Welcome!
The UCSB Academic & Staff Assistance Program (ASAP) supports the health and well-being of faculty, staff, and family members. We assist with identifying, managing, and resolving work-related and personal concerns that may affect job performance and relationships. We offer confidential short-term therapy, consultation, wellness workshops, and assistance with threat management.
In crisis or feeling suicidal?
Help is available
Free 24/7 National Lifeline
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255
Free 24/7 Santa Barbara-area services
- CARES/ ACCESS
1-888-868-1649
- SAFTY Mobile Crisis Team/ Hotline
1-888-334-2777
Resources
- Campus Resources
- Trauma-Related Resources
- Insurance and Mental Health
- Local Community Resources
- Nationwide Mental Health Resources
- Spanish Resources / Recursos en espanol
Services
- Therapy
- Consultation
- Psychological Wellness Education
- Violence Prevention
In Crisis?
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Chemical Dependency Services
- Inpatient Medical Detox, 805-569-8339
- Residential Center, 805-569-7422
- Outpatient Treatment, 805-569-7422
For life threatening emergencies during the day or after hours, academic personnel, faculty, and staff members should call 911 and/or have a family member or friend take the individual to a local emergency room.
Contact an ASAP clinician to assist in a crisis situation during business hours and we will make every effort to respond. However, we may not be immediately available so it is important to follow the recommendations above.
Suicide Prevention Resources
Please Contact Us
Meet our dedicated team
Make an appointment
805.893.3318
kai.morquecho@hr.ucsb.edu
Pronouns: They/El/Ellos
Kai Morquecho is a recent UCSB graduate, having obtained a BA in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Comparative Literature. During their four undergraduate years at UCSB, Kai served as a Writing Tutor, a mentor liaison for the Undergraduate Program, and a Co-Chair for the Environmental Justice Alliance. As a senior mentor liaison, Kai directed students to the appropriate UCSB resources and administered a mentoring curriculum for personal and academic success under Dr. Virginia Beaufort. As a writing tutor, Kai helped create a lasting impact on domestic and international students' writing skills. Lastly, Kai served as a leader for the Environmental Justice Alliance, co-managing a large budget dedicated to community outreach and student engagement around environmental justice.
Born and raised in Mexico up until the age of 12, Kai is bilingual (Spanish speaking) and firmly committed to bridging the communication and resource access gaps experienced by Latinx immigrants and Spanish speaking people of color in general. Furthermore, as a transgender person of color, Kai aims to use their administrative knowledge and skills to help ensure that all individuals, regardless of their social and personal identities, have access to all that they need to live a rich, empowered life as it pertains to UCSB.
In their freetime, Kai enjoys painting and writing poetry, trying new restaurants with their mother, and taking their feline best friend, "Kylo", on walks. After working at a pet emergency room, Kai has also started using their spare time to build relationships with stray cats to rescue them and find them a home.
805.893.4477
pati.montojo@hr.ucsb.edu
Pronouns: she/her/hers/ella
Dr. Pati Montojo is a licensed psychologist in California. As a bicultural and bilingual Spanish-speaking Latina, she is committed to providing culturally sensitive clinical and consultation services and interventions. Pati’s interests are driven by her personal experiences and professional training in her doctoral studies at UCSB.
Pati is originally from the Bay Area where she obtained her Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University. She subsequently earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology (CCSP) at UCSB. She completed her pre-doctoral fellowship at the APA accredited Albany Psychology Internship Consortium consisting of the Albany Medical College/Albany Medical Center, the Capital District Psychiatric Center, and the Samuel S. Stratton VA Medical Center in New York. Pati completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Child Trauma Research Program at the University of California San Francisco and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Pati was an adjunct faculty member and clinical supervisor at Palo Alto University from 2015-2017. She returned to UCSB as a Licensed Psychologist in Human Resources in 2018 where she received training and experience in organizational management and development. She obtained her current role in December 2019. Pati looks forward to collaborating with individuals and departments across campus.
805.893.4358
melissa.cordero@hr.ucsb.edu
Pronouns: she/her/hers/ella
Dr. Melissa Cordero is a bilingual, Spanish-speaking psychologist and certified yoga teacher. As a bicultural Latina therapist, she is committed to providing culturally sensitive consultation, treatment, and workshops for faculty and staff.
Dr. Cordero is originally from Los Angeles and received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Harbor UCLA, specializing in trauma and working with underserved populations. She was initially hired under the Department of Education grant to restore the campus climate after the Isla Vista tragedy. She initiated programs at UCSB CAPS focused on healing the body through non-verbal trauma therapies, such as Yoga as Healing, Healing with the Beat of a Different Drum, and Healing with Yoga and Sound.
