Making an Appointment with CAPS

Step 1: Call CAPS at 435-865-8621 for information on accessing our "Request for Counseling"

If you’d like to participate in counseling services, the first step is to give us a call. Our front desk staff will be able to give you information on our available services and answer any questions you might have, we will then give you direction on how to access our request for services. The request includes demographic information, information about your difficulties, a one-page description of “Rights and Responsibilities” to review and sign, and our tele-counseling consent form to review and sign. Students are welcome to call our office any time during business hours (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm; Thursday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm) to complete this request. The intake request generally takes about 20 to 30 minutes and will need to be filled out during business hours. 

**Please be advised that the staff of the Counseling and Psychological Services Office do NOT maintain 24-hour access to phone calls and/or email. If this is an after hours emergency, please use one or more of the following resources : 1) Call 911, 2) Call Campus Police at (435) 586-1911, 3) Go to the nearest emergency room.**

Step 2: We contact you for a TRIAGE appointment

Once we have received your request for counseling, our front desk staff will contact you to schedule a pre-counseling or triage appointment. During a triage appointment, you will meet with a counselor who will go over resources and options both offered on campus through our office as well as within the community. These appointments are usually brief, taking about 30 minutes. The fee for a no-show triage appointment is $20.

Step 3: We contact you for an INTAKE appointment

Once you have been assigned a counselor our front desk staff will contact you either by phone or email to schedule your first appointment. During your initial appointment, your counselor will ask you about your concerns, review some of your personal history, and explain our counseling services. The fee for a no-show intake appointment is $30.

While You Wait

Due to the high volume of requests for counseling services it may take some time before you are assigned. Check out our Mental Health Clinical Resources, our COVID Survival Guide, or reach out to us about our available groups while you wait!

Important Information about Scheduling an Appointment

Counseling services are free for SUU students, and are supported in part by student fees. We ask that students respect limited counseling resources by providing 24 hours notice if they need to reschedule or cancel an appointment. Providing 24 hours notice allows CAPS to make that appointment time available to another student. When students "no show" for an appointment or provide less than 24 hours notice before missing an appointment, CAPS charges a fee and places a hold on student accounts until the fee is paid. The fee for missing an intake appointment is $30. The fee for missing a counseling appointment is $20.

Occasionally the intake counselor, in consultation with other clinical staff, will recommend that you seek services outside CAPS. This may be because your situation suggests you will benefit from, or need, longer term services; or because you might be best served by another agency; or because your situation requires a higher level of care.

What Type of Counseling Appointment Is Right For Me?

The following information is provided in order to help you determine which of our services is right for you. Please review the following and let the front desk staff know which type of appointment fits your needs. We understand that each situation is unique and cannot be fully described in this document, and that a feeling of emergency or crisis is self-defined. We will respond according to your description of the urgency with which you need to be seen.

An intake appointment provides you with the opportunity to explore with your counselor, any personal problems or concerns having a negative impact on the quality of your life. An intake appointment is generally 50 minutes in length. Some common issues that students discuss are:

-Relationship problems/break-ups   
-Eating and body image concerns
-Self-esteem
-Academic difficulties
-Depression
-Troubles adjusting to college life
-Anxiety/Stress

Once you are assigned a CAPS counselor, the front desk staff will call you to schedule an intake appointment with that counselor.

This is a program that provides 10-15 minute drop-in consultations at locations around campus. It is free, no appointment is needed and students are seen on a first-come, first-serve basis. This is a great option if you are feeling like you would like to talk to a counselor about a specific issue but do not feel that you need continuous appointments to do so. Visit the Let's Talk page for days, times and locations.
Group is a very powerful and effective way to bring about meaningful change. We have a variety of groups focusing on many different topics. For more information, please visit the groups page.
These workshops are open enrollment and a great place for students for to valuable skills and coping techniques. For more information, please visit the workshops page.
If you feel you are at immediate risk of harm to yourself or others or if you have taken action to harm yourself, tell the front desk staff that it is an emergency and you need to be seen right away. The staff will work to get you in as quickly as possible, usually the same day or the next. This meeting will be brief and will focus only on helping you address the crisis situation. Some students in crisis may be scheduled for a brief follow-up appointment to monitor ongoing safety while waiting for more supportive services, if needed. Other issues addressed in crisis appointments may include other traumatic events such as:

-Recent physical or sexual assaults
-Life is in danger (e.g. due to domestic violence, recent homelessness)
-Recent passing of a loved one

SAFEUT'S CRISIS SERVICES

SUU has an agreement with the SafeUT program and its Apple and Android apps. SafeUT answers crisis calls, texts, and chats – about yourself or someone else – 24/7. These free and confidential services are provided by licensed clinicians in SafeUT's CrisisLine call center (NOT by SUU CAPS staff), who respond to all incoming chats, texts, and calls by providing crisis support, suicide prevention, supportive counseling, and referral services. Their topics include:

  • Depression, anxiety, or other mental health issue - including suicidal thoughts or self-harm
  • Relationship difficulties - romantic, roommate, etc.; loss and grief; stalking, bullying, and cyberbullying
  • Drug and alcohol problems
  • Any life challenge

To use this service, you need to download the app for your device from one of the stores below.

Google Play Safe UT iTunes SafeUT