We understand the importance of maintaining good physical and mental health while pursuing your law studies. We are committed to holistic wellness and support for you. We offer a range of health and wellness services to support you during your time on campus.
Our dedicated healthcare professionals are here to address some of your basic healthcare needs.
If you’re feeling under the weather or need medical advice, our Nurse Practitioner, Tina Lesevic is available on campus three days a week to provide guidance, assistance, and referrals. She can address a wide range of health concerns and provide expert medical advice. The services offered include routine health check-ups, minor illness assessments, flu vaccinations, and first aid treatments for injuries. Whether it’s a common cold or general health inquiries, our students can access competent healthcare assistance right here on campus. Email: tina.lesevic@law.cuny.edu for an appointment.
CUNY has created a special keyword that CUNY students can text to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor 24/7. Text messaging is easy to access and is key to addressing the unmet mental health needs of CUNY students. Through its partnership with Crisis Text Line, CUNY will help students in crisis manage difficult situations and connect to mental health resources, both on and off campus. If you are a CUNY student who is feeling stressed, depressed, or anxious, text CUNY to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor 24/7. Share with your friends and classmates who might be interested in using this resource!
Your mental well-being is a high priority. Our campus also offers counseling services to help you navigate any personal or emotional challenges you may be facing. Our licensed therapists are trained to provide confidential support, whether you’re dealing with stress, anxiety, or other mental health concerns.
Your well-being matters to us, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Wellness office at mentalwellness@law.cuny.edu. We’re dedicated to helping you thrive both academically and personally. All services for enrolled students are free of charge.
A crisis is a situation that requires prompt attention but does not immediately threaten life or physical safety. If you are experiencing a crisis, you can use the CUNY Crisis Textline and text 741741 any day at any time.
A healthy and normal part of being in a community is addressing and resolving conflicts, which we know will occur. However, when left unaddressed or unresolved, we acknowledge that conflicts can cause individuals and our community stress, anxiety, and other negative consequences that cause individuals and our community to be unwell. As a result, Student Affairs offers conflict resolution, alternative dispute resolution services (including restorative justice and mediation), and other services.
If you want to speak with someone about a conflict that you are having, Student Affairs professionals are available to you. Remember, just because you speak with someone for support or guidance regarding a conflict does not mean that you need to confront the person(s) with whom you are in conflict about the issue or concern. Sometimes speaking with someone is enough to help you move forward.
Always start by contacting the Student Affairs Office, and having a conversation with us. We’ll be able to connect you with more resources.
We partner with the New York Lawyers Assistance Program (LAP) on events and programs, but LAP services are available to students daily. The New York City Bar Lawyer Assistance Program (NYC LAP) is a FREE, CONFIDENTIAL service, available to attorneys, judges, law students, and their family members, in New York City, who are struggling with alcohol or drug abuse, depression, anxiety, stress, as well as other addictions and mental health issues.
LAP’s confidential hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week: 212-302-5787
Our counselors are committed to the delivery of culturally competent services that honor and are responsive to the needs, strengths, and identities of our diverse student community. To support the mental, social, cognitive, and emotional health of our community, psychological counselors intentionally and continuously strive to develop and provide services that contribute to the promotion of social justice, inclusivity, and equity.
Contact our Mental Health Services Office to Speak with a counselor or make a referral
We are committed to providing a safe and secure academic environment free of sexual harassment, gender-based harassment, and other forms of sexual misconduct. If you need to speak with someone regarding Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, or Domestic Violence, you may contact the Title IX Coordinator or Deputy Title IX Coordinator.
Additional information, relevant policies, and resources are available in our Office of Equal Opportunity & Diversity section.
Focusing in class, feeling part of the campus community, having sustenance while on the go, and completing law school all call for the ability to procure and access nutrient-rich foods. We also recognize the stigma around food insecurity and the lack of resources for those living in food deserts. As such, CUNY and the Law School offer several forms of support.
Talk to someone about nutrition
Healthy food options are essential to students’ ability to focus in class, excel academically, and meet their obligations outside of the classroom. We know students struggle planning for healthy food options or finding the time to eat healthy and convenient meals on the go. If you are struggling with or are concerned about your nutrition, or if you just want to learn more about what healthy eating can look like for you, we encourage you to reach out to the Law School’s nurse practitioner with questions or concerns.
