Services provided by CAPS fall into three main categories: clinical, outreach/consultation, and training. Post graduate activities within each area are outlined below.
Clinical Services
Initial Consultation (IC): These are half-hour discussions with students within 1-3 days of a student seeking CAPS services. Collaboratively, the counselor and student make decisions about the most effective next steps for support or treatment.
Ongoing Appointments: The philosophy and policy of CAPS is to provide brief therapy, but there is no set number of follow-up appointments. Post Graduate Fellows (with supervisor consultation) and permanent staff learn to manage their client load to keep direct clinical service provision at approximately 50-60% of their work time.
Counselor on Duty (COD): Each Post Graduate Fellow provides three hours weekly of crisis service, which includes walk-in clients and consultations to faculty, staff and concerned others. CAPS staff do not generally provide after-hours crisis interventions.
Groups: Post Graduate Fellows may facilitate one or two groups each semester, depending on interest, agency need, and staff resources. Group facilitation may be as a co-leader, a solo facilitator, or with a social work or pre-doctoral psychology intern. Groups may be process oriented, semi-structured or psychoeducational in design.
Specialized Assessments: Post Graduate Fellows may provide assessments for substance use/abuse or eating and body image concerns based on agency need and the Post Graduate Fellows' interest and experience.
Outreach/Consultation
Crisis Outreach: Post Graduate Fellows may respond as needed to campus crisis as part of a CAPS team (on occasion this occurs outside of standard work hours).
Outreach Presentations and Liaisons: Post Graduate Fellows respond to requests from the campus community, and/or develop and market programs to address clinical issues or meet community needs. Each fellow is to complete a minimum of four presentations and two tabling events per semester of the academic year. Post Graduate Fellows may also affiliate with a campus student group, or choose a clinical focus area, to provide a variety of outreach services throughout the year.
Training
Supervision: Post Graduate Fellows have the opportunity to provide supervision during their fellowship. Post Doc Fellows supervise psychology practicum trainees in the Fall Semester. Post MSW Fellows supervise social work interns in their second year.