Welcome to A.T. Still University's (ATSU) behavioral health and wellness resources, where students learn the value of balancing rigorous academics with the other areas of their lives and are provided with resources that help them reach their full potential. Behavioral health and wellness offers individual counseling, as well as referral and consultation services for residential students. Online students may refer to a list of national resources and referral information for mental health/substance use counseling as well as intimate partner violence.
If you or someone you know is in a crisis and need an immediate response, contact the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or dial 911 for Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
Services are provided free of charge for ATSU students in KCOM, MOSDOH, ASHS, ASDOH, SOMA, or CCPA programs with on-site requirements. Counseling is a confidential service. Anything you say to a counselor and/or the fact that you used this service will not be disclosed to outside parties without your consent, within legal and ethical limitations. No information about counseling goes on your academic record. Behavioral health and wellness counseling can also assist students in locating resources and other services specific to their needs available on campus or, when off campus, in their communities.
ATSU counselors adhere to the ethical code of the American Counseling Association or the National Association of Social Workers depending on each counselor's license and professional association.
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Missouri campus
Sarah Thomas, EdD, MSW, LCSW
Director, Behavioral Health and Wellness
Phone: 660.626.2751
Phil Jorn, MA, LPC, NCC
Behavioral Health and Wellness Counselor
Phone: 660.626.2138
Arizona campus
Desirai Browning, MAS, LAMFT
Behavioral Health and Wellness Counselor
Phone: 480.219.6170
Karen Taylor, MS, LPC, NCC
Behavioral Health and Wellness Counselor
Phone: 480.265.8069
Sarah Thomas, EdD, MSW, LCSW
Director, Behavioral Health and Wellness
Phone: 660.626.2751
California campus
Mental health emergency: 988 or 888.868.1649 County of Santa Barbara-Santa Maria
Behavioral Wellness 24-hour crisis line
Karen Taylor, MS, LPC
Behavioral Health and Wellness Counselor
Phone: 480.265.8069
24/7 Talk Now
Scheduled Counseling (up to 12 visits per year)
Online students (CGHS and ASHS online programs) are encouraged to utilize their health insurance benefits or their employer's Employee Assistance Program (EAP), if available.
Additional wellness and safety resources for online students.
Learn more about health insurance options.
Professional counseling has been defined as: “a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals. Counselors work with clients on strategies to overcome obstacles and personal challenges that they are facing.”
Counseling as an activity most closely resembles a conversation with a trusted mentor who helps their clients explore what prompted them to seek support, their personal history and current situation, and the ways in which they may be feeling, thinking, and/or behaving (the symptoms they may be experiencing right now).
Everything discussed during counseling sessions is kept confidential within legal and ethical limitations. ATSU's behavioral health and wellness counselors are required by law to abide by state-mandated rules of confidentiality.
No member of ATSU's faculty, staff, or student body will be informed that you are receiving mental health wellness counseling, nor have access to your files without your explicit, written consent.
The following self-assessment tools are provided to help students make the decision whether counseling or other services may be recommended.
ATSU provides students with a caring, nurturing environment in which to learn, live, and thrive. The Still-Well Student Wellness Program is designed to encourage students' health and wellness throughout their educational experience, enabling them to reach their maximum potential in body, mind, and spirit.
The founder of osteopathic medicine and our university, A.T. Still, DO, believed that an active body helped nurture an inquisitive and informed mind. Named after Dr. Still, Still-Well was founded in 1991 and is one of the most extensive and successful wellness programs among U.S. graduate schools. True to Dr. Still's philosophy, this holistic approach to health care is distinctive of ATSU.
An important concept of the Still-Well philosophy is to practice and promote a healthy lifestyle. Students first must understand and integrate wellness practices into their own lives. Wellness at ATSU is defined as a balance of intellectual, physical, spiritual, emotional, social, and environmental development.
The Still-Well Student Wellness Program uses the distinctive osteopathic philosophy of holistic medicine to encourage students to be mindful of their wellness and health throughout their academic studies at ATSU. In addition, it provides an atmosphere in which students can reach their maximum potential in mind, body, and spirit.
Wellness promotes an optimal physical and mental wellbeing, a preventative way of living that reduces the need for remedies. The Still-Well program is designed to encourage students’ health and wellness throughout their educational experience.
The Wellness Model is composed of six developmental areas:
The Still-Well program incorporates all six of these areas to encourage developmental balance. Throughout the academic year, Still-Well offers several activities and events for students to engage with their community and improve their overall wellbeing.
Sarah Thomas, EdD, MSW, LCSW
Director, Behavioral Health and Wellness
Phone: 660.626.2751
Email: snthomas@atsu.edu
Address: 800 West Jefferson St., Kirksville, MO 63501
Olivia De Leon, MPH, CHES®
Assistant Director of Wellness
Phone: 480.219.6176
Email: oliviadeleon@atsu.edu
Address: 5835 E Still Cir. Suite 102, Mesa, AZ 85206
ATSU is proud to offer students several on-campus options for developing their physical wellness. Whether studying at our Kirksville, MO, our Mesa, AZ, or our Santa Maria, CA campus, the ATSU community can anticipate dedicated access to fitness facilities to stay active and get social.
Located on the Missouri campus, the Thompson Campus Center (TCC) offers memberships to faculty, staff, students and the community to reach individual fitness goals. With access to basketball courts, an indoor jogging track, racquetball, free weights, fitness classes and more, there are activities available for beginners and advanced fitness enthusiasts.
All Arizona campus-based students and employees receive a free annual membership to the Ross Farnsworth YMCA located on the Arizona campus. This free benefit is provided to encourage students and employees to maintain a balance between the many demands of life. Free fitness classes are offered, the schedule for which can be found on the YMCA website. Other offerings include access to free weights, state-of-the-art exercise machines, drop-in childcare services during facility use, and access to a basketball court as well as a swimming pool.
ATSU is proud to meet the fitness, exercise, and recreational needs of students and employees. Students and employees can purchase family memberships directly through the YMCA membership services desk. Membership at the Ross Farnsworth East Valley YMCA can be used at all YMCA facilities within the Valley of the Sun.
Additional details to come.