counselors come from a variety of backgrounds and specializations.

All counseling services are free and confidential. We provide short-term individual counseling, group counseling, performance enhancement consultations, as well as crisis intervention, outreach, consultation, and referral services. For faculty, staff, and student families, our counseling team is available to consult regarding how to support a student. 

For students, our medical team provides both primary and limited urgent care services, including annual well and gynecological (GYN) visits, updating vaccinations and boosters, screening for various diseases, and treating acute illnesses and minor injuries.  We also provide psychiatry, acupuncture services, and dietitian consultations. Our medical team operates like an outside doctors office in that they bill insurance and payments can be billed to your student account. 

RIH also offers a wide variety of Free Online Supports for students, including:

• Togetherall- an anonymous, online peer support community

• Welltrack Boost- virtual self-help modules, mood tracker, zen room, and screening tools

• Welltrack Connect- an online database and communication tool to assist you in finding mental health treatment in the community

We are located at the Center for Wellbeing across from the library.  More information is available on our website at health.umbc.edu.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at RIH@umbc.edu if you have any questions.

Shakira Davidson, executive administrative assistant I, Vice President for Student Affairs Office, and Amanda Turner, administrative assistant II, Student Conduct and Community Standards, were selected to the fall 2025 Building Bridges Across Maryland Program.

The Building Bridges Across Maryland Program for administrative support staff fosters professional/leadership development, collaboration, and idea sharing between select employees at McDaniel College, Loyola University of Maryland, Goucher College, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Towson University, the University of Baltimore, the University of Maryland Baltimore and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Up to five individuals from each university are nominated by vice presidents, vice provosts, and deans to participate each fall.

The program includes a cohort of individuals from each institution and includes a combination of in-person and virtual sessions. Topics include Discovering Your Strengths, Living the Productive Life, Gaining the Skills that Lead to Success, Networking, Becoming a Champion of Inclusion, Career Planning, and Self-Care. 

Program graduates are sometimes invited back to continue their professional development, reconnect, and meet members of other cohorts. Building Bridges Across Maryland alumni who are interested in reconnecting with the group or meeting new cohort members, can email Amy Levine, training and professional development coordinator at Towson University. 

Several Student Affairs staff members were selected to Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management’s fall 2025 ASPIRE leadership program:

• Tess McRae, Assistant Director for Connective Learning, Center for Democracy and Civic Life
• Emily Aielo, Coordinator, Event & Conference Services
• Crystal Knight, Clinic Coordinator, Retriever Integrated Health (RIH) 
• Patrice Marshall, Counselor, RIH
• Candida Williams, Front Desk Lead, RIH

ASPIRE is created to provide aspiring leaders – individuals who are not currently supervising staff – with the essential professional competencies and interpersonal skills needed to effectively lead in the future. This cohort-based experience will be delivered through a mix of engaging in-person instruction and team coaching. 

ASPIRE is a unique opportunity open to all non-supervisory employees past their probationary period who are eager to take the first step on their leadership journey.