Levin College of Law
Your well-being matters. At UF Law, we are committed to the success, health and welfare of all of our students. Use this site to find resources and opportunities at UF and in Gainesville that can help you stay healthy or find assistance when you need it.
If you or a friend needs help now, call 911 immediately. For those currently in distress, contact UF’s Counseling and Wellness Center at: (352) 392-1575
UF’s Counseling and Wellness Center provides counselors for crisis services on a walk-in basis between 9 am and 4 pm, Monday through Friday.
If you know of a student in crisis, please let us know.
Law school can be a stressful time. The rigors of exams, social networking and professional obligations can combine with personal matters to weigh you down every day. In order to thrive in law school, students need to make time to care for themselves. Eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep are only a few ways to combat stress and provide a healthy atmosphere that permits students to perform to the best of their abilities.
As part of our effort to promote wellness, we remind you that UF is a tobacco-free campus. Smoking and tobacco use are prohibited in all facilities and areas of the University of Florida campus. Click here to read the full policy.
A healthy diet can counter stress in a number of ways. Consuming the right amount of fruits, vegetables, grains, meats and dairy can increase the amount of calming chemicals in the brain, while reducing the production of stress-inducing ones.
UF’s distinguished place among the top social universities is well deserved, but it’s important to partake in alcohol in moderation. Alcohol consumption contributes to feelings of depression and makes stress harder to cope with in the long run. Abuse of alcohol and drugs can be a life-threatening problem. Due to the high levels of academic stress at law school, law students can be especially vulnerable to such addiction. If you need help, you can use the U Matter We Care website to connect with a professional.
Physical movement releases endorphins, which reduce the perception of pain and trigger positive feelings throughout the body. Numerous studies have shown that exercising reduces the likelihood of depression and elevates mood. Movement also can help learning. Every hour during study sessions, stand up from your desk, leave the room and walk outside for 10 minutes. This will significantly increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your brain’s capacity to focus and retain data.
It’s difficult to balance academics, fitness and social activities while maintaining a proper sleep schedule. Students often forgo a solid night of sleep in order to accomplish the rest of their goals and responsibilities. Lack of sleep can lead to increased stress, which then makes it more difficult to fall asleep — a vicious cycle that many students fail to properly address.
UF Student Health Care Center (SHCC)– The SHCC’s mission is to help students remain healthy. They offer primary and specialty care as well as urgent care to UF Students.
UF Student Health Care Center’s Pharmacy – The UF Student Health Care Center Pharmacy is a full-service facility staffed by licensed pharmacists who fill prescriptions written by either in-house medical staff or licensed medical providers from other facilities.
You know what they say about all work and no play. To maintain balance in your life during law school, cultivate friendships unrelated to the classroom or legal arguments. Maintain your relationships with friends and family from back home and your days as an undergraduate. Step away from the books and spend time doing the things you love. All of this will reduce stress levels and cultivate a well-rounded personality that permits you to talk about more than just legal endeavors during interviews.
“Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally,” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindfulness is quickly becoming a recognizable course offering of many state bar associations and law schools. The judiciary, too, has begun to embrace the value of this contemplative practice, which has received a great deal of attention from neuroscience research for its contribution to medical health.
Mindfulness practices are associated with improved immune functioning and the reduction of stress, anxiety and depression. Neuroscience findings associate mindfulness practices with thicker brain regions and greater interconnectivity among brain regions. Anecdotes suggest the association of mindfulness with greater efficacy by lawyers and judges, enhanced civility, and improved relations with family and friends. Mindfulness is becoming more accessible to lawyers, judges, law students and law professors.
The University of Florida is committed to providing mindfulness resources to all of its students. Find out more here on the UF Mindfulness website.
The University of Florida operates a Counseling and Wellness Center that provides services and information regarding mental health. Visit their website for more information.
The University of Florida’s Disability Resource Center’s website can connect you with resources if you need special accommodations or services.
UF’s U Matter, We Care program offers health & wellness programs as well as programs for students in distress.
Lawyers With Depression – Lawyers With Depression is a website that offers information on dealing with depression.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Toolkit for Law School Students and Those Who Care About Them – This toolkit from the American Bar Association provides substance abuse and mental health information and resources tailored for law students.
Sometimes law school can be overwhelming. Asking for help is beneficial. Healthy lawyers are successful lawyers. The college of law strongly encourages you to access necessary resources.
Academic stress is a major problem. Sacrificing sleep and other unhealthy habits can cause stress to compound, sometimes to the breaking point. Studies have shown that almost 40 percent of law students experience symptoms of anxiety or depression by the end of their third year.
These symptoms impact our bodies, can affect our ability to control our emotions and overall make it difficult to be at your best.
