All University of Connecticut campuses offer a free resource that requires no appointment, no insurance card and no long-term commitment.
It’s called the “Let’s Talk” program, and it aims to deliver a free mental health service to all students, five days a week on a first-come, first-served basis.
For 15 to 20 minutes, it’s just any student and a licensed clinician in a one-on-one session that allows the student to discuss what’s stressing them out or what’s on their mind. On the main campus in Storrs, the Student Health and Wellness Services (SHaW) program allows students to meet anytime and anywhere — the busy Student Union, the central Wilbur Cross Building, even virtually.
The program began at Cornell University in 2006 to address the rise of suicide rates among students of color and following its success has become a blueprint for campus wellness nationwide.
According to a 2023 article from Inside Higher Ed, more than 100 colleges and universities have adopted the “Let’s Talk” model to shift the conversation around mental health and provide easy access to services.
“UConn worked closely with Cornell in the adoption of ‘Let’s Talk’ and saw it as another tool in its toolbox to engage with students,” SHaW’s Director of Health Kristina Stevens said. “‘Let’s Talk’ creates an additional pathway of support and reduces barriers for students who are considering a clinical course of care.”
Cornell University created the program after that university’s Asian American Campus Climate Task Force reported a series of suicides involving Asian American students.
“The university became really concerned with what was happening with this population … and out of that task force and recommendation, ‘Let’s Talk’ was born,” Assistant Director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Cornell University Wahieñhawi Hall said.
UConn student Tam Nguyen says his experience growing up was that mental health was never prioritized or promoted.
“From my background as an Asian American, mental health is sort of a ‘hoax’ in a way most of us are raised,” he says. “For example, the idea of me being depressed or anxious wouldn’t really make sense to my parents or anyone older. … I tend to just deal with tough times on my own.”
He adds: “I have never used the mental health services because I never had a reason to, but I do think it is a good resource. ... I feel like everyone would benefit from a little bit of time to talk about their problems.”
Research at several universities in New York indicates that just having a conversation that promotes mental health on campus normalizes the idea that students will go out to seek help for themselves. This has been a success at both Cornell and UConn as students seek resources.
“We don’t require documentation,” Hall says. “It’s meant to be a consultation, not a substitute for therapy. … You can come in and be like, ‘Hey I’m really stressed, these prelims really have my brain frazzled’ and I can say, ‘That’s actually a really common experience for students to have at this point in the semester. Here are some tips that could be really helpful.’”
Hall says she found that at Cornell in the 2025 spring and fall semesters, more than 100 students who never employed counseling services in the past began to use “Let’s Talk.”
At UConn last year alone, 68% of students who engaged in “Let’s Talk” service followed up and sought clinical care, according to Stevens.
Delivering therapy services
Cornell’s research in 2011 found that while students report being depressed or struggling with anxiety, from 37 percent to a staggering 84 percent of those students, depending on the disorder, do not seek counseling. International students and students of color use university counseling centers at lower rates than any other students.
At UConn, the decision to offer “Let’s Talk” in specific buildings, such as the Student Union and Wilbur Cross, and ensure the service is available on every campus, was intentional. This reach is important for student athletes, international students and graduate students who may not realize they have access to the program, Stevens says.
“While there has been progress in decreasing stigma across the board, including for athletes, it does persist,” Stevens says. “The delivery of ‘Let’s Talk’ is consistent with the model. It is intentionally located in a variety of spaces across campus to create increased access and opportunities for students to engage.”
Joshua Yeboah, a UConn student pursuing a master’s degree in data science, says he found success in using UConn’s mental health services because the accessibility of services removed the hurdle for busy graduate students like him.
“I know that the resources are right in the Student Union, and as a grad student, we get emails that I check daily that explain some of the resources or things that I have access to,” Yeboah says.
As each semester brings its new stresses, “Let’s Talk” remains as a solution to bridge the gap of student connection to mental health across college campuses.
Stevens adds that she hopes UConn students know how accessible this program is.
“‘Let’s Talk’ is a great starting point for someone who might be considering therapy. It often debunks the myths or misconceptions someone might have about therapy and allows them to engage with a member of our team,” she says. “We promote ‘Let’s Talk’ in student orientation, in our many outreach activities, on our website, and at programming events. We welcome ideas about how to continue to promote these important resources.”
Nguyen, meanwhile, says he hopes that students use the service and benefit from the open conversation of mental health at UConn. He believes UConn should advertise the program more, though.
The university “should definitely promote the services in more visible areas on campus, such as the rec or the student union, just so students are more aware,” he says.
This story is republished via CT Community News, a service of the Connecticut Student Journalism Collaborative, an organization sponsored by journalism departments at college and university campuses across the state.It is supported by a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network. CT Community News is proud be to a member of the Solutions Journalism Network Student Media Challenge cohort for 2025-26.