Email our nurse practitioner tina.lesevic@law.cuny.edu for resources or to make an appointment.
Students can request an appointment using the online form, but during the COVID-19 pandemic or during periods when Law School operations are remote, students must also set up appointments to enter the building through the process outlined online (including emailing
In partnership with The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, CUNY Law offers students the ability to request $25 monthly food vouchers to help defray this expense.
Limited exclusively to CUNY Law students, and available on a first-come, first-served basis, vouchers are sent directly from Key Food to the mailing address provided on the application. Requests are limited to one at a time to allow for as many students as possible to participate each month. Should we receive more requests than vouchers are available in a month, requests will be placed on the waitlist for vouchers to be received the following month.
Please be sure to use your voucher as soon as you receive it. Vouchers not used within one calendar year are subject to a $2 per month dormancy fee. To find out locations where the vouchers are accepted near you, use Key Food’s store locator.
Complete this form to be connected with a Student Navigator or text
A list of external community food resources is maintained by the City University of New York for all CUNY students.
Please be sure to confirm hours of operation by calling or emailing the location or organizers ahead of any visit to an external site as this list is not maintained by our offices.
Our dedicated spaces provide students with the opportunity to engage in self-care practices. Though some are student-specific, many include invitations to faculty and staff who are also committed to social justice work that requires reflection, rest, and repair. All of our wellness programs take into account the unique needs of our population and the inherent need for a focus on wellness as we engage in social justice and public interest work.
These 45-minute yoga classes will offer time to check-in with your stress levels, connect with your body, and make movement-based choices. Weekly themes: Connect, Anchor, Experience, Restore, Empower, Resilience, Intention, Mindfulness, […]
These 45-minute yoga classes will offer time to check-in with your stress levels, connect with your body, and make movement-based choices. Weekly themes: Connect, Anchor, Experience, Restore, Empower, Resilience, Intention, Mindfulness, […]
All events on this calendar are open to the public, or our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and supporter audiences. Faculty, staff, and students: To list your event please complete the SUBMISSION FORM.
Once posted, all events appear on digital signage and in our Monday morning weekly “Upcoming Events” email.
Events are wheelchair accessible. For disability-related accommodations, contact the organizer of the event. Advance notice is kindly requested.
We host weekly and additional meditation sessions, including guided and silent mediation and meditation that incorporate song, music, and art.
We bring in outside practitioners to teach simple, stress-relieving self-care massage techniques. In these workshops, you will learn acupressure holds stretches, and basic massage you can perform on yourself or with another person, to bring a sense of calm, pain relief, and a moment of solace to your day when things start to feel overwhelming.
We host a variety of experts to provide workshops related to Somatics. Somatics usually describes a practice that uses the mind-body connection to relieve pain, discomfort, or tension that we often hold in our physical bodies. These practices are designed to make participants more aware of the physical manifestations of stress and trauma and help participants relieve and manage those physical manifestations.
We recognize the long hours students spend seated reading, studying, or on the computer. The need to move one’s body is integral to overall wellness and good health. We host a variety of wellness events and programs that integrate movement into students’ lives.
Our mission is to make quality health care and health education available to all of our students in order to contribute to your academic success and personal growth.
Eligible students and their families can sign up for Medicaid, Child Health Plus and the Essential Plan all year round through the Marketplace. To view health insurance options available on the Marketplace, visit the NY State of Health Official Health Plan Marketplace website or call 1-855-355-5777. For more information about health insurance options, visit the Office of Citywide Health Insurance Access (OCHIA) NYC Health Insurance Link, or find out when you can speak with an Enrollment Navigator on your campus by visiting your campus Health Services Center.
Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide free or low-cost coverage to millions of Americans, including some people with limited incomes, families and children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities. There’s no limited enrollment period for Medicaid or CHIP. You can apply any time, even outside the Marketplace Open Enrollment period.
For more information about health insurance options, visit the Office of Citywide Health Insurance Access NYC Health Insurance Link.
Guide to Health Insurance and Health Care Services for Immigrants in New York City (English)
Graduating? What are your plans for health insurance?
