Oakton's Counseling Services seeks to provide a safe, inviting and inclusive environment. Our team honors and reflects the diversity that makes up our community, and we partner with each student on their path to mental health and wellness. Through free individual counseling, group therapy, events, workshops and resources/referrals we support current students (in-person and remotely) with identity-affirming and trauma-informed care.
To make an appointment:
Call: 847.635.1885
Email: wellness@oakton.edu
Visit: Room 1200 (Des Plaines), Room B233 (Skokie)
Personal counseling is free and available to currently enrolled Oakton students.
Group counseling is free, and there are no session limits, but there are limited types of group therapy.
Wellness programming and events are free and open to the campus community.
As you prepare for your initial appointment, please know that some issues are beyond the Oakton Counseling team's scope or require longer-term care. In these cases, our role will be to support you with referrals.
Oakton's Counseling Team can connect you with a number of community resources. Behavioral/Mental Health resources are therapy practices in our local area. Emotional Distress/Crisis numbers respond to immediate needs. Online counseling services are website and app-based tools. Online databases are search engines that we recommend to find therapists suited for your particular issue.
Behavioral/Mental HealthEmotional Distress/CrisisOnline Counseling Services Online Databases to Search for a Therapist
If you or someone you know has attempted suicide and needs immediate medical attention, or suicide is imminent, call 911 immediately.
During regular operating hours, counselors are available to respond to crises and unexpected events that impact students. To connect with a counselor during a crisis, contact the Wellness Center at either campus at 847.635.1885 or stop by the Wellness Center, Room 1200, Des Plaines, or Room A175 Skokie. After hours, please contact Oakton's Public Safety.
Emergency/Crisis Numbers:
Assess your thoughts, moods, and actions to gauge shifts in your behavioral health with MindWise. After this brief questionnaire, you will receive immediate and anonymous results. It will also provide access to resources and key recommendations.
Togetherall is an online community where you can connect with other students facing similar mental health challenges, receive support and feel less alone. Trained healthcare professionals are available as wall guides 24/7.
Use your Oakton e-mail to sign-up for free.
In addition to the clinical services we offer, the Wellness Center also promotes better health for mind and body through campus-wide programming and to specific groups upon request. Programming takes many formats including awareness and screening events, information tabling, virtual interactive games, wellness giveaways, film screenings, and workshops.
Upon request, Wellness Center staff can also design and provide outreach or programming to specific campus groups on topics such as stress, coping with loss, procrastination, sexual assault, mindfulness, body image, etc. Please call 847.635.1885 or email us at wellness@oakton.edu to inquire.
Check back here for upcoming events:
Our counselors are ready and eager to help you.
Mel Battistoni
(they/them), M.S.Ed., LCPC - Des Plaines
Clinical interests: LGBTQIA+, neurodiversity, identity exploration, eating disorders, relational psychotherapy, group therapy
Mark Kiel
(he/him), Clinical Psychologist - Des Plaines
Clinical interests: identity issues, group dynamics, eating disorders
Keith Morgan
(he/him), LCSW - Des Plaines and Skokie
Clinical interests: life transitions, trauma, men's mental health, LGBTQA+ students
Katia Muñoz
(she/hers), MSW, LSW - Des Plaines and Skokie
Clinical interests: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) mental health, trauma, relationships, identify and personal growth
Bi-lingual: English and Spanish
Rebecca Hamilton Niño
(she/hers), MA, LCPC - Des Plaines
Clinical interests: trauma, nervous system regulation, relational psychotherapy, wellness programming
Herma Prieto
(she/hers) - Des Plaines Counseling Service Assistant
Johnique Smith
(she/hers), M.A., NCC - Des Plaines and Skokie
Clinical interests: Anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, stress management, relationship and family issues, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)
Amy Wu
(she/hers), MS, LMFT - Des Plaines and Skokie
Clinical interests: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) mental health, immigration and acculturation, racial trauma, relationship and family issues
Counseling records are kept separate from all other Academic records to ensure your confidentiality. Records are maintained in an electronic database stored in a secured, password-protected environment and accessible only to Oakton counseling staff.
Information obtained during counseling sessions is not disclosed to anyone without your knowledge and written consent. If you do provide written consent allowing us to disclose information, you may cancel that (in writing) at any time. Once we have received your cancellation, we will not disclose any additional information.
The only exceptions to these strict confidentiality rules are rare instances where psychologists and counselors are required to reveal information by federal, state, or local laws. These exceptions come into play when:
Social Networking and Confidentiality
Oakton counseling staff will not accept friend or contact requests on social networking sites from clients or students with whom they have professional relationships (including trainees and student employees). This policy exists to minimize the potential for online relationships that could compromise client confidentiality and the privacy of both clients and staff.