How to Get Started

Making an Appointment

Appointments can be made by phone or in person at any point throughout the semester. Appointments cannot be made via email, and need to be made by the person seeking counseling. Every attempt will be made to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. In the case of urgent issues, students will be seen same day.

What to Expect at the Initial Appointment

Paperwork – Upon arrival for the first appointment, the student is asked to fill out electronic forms that gather contact information, demographics and informed consent. In addition, the student will complete a brief questionnaire and assessment of the student’s behaviors, concerns, eating and sleep patterns, etc. This questionnaire goes only to the counselor, who reads it and uses it to get a snapshot of the student’s situation before the session begins. This process takes approximately 15 minutes.

The Intake Interview - The purpose of your initial meeting with a counselor, or intake interview, is to gather information about the reason you are seeking our services and to decide if we can be of benefit to you. It is important to be open and honest during this process. The information you provide will help in your obtaining services that can meet your specific needs. Depending on the nature of your concerns, you may be offered individual counseling, group counseling or both. On occasion, the level of service you require or the particular problem for which you seek help cannot be provided by CAPS. If we are unable to provide the services you need, we will offer off-campus referrals.

Recommendations and next steps – Towards the end of the session the counselor will ask the student to identify their goals for counseling, any questions they may have, and will then summarize what he or she thinks the client had said and provide any recommendations or “next steps.”