Did you know that students who graduate from college may have an opportunity to enroll in affordable health coverage through NY State of Health? Below is information that may be useful for students who are about to graduate.
NY State of Health, the state’s official health plan Marketplace is where New Yorkers can shop, compare and enroll in a quality, affordable health plan and qualify for financial assistance to reduce their costs. When an enrollment period ends, students may still be able to enroll in a health plan if they qualify for free or low-cost coverage, or if they enroll within 60 days of a Qualifying Life Event.
Qualifying Life Events include:
More Resources & Information
Alcohol
Alcohol (ethanol) is toxic to the human body. It is a central nervous system depressant that slows bodily functions such as heart rate, pulse and respiration. Taken in large quantities, it progressively causes intoxication, sedation, unconsciousness, and even death if consumed in large amounts. Alcoholics can often consume large quantities of alcohol without appearing to be drunk or uncontrolled. Nevertheless, alcoholism causes severe emotional, physical and psychological damage. Prolonged heavy drinking can damage various organs, resulting in disorders such as cirrhosis of the liver, heart disease, pancreatis and cancer. It can also lead to gastrointestinal irritation (nausea, diarrhea, gastritis, ulcers), malnutrition, sexual dysfunction, high blood pressure, lowered resistance to disease, and possible irreversible brain and nervous system damage. Alcoholism can also lead to a wide variety of problems involving one’s emotional, family, work and social life.
Tobacco
The Department of Health and Human Services, the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization have determined that nicotine, the chief component of tobacco, is a highly addictive drug. Forty years ago the first report of the Surgeon General of the United States was issued on the impact of tobacco use on health. This 1964 report presented stark conclusions: that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer and is the most significant cause of chronic bronchitis. The report linked tobacco smoking with emphysema and other forms of cancer. The health hazards of tobacco use are now well documented and directly linked to the death of an estimated 390,000 Americans a year.
Recent studies have shown that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke is associated with the occurrence of many diseases, such as lung cancer and heart disease in nonsmokers and low birthrate in the offspring of nonsmokers. Because environmental tobacco smoke represents one of the strongest sources of indoor air contaminants in buildings where smoking is permitted, The City University has adopted a policy that prohibits smoking inside all University facilities (buildings). College presidents are free to impose a total ban on smoking on their grounds, or provide for limited smoking areas outside of buildings, a set distance from a building’s entrance.
Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight
Healthy Eating
From time to time, CUNY students or employees may contract an infectious disease that can be spread through casual contact. In such circumstances, which could impact the health and safety of the CUNY community, students and employees should follow this protocol. If a student or an employee is in doubt whether an infectious disease is covered, he/she should contact the campus our office.
When students contract an infectious disease that can be spread through casual contact, they should immediately report it to the campus Health Services Director. If the campus Health Services Director is unavailable, they should report it to the campus Chief Student Affairs Administrator. If the Student Affairs office is closed, they should report it to the campus Public Safety office. When employees contract an infectious disease that can be spread through casual contact, they should immediately report it to the Director of Human Resources, who is responsible for reporting it to the campus Health Services Director. If the Human Resources office is closed, they should report it to the campus Public Safety office. Employees should also inform their supervisor or department chair.
When a child in the campus Child Care Center contracts an infectious disease, the Child Care Center Director should report it to the campus Health Services Director and to the campus Chief Student Affairs Administrator. If the campus Health Services Director is unavailable and the Student Affairs office is closed, the Child Care Center Director should report it to the campus Public Safety office.
The campus Public Safety office should report cases involving students to the campus Chief Student Affairs Administrator, cases involving employees to the Director of Human Resources, and cases involving a child in the campus Child Care Center to the Health Services Director and to the Chief Student Affairs Administrator.
Please note the following information for CUNY School of Law:
Reporting should include as much information as possible, including:
Members of the University community who become aware of a student or an employee who has contracted an infectious disease that can be spread through casual contact are also encouraged to contact the campus Health Services Director or the Director of Human Resources, as appropriate, with that information.
The campus Health Services Director is responsible for notifying the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (as required), and other appropriate campus officials via e-mail or phone, and for notifying the University Director of Environmental, Health, Safety, and Risk Management and the University Director of Mental Health and Wellness Services via e-mail to HEALTH-REPORTING@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU. If the Health Services Director is unavailable, the Chief Student Affairs Administrator is responsible for cases involving students and the Director of Human Resources is responsible for cases involving employees.
