Here for You: Mental Health Resources at Harvard
Graphic by Joye Wingard
*Due to the sensitivity of mental health work, the majority of representatives the Independent spoke with chose to remain anonymous.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students in the United States. With an average of 24,000 attempts and 1,100 deaths per year, mental health services are starting to be seen as an essential part of American college campuses. At Harvard University, there are over 12 student support services designed to help students navigate challenges and maintain their mental health.
Within Harvard’s Counseling and Mental Health Services, peer counseling groups like Response, Indigo, Contact, Room 13, and the Eating Concerns Hotline and Outreach offer drop-in and phone-line counseling. The Harvard Undergraduate Group Peer Therapy program operates under the same umbrella but follows a group therapy model.
All of these groups are staffed by student volunteers, who are not mandatory reporters, allowing them to offer confidential support to peers. Although all of these groups have a specialty, they welcome concerns of any kind.
Response
“We’re a group of undergraduates trained to give non-directive confidential support for any students who want to talk about honestly anything,” Jennifer Kim ’26, a co-director of Response Peer Counseling, said in an interview with the Independent. “Our group does focus on relationships. So specifically, like sexual harassment and sexual assault.”
In 2016, The National Sexual Violence Resource Center found that in college, one in five women and one in sixteen men experience sexual assault, and that more than 90% of sexual assaults go unreported.
“From matters like [assault] to anything about relationships you’re having trouble with—your friends, your roommates, your partners, and anything in between,” Kim continued.
Confidentiality is a priority. “We’re not mandatory reporters. So whatever you want to share with us stays with us in that room, and we’re not there to judge you, we’re not there to critique you,” Kim said.
Response can be found in the Lowell underground, in room Lowell EL-15. They are open for in-person counseling from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday during the academic year. They offer over the phone counseling at (617) 999-8353 from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Response also provides free sexual health supplies to students at this location.
Indigo
Indigo helps students manage identity-based concerns. “Things like race and socioeconomic status, or immigration status,” said an anonymous representative from the organization in an interview with the Independent. “It is broad—if someone were to come in [saying] ‘Oh, I’m having a really difficult day, I wanna have a chat about that,’ we’re obviously more than happy to help with that as well.”
“There is so much power in just being a body in the room that’s there to listen and just genuinely cares,” the representative added.
Indigo is located in Thayer B-01 and is available for drop-in appointments seven days of the week during the academic year from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Additionally, Indigo is available over the phone from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. at (617) 256-1183.
The representative underscored the importance of counseling, particularly as many students face uncertainties about funding, citizenship, and the safety of family members, among other concerns. About 79% of the Class of 2028 identified as being a race other than white, and 27% of the class are international.
“I think that power is just so important, especially in such a politically charged time, especially when a lot is happening for students on a personal level, sure, but also at the national level,” a second Indigo representative said.
Contact
Contact provides support for LGBTQIA+ identities, relationships, and sexual health. According to the New York Post, over a quarter of Harvard’s student body identified as part of this community in 2021. Past research studies have shown that LGBTQIA+ youth are “more than twice as likely to feel suicidal and over four times as likely to attempt suicide compared to heterosexual youth.”
“We specialize in counseling for people of gender identities or sexual orientations that feel that they have not yet found their place on Harvard’s campus,” an anonymous Contact representative said to the Independent.
Located in Thayer B-04, Contact is open for drop-in counseling seven days a week during the academic year from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. and is available over the phone from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. at (617) 998-6898.
“Harvard is kind of a terrifying place to be when you first get here,” the representative continued.“It’s really important to be able to get care in the beginning when you need it”
Room 13
Room 13, considered the broadest of the peer counseling groups, takes a generalist approach. “Room 13 is a bit of a catch-all where we sort of see any sort of issues,” said an anonymous representative to the Independent.
The group aims to provide an informal but supportive environment. “We look at ourselves as a non-directive, non-judgemental, completely anonymous peer counseling service—this isn’t exactly normal therapy,” the same representative said. “This is more so you can come in and talk through your feelings with another peer who’s going through or can understand your experience.”
“There are people who care about you and want to support you,” the representative added.
Room 13 can be found in the Thayer and is open every night from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. during the academic year. They can be reached at (617) 256-1183 from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
ECHO
ECHO offers therapy that centers around relationships with exercise, body image, food, and eating.
With social media so prevalent in college life and shifting diet and exercise routines, many college students find themselves uncomfortable with food and exercise, which can greatly impact their mental health. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, in college, between 10-20% of women and 4-10% of men suffer from an eating disorder. Additionally, only 22% of colleges offer year-round ED screening opportunities.
ECHO provides a space for students to talk openly about their relationships with eating and exercise. Like the other peer counseling groups, the group is staffed by undergraduate volunteers and operates confidentially.
ECHO is located in Matthews B-02, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. They also operate over the phone from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. every night at (617) 495-8200.
Active Minds
Active Minds is a national non-profit dedicated to mobilizing youth and young adults around mental health advocacy. With more than 500 chapters across colleges, high schools, and workplaces, the organization works to reduce stigma, promote open conversations, and encourage students to take action in support of their own mental health and the well-being of their peers. Most of all, Active Minds aims to reduce suicide among young adults.
Harvard’s chapter of Active Minds is responsible for the mental health workshops that freshmen attend during orientation. “Mental health on this campus sometimes feels very invisible,” a member of the organization shared. “It’s something that a lot of people struggle with, but not many people are willing to talk about.”
“Everybody should be able to reach out and feel safe reaching out about their mental health,” the member added.
Harvard’s peer counseling groups and student organizations have a range of resources for students navigating mental health challenges. The services highlighted in this article are just a few of many that are offered by Harvard to help students manage their mental health. While these ones are peer-led, there are also options for more consistent, professional assistance, including same-day urgent care appointments.
Olivia Lunseth ’28 (olivialunseth@college.harvard.edu) wants anyone reading this to know that their mental health matters.