Can you tell us anything more about the required phone call? Is there anything in writing anywhere about what they would want to know? Or is it more like you call the school counseling center and say (for example), "Listen, I'm horribly depressed and I really need to see someone soon. I feel a,b,c,d...."?

In my school counseling center setup, that's how it works. There's a little blurb about it on their webpage.