Therapy for College Students in New York — Using Your Student Health Plan

Your student health plan

Waitlists at the counseling center, a six-session cap, a therapist who's never had to explain their family to anyone — you have another option, and you're already paying for it.

If your school enrolled you in a student health insurance plan, it's a full health plan, and it covers outpatient therapy with any in-network provider — not just the campus center. We're in-network with the three carriers behind most New York student plans. Find your school below, then book; we verify the exact benefits before your first session. Studying in Florida instead? The Florida list is here.

Aetna Student Health

If your school uses Aetna, you're covered here.

Aetna Student Health is the largest carrier among New York's private colleges for 2026–27 — NYU and SVA moved to it this year. These plans run on the Aetna network, which we're in. See the Aetna Student Health guide — each school links to its own page.

UnitedHealthcare StudentResources

Every SUNY international student, and these campuses.

UHCSR is the systemwide plan for international students across all of SUNY, and the domestic plan at a number of schools. It uses UnitedHealthcare's network, which we're in. If you're an international student, the "be in New York at session time" rule is the only one that matters — your dorm counts.

All SUNY campuses — international students (systemwide plan)
Stony Brook University (domestic plan)
Hofstra University
Adelphi University
Yeshiva University / Cardozo Law
Vassar College
Colgate University
St. Lawrence University
Clarkson University
Niagara University
Marymount Manhattan College
LIU
Hobart & William Smith

Anthem · Blue Cross

Also in-network: schools on Anthem student plans.

Pace University
Bard College
Siena College
Union College
Albany College of Pharmacy

A few schools (Sarah Lawrence, Manhattan University, Molloy, Canisius, and Cooper Union) use Wellfleet plans, which generally run on the Cigna network — we're in-network with Cigna too, so ask us. CUNY doesn't offer a general student plan; if you're on a NY State of Health plan with Oscar, Oxford, Anthem, or UnitedHealthcare, we're likely in-network. Carrier assignments reflect school health-office publications for 2026–27 and change yearly — we confirm your plan before you're charged anything.

How it works

Four things, none of them hard.

Step 1

Find your insurance card

It's in your school's health portal or the carrier app. The carrier name on it is all we need to start — send a photo to info@liumentalhealth.com if you'd like us to check first.

Step 2

Book through Headway

Headway handles the insurance billing, so you see your copay up front. Most student plans put outpatient therapy at a flat copay per session.

Step 3

Be in New York at session time

Dorm, apartment, a quiet corner of the library with headphones — anywhere in the state works. Sessions are 50 minutes over secure, HIPAA-compliant video.

Step 4

Keep going through the year

Student plans typically run August to August, so coverage continues over winter break and the summer as long as you're in New York or Florida. Graduating? We'll talk about what changes before it does.

Student questions

Does my student health insurance cover therapy outside the campus counseling center?

Almost always, yes. Aetna Student Health, UnitedHealthcare StudentResources, and Anthem student plans are full health plans with outpatient mental health benefits, so you can see an in-network therapist in the community the same way you'd see any doctor. The campus counseling center is one option, not the only one.

Is Liu Mental Health Counseling in-network with Aetna Student Health?

Yes. We're in-network with Aetna, and Aetna Student Health plans — the ones used by Columbia, NYU, Cornell, Fordham, The New School, St. John's, SVA, Barnard, Syracuse, RIT, Rochester and others — run on the Aetna network. Billing goes through Headway, so you pay only your plan's copay. We confirm your specific plan before the first session.

What about UnitedHealthcare StudentResources?

We're in-network with UnitedHealthcare, and UHCSR plans — the systemwide plan for SUNY international students, plus Stony Brook, Hofstra, Adelphi, Yeshiva, Vassar, Colgate and others — use UnitedHealthcare's network. Same process: we check your benefits, then you book.

Will my parents see that I'm in therapy?

A student health plan is usually in your own name, so statements typically come to you, not to a parent. If you're on a parent's plan instead, the policyholder may receive an explanation of benefits — tell us and we'll walk you through what it does and doesn't show.

Do I have to be on campus for sessions?

No — sessions are online, from wherever you are. The one rule is that you need to be physically in New York (or Florida) at the time of the session, because that's where we're licensed. Studying in a dorm in Ithaca or an apartment in Queens both work; a summer at home in another state means we pause and pick back up in the fall.

My school is CUNY, or isn't on this list.

CUNY doesn't offer a general student plan; many CUNY students use NY State of Health marketplace plans, and if yours is Oscar, Oxford, Anthem, or UnitedHealthcare we're likely in-network. Wellfleet plans (Sarah Lawrence, Manhattan University, Molloy, Canisius, and Cooper Union) generally use the Cigna network, which we're also in. Whatever the card says, email it to us and we'll tell you within a day.

The plan your school enrolled you in already covers therapy. Most students never use it.