UHS is committed to providing affirming care for all of our student communities and our services and resources are open to all students. We encourage you to explore our resources for your holistic wellness and care. This webpage provides important information and topics around the Black student communities on campus.
Medical Services
Students can use the medical services at UHS just as they would at their regular doctor's office and urgent care center. Our facility is fully accredited, and staffed by licensed and board-certified physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nutritionists, and nurses.
Manage your health online, anytime, anywhere, with the MyUCBerkeleyHealth patient portal. Schedule appointments, transfer/refill prescriptions, send secure messages, see lab results, order STI and pregnancy tests, and more!
Health Coaching
Professional health educators provide free lifestyle and behavior guidance to increase academic and personal success on topics like time management, procrastination, resilience and stress management, exercise, and sexuality.
Mental Health Counseling
Our African American Mental Health Initiative centers African American student experiences and provides students with a confidential space to be seen by a licensed therapist who will collaborate with them on an individual wellness plan. Support varies by each student's need.
In addition to academic stress, many Black/African American students may experience stress related to navigating systemic and institutional racism, familial responsibilities, housing, financial insecurity, challenges in friendships or relationships, intersectional identities, or a sense of belonging on campus. Undoubtedly, any of these concerns can negatively impact one’s motivation, ability to focus, mood, self-esteem, sense of self-worth, and overall wellness.
Moreover, experiencing or witnessing racial injustice can lead to a range of difficult emotions, such as shock, fear, sadness, anger, grief, helplessness, or guilt. Culturally affirming and trauma-informed counseling is free and available for all UC Berkeley students. We have a counselors on staff who have deep experience in supporting for Black/African American students on campus.
Whether you’re experiencing one of the concerns mentioned above, or have something else on your mind, we encourage you to contact our office if you (or someone you know) would like to get started with a counselor or for more information: (510) 642-9494. No concern is too big or too small to meet with a counselor.
Let's Talk Consultation with a Black Counselor, Fall 2025
Let's Talk Drop-In Consultations are informal, brief, free consultations with UHS mental health counselors.
Fall 2025 Schedule with Black Counselors
- Tuesdays, 1pm-2pm
- Thursdays 3-4pm, 4-5pm
- Fridays, 1-3pm
View the black counselor's bios and the full list of Let's Talk Drop-In Consultations with UHS mental health counselors.
Group Counseling and Workshops
View the most recent schedule on our group counseling webpage. Please call (510) 642-9494 to join or register on this EmailMe Form to get started. Once you complete the brief form, the group facilitator will be in touch with you via secure message on your patient portal to help you get started If you are interested in joining after the listed start date, please give us a call as there may still be openings or new groups starting.
Explore our groups based on topics for various communities on campus or skills-based topics.
Meet Some of Our Student Mental Health Counselors
Student Mental Health Counselors
Jackie Chin, MA (She/her)
Doctoral Psychology Intern
Miyanna Clements-Williamson, MSW (She/Her/Hers)
2nd Year Post-MSW Clinical Social Work Fellow
Ebony Ellis, LCSW (She/Her/Hers)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Jaiza Jones, LCSW (they/them)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Black Mental Health Coordinator
Darius Taylor, LCSW (He/Him)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Tobirus Newby, LCSW (he/him)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Claytie Davis III, PhD (he/him)
Licensed Psychologist
African American Student Development Center (AASD)
African American Student Development Center (AASD) - AASD coordinates academic development activities and services that address the specific needs of African American students on campus. Activities include the Annual Student Orientation, Staff-Faculty and Peer Mentoring Programs, the Howard Exchange Program, The BlackBoard Resource Calendar, Kwanzaa, Black History Month, community service/serving learning opportunities, academic support, advising and referral, internships, freshman orientation classes, and more. Maintains a comprehensive list of Black/African-American student organizations on campus.
Black Student Union (BSU)
Black Student Union (BSU) - The BSU at UC Berkeley serves as the unifying body for Black organizations and the Black student body on campus.
Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center
In response to disciplined organizing by UC Berkeley’s Black Student Union and its set of demands for institutional change, a new Black student resource center has been established on campus – the latest progress in UC Berkeley’s African American Initiative. The Fannie Lou Hamer Resource Center, named after the Black voting rights activist and civil rights leader, will serve the academic, social, cultural, and political needs of the campus’ Black community. The center addresses a critical call by students for a safe convening environment and creates space and opportunity for Black students and organizations to organize and engage in academic, social-cultural, leadership, community development, and networking activities. The space will also enhance exchanges with faculty, alumni, and community stakeholders. The center is located in the Hearst Field Annex east of Sproul Hall.
2018 Message from UHS Leadership
University Health Services understands that historical mistreatment of Black people has led to the potential for great mistrust of the medical community.
Tragically and unforgivably, the medical profession has in the past had a hand in a number of inhumane practices including savage treatment during slavery, the infamous Tuskegee experiments on Black men, and the inhumane experiences of Black women being sterilized against their will and often without their knowledge.
To truly serve a diverse population, medical, mental health, and public health practitioners must at a minimum operate with cultural competency, and the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures to help ensure that all community members’ needs are addressed. We strive to go beyond that and practice cultural humility, maintaining a willingness to suspend what we think we know about a person based on generalizations about their culture and instead being open to what they themselves have determined is their expression of their heritage and culture. We make a lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and self-critique; to redressing historical power imbalances in the patient-practitioner relationship; and to developing mutually beneficial relationships with communities.
We strive for continuous improvement through our equity and inclusion strategic plan, our ongoing cultural competency training specifically tailored to clinicians, multicultural training for all career staff, and by engaging directly with UC Berkeley’s Black community. Our doors are always open: please tell us what we can do better: telltang@berkeley.edu.