Office of Victim Assistance

Welcome to the Office of Victim Assistance (OVA)

What we do

We provide free and confidential support, consultation, advocacy and short-term trauma counseling to all CU Boulder students, graduate students, staff and faculty who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic, disturbing or life-disrupting event. We also offer support for those who are helping a friend, partner, family member or colleague through a traumatic experience.

Please note: Our office does not investigate or make official judgements related to cases.

Learn more about our office

Office hours

Monday-Friday: 9a.m.-5p.m.

Please note: For phone support when OVA is closed please call 303-492-8855 to speak to a counseling professional.

Adjusted hours and closures

Phone and telehealth only: Dec. 20-24 and Jan. 2-3
Closed: Dec. 24 at 2 p.m.-Jan 1

How to get connected

Drop-in hours

No appointment necessary.

If you are feeling sick, please stay home and call to schedule a telehealth appointment.

Appointments

Can’t make it to our drop-in hours?

Call 303-492-8855 to schedule an in-person or telehealth appointment.

If you have an in-person appointment and feel sick, please stay home and call reschedule or change your appointment to telehealth.

Please note: Due to licensing restrictions, you must be in the state of Colorado to schedule a telehealth appointment. Advocacy phone calls are available when out of state.

After-hours support

If our office is closed, please call our 24/7 support line at 303-492-8855 and select “Option 2” to connect with a confidential counselor.

You can also connect with a variety of local and national 24/7 hotlines.

After-hours resources

Education and groups

We offer a variety of in-person and virtual training opportunities and presentations for students, staff and faculty. These are a great way to learn how to support a friend or colleague who has been impacted by a traumatic experience and more.

Presentations & groups

Students, staff and faculty can also get connected with OVA and share their experiences online through our confidential form. No information submitted through this form is shared with university officials or law enforcement.

Topic areas we can help with

Our office is here to support students, staff and faculty through a variety of experiences that happened recently or in the past. If you have questions about our services or how we can help, please call 303-492-8855 or email assist@colorado.edu.

For more information on any of these topic areas, please visit ourGet Helppage.

Experiences of bias and discrimination

Experiences include protected class harassment, bias, hate crimes or discrimination in relation to identity or protected class.

Harassment and sexual harassment

Experiences include one-time or ongoing incidents of harassment or unwelcome sexual attention.

Intimate Partner Abuse

Experiences of emotional, psychological, physical, financial, reproductive or sexual abuse by a current or past romantic partner, spouse or date.

Stalking

Experiences include a pattern of unwanted behaviors and/or contact that is causing impact, such as fear and/or a change in routine.

Sexual assault

Experiences include unwanted, non-consensual sexual contact.

Hazing

Experiences include any activity that degrades, humiliates or risks emotional and/or physical harm that are expected in order to join a group.

Serious accidents

Experiences include accidents that are incapacitating and seriously disrupt a person’s ability to function academically and/or have some type of police or criminal response.

Death

Experiences include those related to mass violence, community-based violence, disasters, homicide, accidents and/or crime.

Robbery and burglary

Experiences include theft through physical force, fear and/or unlawful entry into a home or business with the intent to commit crime.

Physical assault

Experiences include physical attack that may or may not cause injury.

Natural disasters and mass violence

Experiences include natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, fires and mass- or human-caused violence.

Predatory drugging

Experiences include someone using a substance to maliciously subdue another person.

Please note:

OVA can help with other potentially traumatic or disruptive events as well.

Please call 303-492-8855 for more information.

Read more about health and wellness

91Ƭ our name

You do not need to identify with the word victim to utilize our services. We recognize that the word ‘victim’ mayhold a stigma and some may not feel comfortable using or identifying with the word. Some people we work with identify with the word victim, some identify with the term survivor, and some do not identify with either. At OVA we will not label you or your experience, and we will use the words or terms that you are most comfortable using to identify your experience.

Our commitment to inclusion

We value diversity, equity, social justice, and inclusion and are committed to supporting students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. The Office of Victim Assistance shall maintain and promote a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, political affiliation/philosophy or veteran status. We acknowledge that providing culturally relevant trauma services is an ongoing process of learning that begins by looking within ourselves and honoring basic human rights. As individuals and as an agency, we are committed to responding effectively to social-cultural diversity.