Confidentiality of personal information, including medical information and the name of the individual, must be respected to the fullest extent possible. Such information shall be disclosed only on a need-to-know basis.
If contact tracking is required, the campus Health Services Director is responsible for coordinating with NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the campus Registrar and the Chief Student Affairs Administrator, for students, or the Director of Human Resources, for employees. Once contact tracking is complete, or if contact tracking is not required, the campus Health Services Director must document the tracking or the decision not to track.
Seasonal influenza (also known as the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The flu is different from a cold. The flu usually comes on suddenly and may include these symptoms:
Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, also can occur but are more common in children than adults
These symptoms are usually referred to as “flu-like symptoms.”
How To Know if You Have the Flu
Your respiratory illness might be the flu if you have sudden onset of body aches, high fever, and respiratory symptoms, and your illness occurs during the usual flu season in the Northern Hemisphere. However, during this time, other respiratory illnesses can cause similar symptoms to the flu. In addition, influenza can also occur outside of the typical flu season. It is impossible to tell for sure if you have the flu based on symptoms alone. Doctors can perform tests to see if you have the flu if you are in the first few days of your illness. Regardless of if you have influenza-like symptoms, it’s best to take care of yourself.
At Risk Groups
Anyone can get the flu (even healthy people), and serious problems from influenza can happen at any age. Certain individuals are “high risk” and should talk to a health care provider about whether they need to be examined if they get influenza-like symptoms this season.
They include:
Pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections are three examples of complications from flu. The flu can make chronic health problems worse. For example, people with asthma may experience asthma attacks while they have the flu, and people with chronic congestive heart failure may have worsening of this condition that is triggered by the flu.
*Information from CDC and Flu.gov.
NYC Health Clinics – New York City Health Department clinics offer patients sexual health, immunization and tuberculosis (TB) services, regardless of immigration status. If you do not have health insurance and cannot pay the fee, you can still get services.
Public Health Services – The NYC Health Department offers a range of services for NYC residents.
NYC Health Map – Looking for a low- or no-cost clinic? Wondering where your neighborhood Farmers Market is located and its hours of operation? Trying to figure out your options on how to quit smoking for good?
These and other location-based health services are available by address, zip code or borough through the NYC Health Map.
The New York City Abortion Access Hub provides confidential help finding an abortion provider, scheduling an appointment, getting financial assistance, and finding transportation and lodging. This help is available regardless of immigration status. You do not need to live in New York City to contact the Abortion Access Hub or receive a referral.
Phone: 1-877-NYC-AHUB (1-877-692-2482)
Live Chat
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Hub does not collect or record any of your identifying information, and your phone number will be hidden.
What To Expect
When you contact the Abortion Access Hub, you will be connected to a staff member who will ask you simple questions to assess how far along your pregnancy is, what type of abortion service you prefer, what borough you would like services in, and when.
When you call, you will also be asked if you have health insurance and if you need financial assistance, or help finding lodging and transportation. The Hub can make an appointment for you. Interpretation services are available.
When you use the live chat, you will be asked if you have health insurance. Based on your responses, you will be given a list of providers to call so that you can make your appointment. Chat is only available in English and Spanish.
Life can be stressful. It can be hard to keep up with the demands of study, work, and living in NYC. With the 10 Minute Mind, you can learn to manage your stress in only 10 short minutes a day. Mindfulness has been scientifically proven to reduce stress, increase focus, and support feelings of wellbeing.
Each day, you will be emailed a short, guided mindfulness track every morning. All you need to do is take 10 minutes to sit somewhere quiet, put your headphones on, and listen.
The New York City Bar Lawyer Assistance Program (NYC LAP) is a FREE, CONFIDENTIAL service, available to attorneys, judges, law students, and their family members, in New York City, who are struggling with alcohol or drug abuse, depression, anxiety, stress, as well as other addictions and mental health issues.
This was taken from CUNY Law’s Continuing Legal Education course, “The Danger Zone: When Stress, Burnout and Chronic Overwork Collide with Ethics.”
The American Bar Association Podcast: The Pathway to Law Student Well-Being