Counseling & Psychological Services

Want to get started with CAPS services? Unsure of what service may best meet your needs? Request an initial consultation!

To begin counseling at CAPS, the first step is to meet briefly with a CAPS clinician to discuss what concerns brought you to CAPS and to arrive at a mutually agreeable course of action to address your concerns. The first meeting usually lasts 20 to 30 minutes and can be conducted over the phone or in person at CAPS. If you would like to complete this appointment over the phone, you will need to be in a private location free of distractions.

Based on this meeting, your clinician will make recommendations about the best treatment to address your concerns. These recommendations may include self-help resources, group therapy, therapeutic consultations, case management, personal counseling (within or outside of CAPS), or another resource.

Please note that when you arrive for your first meeting, there may be a wait. Know that we prioritize appointments based on urgency and clinician availaibility. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

PERSONAL COUNSELING

The CAPS clinical staff all provide personal counseling services that aim to address your individual mental health needs. Your assigned clinician will take some time to get to know you and your specific goals for counseling through a Therapeutic Intake appointment. In that first appointment, you will discuss how often you will meet and what goals you hope to address through therapy. These appointments last approximately 45 minutes and generally occur on a bi-weekly or tri-weekly basis.

THERAPEUTIC CONSULTATIONS

Just want a few opportunities to connect with a clinician? The Therapeutic Consultation service is designed to provide brief, solution-focused support for every day concerns. These appointments last approximately 30 minutes and can occur weekly for a period of time or be more spread out across the semester. Therapeutic Consultations are a great service for those seeking a collaborative environment for problem-solving and learning new skills.

Research shows that group therapy is the most effective treatment for many of the concerns college students face. Because of this, your counselor may refer you to one of several groups offered by CAPS.
Here is what students say about our groups:

"DO IT! Or at least try it because it is really helpful and really becomes a comfortable space to talk about things you wouldn't talk about with people in your everyday life."

"It is a great way to connect with people who understand what you are going through."

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TELEMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES (TMH)

CAPS offers both in-person sessions and sessions via Zoom. However, since TMH may not be as complete as in-person services, your counselor may determine that TMH is not an appropriate treatment option or stop TMH at any time if your condition changes. In such cases we will ethically manage transferring care as necessary.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND TELEMENTAL HEALTH

We encourage students to schedule appointments at times when they can have a private space and use a secure internet connection. Each of our clinicians will also ensure privacy on their end, often in their office at CAPS, and at other times in private rooms in their home. Your clinician may use a headset to help ensure privacy and we encourage you to do the same. CAPS uses a HIPAA compliant version of Zoom for all of our video TMH appointments. CAPS will provide you a unique Zoom link for each session. Do not share this link with anyone.

TECHNOLOGY DIFFICULTIES

If you get disconnected from a TMH health session, end and restart the session. If you are unable to reconnect within five minutes, your clinician will call you at the phone number on file.

SERVICES OUTSIDE OF NORTH CAROLINA

All students must be in North Carolina in order to receive counseling services from CAPS. If you are out of state temporarily, we encourage you to reschedule your appointment until you return to NC. If you are living outside of NC, our counselors are happy to talk with you about resources in your area.

The CAPS Case Manager may assist in acquiring resources for medication management and evaluation.  

Counseling services for Biltmore Park students are offered by CAPS staff via telemental health sessions or through in-person session at the CAPS office in Cullowhee. For an appointment, call 828.227.7469.

CAPS offers university counseling center training positions for master's and doctoral students pursuing degrees in the field of mental health. In addition to becoming strong mental health generalists in the provision of individual counseling services, trainees have the opportunity to participate in group counseling, inter-disciplinary collaboration, outreach, consultation, campus programs and related projects within the university community.

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You and your clinician will discuss the therapeutic process and how frequently you will have sessions. You will likely meet with your clinician every other week or even once a month.  If your concerns are such that may benefit from longer-term, more frequent, or specialized support, you may be referred to a community provider.

Please call the front desk (828.227.7469) as soon as you know you are unable to make your appointment. We do ask for at least 24 hours notice to change an appointment, but we know that this is not always possible. Typically, students are not able to be rescheduled within the next 5 business days and during times of high demand for CAPS’ services, you may have to wait longer for the next appointment.

Enrolled students who have paid the student health fee are eligible to receive services.  Eligible students can participate in support groups, workshops, individual appointments and emergency services.  Students enrolled for fall but not summer who seek services in the summer may pay a nominal fee for services.

Faculty and staff who are interested in counseling have access to services through the WCU Employee Assistance Program. For additional information, please contact Human Resources (828.227.7218) or CAPS (828.227.7469).

CAPS does not charge for their services for enrolled students who have paid the student health fee. 

CAPS provides consultation to concerned parents, students, or faculty/staff. CAPS will typically not reach out to a student based on this type of consultation, however CAPS staff will guide you in managing the situation. Additionally, you may choose to complete a Student Concern Response Team (SCRT) report. The SCRT team is charged with ensuring, to the extent possible, coordinated efforts to provide services of University Departments are made available to the involved student(s). The report template is available at scrt.wcu.edu.

We understand that therapy is a highly relational process and requires trust between clients and clinicians. If you find that you and your assigned clinician are not the right fit, when possible, we ask that you bring this up in your session. Usually, this will help you and your clinician better understand each other and enhance your work together. However, if that conversation does not resolve your concern, you can contact the CAPS office to request transfer to a different clinician's schedule. At this point, a CAPS Administrator will reach out to you to resolve the situation.

CAPS does not provide letters of support for emotional support animals.

Appalachian Community Resources - 888.315.2880

Center for Domestic Peace-828.586.1237

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 800.273.8255

Trevor Project (LGBTQ Crisis support) - 866.488.7386