The Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences Student Counseling Center’s mission is to provide a range of psychological services that serve to empower, support and assist students in the pursuit of their personal, professional and academic endeavors.
Our clinical services include individual and couples counseling, as well as medication management. All services are free and confidential; SCC records are separate from all other records on campus (including academic records and health records at Student Health Services). Topics commonly discussed in counseling include:
- Adjustment issues such as time management, test anxiety and balancing competing life and academic demands.
- Professional concerns such as communication/interviewing skills, professional integrity skills, rotation and specialty selection and imposter syndrome.
- Personal issues such as anxiety, depression, recovery from trauma, stress management and grief/loss.
- Interpersonal concerns such as conflict resolution, personal/professional relationship difficulties and effective communication.
All degree-seeking students currently enrolled at Des Moines University and in the state of Iowa are eligible for services at the Student Counseling Center. Partners of eligible students may participate in couples counseling with their partner, regardless of enrollment at DMU.
Scheduling an Appointment
Appointments can be scheduled by emailing counseling@dmu.edu, calling 515-271-1392 or visiting our office during business hours. Please note that counselors do not access email or voicemail during non-business hours or university holidays.
Location and Hours
Health and Wellbeing, First Floor
8025 Grand Avenue, West Des Moines, Iowa 50266
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday
Evening hours by appointment only
Crisis and Academic Live Care Services
In the case of an emergency, call 911.
For urgent situations during regular business hours, call the SCC at 515-271-1392 to set up a meeting with a DMU counselor.
For additional support, all enrolled students have access to Academic Live Care, regardless of their insurance provider. The services include:
- 24/7 “in-the-moment” counseling via phone, video, text or email.
- Unlimited access to ongoing teletherapy, telepsychiatry* and telenutrition counseling.
- Unlimited Urgent Care telehealth visits.
*Please note, telepsychiatry providers are not able to prescribe stimulant medications or medications classified as controlled substances.
ALC has providers nationwide and all services are free of charge using a DMU-specific website, service key and coupon code.
To access ALC’s 24/7 In-the-Moment counseling, call 855-850-4301 or text “hello” to 61295. To schedule appointments with ALC providers, visit the SCC’s Pulse page for more information.