Dr. Cordero specializes in working with underrepresented individuals impacted by racism, discrimination, interpersonal, complex, and collective trauma, as well as multicultural, spirituality, LGBTQ+, and other diversity issues that may present themselves in the workplace. Her current work focuses on applying alternative treatment approaches to various challenges that can impact staff and faculty. She looks forward to serving our campus community.
805.893.3318
isabel.lopez@hr.ucsb.edu
Pronouns: she/her/hers/ella
Isabel López is a third-year doctoral student at UCSB in the department of Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology (CCSP) with a Counseling Psychology emphasis. She is originally from the San Fernando Valley and received both her B.A. (Psychology-Honors) and M.A. (Clinical Psychology) from California State University, Northridge. During her master’s education, she gained experience working with community mental health centers to evaluate level of care for underserved populations. As a proud child of immigrants from both Mexican and Bolivian backgrounds, Isabel embraces her roots and dedicates her work to appreciating and honoring the narratives of underrepresented populations. In both her research and clinical work, Isabel values cultural humility and strives to produce culturally relevant work and deliver culturally sensitive services. Moreover, as a bilingual Latina, Isabel looks forward to providing services in Spanish and creating space for individuals to feel welcomed, heard, and cared for.
805.893.3318
kathryn.roberts@hr.ucsb.edu
Pronouns: she/they
Kathryn Roberts is a second year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Originally from Maryland, she holds a BA in Spanish and International Business from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and spent several years working in finance and as a small business owner before moving to California and completing her MA in Depth Psychology with a Somatics Specialization at Pacifica.
Kathryn's therapeutic and research focus initially began as an inquiry into body image and eating issues, exploring the ways in which eating issues were so frequently not about literal food, but instead reflected unknown parts of the self that needed attention. This psychodynamic perspective paired well with somatic theory, which holds that the lived experience of the body is an integral component of how any experience becomes meaningful. The research has since shifted to focus on the ways in which systems of power and body norms impact self-relation and identity, and how interrogating those systems and expanding body fluency could lead to individual and collective liberation.
In her free time, Kathryn enjoys needlepointing, playing games with her neighborhood pod, learning new languages, and exploring Santa Barbara on bike and on foot. She looks forward to working with the UCSB community.
ASAP is located in the Human Resources office on the 3rd floor of the Student Affairs and Administrative Services Building (SAASB). We are in the same building as the campus Visitor's Center.
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Phone: 805.893.3318
Email: asap@hr.ucsb.edu
Submit an
HR ServiceNow Ticket
At times you may receive the voicemail, we will return your call as soon as possible.
In emergency situations, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
Services We Provide
Some concerns are hard to leave at home. Some concerns are hard to leave at work.
Therapy
Therapy is available for academic personnel, faculty or staff members with a personal and/or work-related concern, and is provided on a short-term basis. An Intake session is approximately 50 minutes, and may include treatment recommendations, resources, and referrals. ASAP crisis intervention and counseling services are available for employees and their families affected by COVID-19.
Please call (805) 893-3318 or email asap@hr.ucsb.edu to schedule an appointment. Common concerns we address in counseling are related to drugs and alcohol, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, couples/family problems, stress, anger management, thoughts of self harm/suicide/harm to others, and a wide variety of work-related difficulties.
Free individual therapy and referral assistance in areas including:
- Alcohol and/or Other Drug Misuse
- Anger in the Workplace
- Anger Management
- Anxiety and Stress Management
- Coping with Change and Loss
- Crisis Intervention
- Depression
- Difficult Work Relationships
- Eldercare
- Grief and Loss
- Marriage and Relationship Issues
- Personal Problems
- Substance Abuse in the Workplace
- Violence & Trauma in the Workplace
- Work Related Problems
Consultation
Consultation is typically with a manager, supervisor, dean or faculty member about a work-related concern such as a specific employee or department-level matter. Consultations can be provided on the phone and/or in person.
Psychological Wellness Education
Psychological wellness education is designed to promote workplace well-being for work groups, teams, and departments. Workshops and ASAP facilitated meetings can include development of both skills and processes.
Violence Prevention
Violence prevention and mitigation services include coordinating resources and assisting individuals, supervisors, and administrators with responses that reduce risk, prevent violence, resolve conflict, and reduce the occurrence of disruptive conduct.
Additional Resources
Insurance / Mental Health Resources
Campus Resources
Local Community Resources