UF’s GatorWell Stress Management Program offers students strategies for managing stress including individual coaching
Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year olds in the United States and the second-leading cause of death for college-age students.UF Counseling & Wellness Center provides suicide prevention resources in addition to counseling services.
Call 911 immediately if you or someone you know is a danger to himself or herself.
We are here to support students experiencing difficult life events. If you are feeling anxious, lonely, confused, depressed, angry or just feeling overwhelmed, you may find it helpful to speak with a professional.
The Office of Student Affairs has a full-time counselor who provides confidential, short-term, personal counseling to students currently enrolled at the UF Levin College of Law. For long-term counseling, students may receive referral assistance to local providers. Extenuating circumstances will be considered when creating a plan to support the student and prior to a referral to community being made.
The counselor at times can also provide case management support as needed. Student may be provided support while connecting with resources both on and off campus. Support may also be provided to navigate health insurance coverage and find resources to help make counseling affordable. The counselor also provides support around concerns regarding food security, homelessness/housing insecurity, and navigating multiple relationships or resources on campus.
Ritzy welcomes the opportunity to meet with you! To request a counseling appointment, please click or scan the QR code to submit a Qualtrics survey:
Location
The Wellness Office is located in Holland Hall 357. Virtual appointments may also be scheduled.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is maintained barring when disclosure is required by law (e.g., danger to self, others, suspicion of abuse of children, the elderly or disabled). This information is not included in the official student records, nor is it disclosed to the administration, faculty or any licensing board without the student’s written consent.
Students needing to be seen immediately are to contact one of the following walk-in resources:
• Emergency Room, 911
• Counseling and Wellness Center, 352-392-1575 on Radio Road
• CART (Consultation and Referral Team) at the CWC located on the fourth floor of Peabody Hall or call 352-392-1575
• U Matter We Care, 352-294-2273
1. Emergency, 911
2. Counseling & Wellness Center, 352-392-1575
3. U Matter We Care, 352-294-2273
4. Student Health Care Center, 352-392-1161
5. Alachua County Crisis Center, 352-264-6789
6. Trevor Lifeline, 866-488-7386
7. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-TALK (8255)
8. UF Office of Victim Services 352-392-5648 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)
352-392-1111 (after business hours and on weekends)
Examples of situations when you may need immediate support include:
• You are in immediate danger of harming yourself.
• You are in immediate danger of hurting someone else.
• You experienced a recent sexual assault.
• Someone close to you died within the last week.
• You are distressed by hearing voices or seeing things others around you do not hear or see.
Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders (ANAD) – 888-375-7767
Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
Eating Disorders Anonymous
Lawyers with Depression
Mental Health America (MHA)
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
National Domestic Violence Hotline – 800-799-7233; text LOVEIS to 22522
National Eating Disorders Helpline – 800-931-2237; chat
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
National Sexual Assault Hotline run by RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) – 800-656-HOPE (4673)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 800-273-TALK (8255)
The Network/La Red Hotline – 800-832-1901
Overeaters Anonymous (OA)
Psych Central
SAFE Alternatives (Self-Abuse Finally Ends)
Trans Lifeline’s Peer Support Hotline – 877-565-8860
UF Law’s robust student community features groups that bring colleagues together with common interests and ambitions. Joining with others can be good for your career and your social life. Sharing trials and tribulations with people of like mind and interests can help defuse both tension and stress. For information about joining a student group, you can contact the Office of Student Affairs.
“Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.” – Albert Schweitzer
A friend’s well-being is more important than his or her grades, or his or her job status. If you think you have a friend in distress, please take action.
Ways to call for help:
UF Law is a welcoming place, and personal threats are rare. But it is wise to be alert to possible dangers anywhere, especially at night. The University of Florida campus features blue – and sometimes yellow – emergency telephones that put you immediately in touch with the University of Florida Police Department.
You can also contact UPD using the GatorSafe App, which is free and available from either the Google Play Store or the iTunes App Store. GatorSafe allows you to trigger a Mobile BlueLight to simultaneously send your location and call UFPD along with a personal safety toolbox with a flashlight, loud alarm, ability to send your location and much more.
A free nightly campus transportation service known as Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol (SNAP) is also regularly available during times of the year when classes are in session. SNAP operates from 6:30 pm to 3:00 am during the fall and spring semesters. The fastest, most recommended method to use SNAP is to download the TapRide SNAP app, which is free and available from either the Google Play Store or the iTunes App Store. Once you download the app, please choose the “University of Florida SNAP” location and log in with your Gatorlink account.
UF Student Government has partnered with Uber to provide 25% off Uber rides from 9:00pm to 3:00 am. T o redeem this discount, students just have to apply a unique promo code provided by UF’s Student Government in their Uber rider app. To access your promo code, visit UF’s Safe Rides page, then log in with your GatorLink info. Once you’re logged in, you’ll be provided with a promo code.
