Getting Social Help

Every student at Yale deserves to feel a sense of belonging and comfort. A variety of resources are in place to help each member of the community feel cared for.

Getting Social Help

Every student at Yale deserves to feel a sense of belonging and comfort. A variety of resources are in place to help each member of the community feel cared for.

Where can I meet people with interests or backgrounds similar to my own?

Consider becoming a member of a student organization, getting involved with a cultural center, connecting with people of similar faiths at the Chaplain’s Office, or engaging with a community service organization. For more information on these and other groups at Yale, see Communities.

In a serious social situation that I cannot work out with the help of my peers alone, who is the first authority figure to contact?

Your residential college dean can offer guidance on such matters. Contact the Dean’s Office at your residential college to set up an appointment.

First-years have the additional option of consulting First-Year Counselors, who can offer the perspective of a seasoned Yale student and may be able draw on past experience or knowledge of university resources to help with the situation at hand.

A social situation is adversely affecting my mental health. Where can I get advice or medical assistance?

Student Wellness at Yale Health and Yale Well provide a variety of online resources to help students manage stress, eat well, practice safer sex, prioritize sleep, and more. Walden Peer Counseling provides a confidential, anonymous hotline and walk-in peer counseling for undergraduates, by undergraduates. Mental Health and Counseling Services offers individualized short-term therapy through Yale Health. Additionally, members of the Chaplain’s Office and Yale Religious Ministries provide pastoral care to students and members of the Yale community.

I sometimes feel out of place at Yale because I belong to a racial or ethnic minority group or because I’m a first-generation, low-income student. To whom can I turn for advice and community?

Yale’s four Cultural Centers serve as gathering places for communities of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. They foster a sense of cultural identity, encourage student leadership, facilitate critical reflection, and stimulate informed action and social justice advocacy.

The Community Initiative is an administrative effort to support and empower first-generation, low-income students at Yale. It provides financial guidance, academic mentorship, and social support.

I’m an LGBTQ student. Where can I find support and meet other LGBTQ individuals at Yale?

Yale has a very strong network LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff. The Office of LGBTQ Resources can connect you to others in the community and learn about Yale’s LGBTQ social, cultural, and academic programs and events.

I have experienced an instance of discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression. How should I respond?

Any such behavior is not tolerated at Yale. Please visit the Resources for Students to Address Discrimination and Harassment Concerns website to explore your options.

I have concerns about my sexual health and safety, or that of someone I care about. Where can I find help?

See Sexual Health and Safety for information on resources for sexual education and responding to sexual misconduct.

Alcohol and/or other drugs have been making my social life complicated—and possibly affecting my physical health, too. Where can I turn for support and guidance?

The Alcohol and Other Drugs Harm Reduction Initiative (AODHRI) provides students with critical information concerning alcohol and other drugs, the campus culture related to these, and the policies and procedures that Yale has established to protect the physical and emotional health of its students.

Where can I just relax and recharge?

The Good Life Center, located on the fourth floor of Byers Hall, provides a refuge from the stresses of academia and offers a variety of health-related programming.

Breathing Space, located under Entryway C of Welch Hall on Old Campus, is a technology-free zone for creative activity, sacred text study, and meditation.