The current global crisis brought on by COVID-19 has impacted every member of the University of Michigan community and we at CAPS acknowledge the profound influence it is having and will continue to have on our collective future. That said, a grief response is an entirely expectable and typical reaction, and in any endless number of ways. In fact, the “loss” is staggering and the expression “the whole world has changed” is not entirely inaccurate.

Our collective mental health depends on our acknowledgement and affirmation that "Black Lives Matter" because the dignity and worth of every life demands this be true. The need to affirm that “Black Lives Matter,” demonstrated in frequent protests, says a lot about who we are, our culture, and our society. We at CAPS believe the outrage is real, warranted, necessary, and brave. We would like to acknowledge the emotions that our UM community is experiencing after the senseless killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmaud Arbery.

Sexual violence does not discriminate. Both survivors and perpetrators come from all genders, cultures, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, socio-economic status, and religions. Sexual violence is defined as any unwanted sexual contact or interaction and can include:

The staff of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) created this space to acknowledge that while student life can be consuming due to academic demands, being a student is only one aspect of an individual’s identity. The current events of the world beyond, and within, the University of Michigan campus continue to evolve and shape the lived experience of us all.

Due COVID 19, CAPS has made adjustments to services based on recommendations from UM (including the Environmental, Health, and Safety Department) and the CDC to support the physical safety of our community. CAPS is open with hours Monday-Friday 8am-5pm during the Spring/Summer semeseter, and our services are mostly virtual. CAPS staff are actively engaged in supporting the mental health needs of UM students through tele-counseling, crisis support, and outreach. The following are some answers to frequently asked questions about our services during COVID-19.

Providing confidential services is essential to the work we do at CAPS. Some students may find it challenging to find a private space for their CAPS tele-counseling sessions to take place. In order to address these possible barriers to privacy, CAPS is offering individual spaces in our Central Office (Michigan Union 4th Floor) for students who are receiving counseling services (Urgent or ongoing individual counseling and our Group, Lunch Series, or Workshops).

U-M Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) welcomes all of our 1st year students including those who are living on campus and those who are located remotely. We are happy to launch a new resource created exclusively for you: “Go Blue! A New Student’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving at U-M: Mental Health Tips.”

From the global pandemic to enduring systemic racism and injustices, our communities have braved the negative impacts on our collective mental health. During these unprecedented times, we need to bolster our strength and resilience. In light of these challenging days and the uncertainty that lies ahead, CAPS and the Office of Student Affairs in the College of Engineering partnered together to launch the #EngineerPositivity campaign, a virtual take on the annual Positive Chalking event (now in its 5th year!).

In the Fall of 2019, CAPS launched the Faculty Toolkit with the generous support of the Baldwin Foundation. The toolkit was distributed to each faculty member in all 19 schools/colleges in order to provide the tools needed to better help support college student mental health. The toolkit was developed collaboratively with the CAPS Student Advisory Board, CAPS Project Manager, Student Illustrator and the CAPS Outreach Committee.

With increasing numbers of enrolled UM students living outside the state of Michigan (inlcuding outside the United States), we would like to highlight the services CAPS is offering to these students.

If you have started counseling support at CAPS while in Michigan and then move out of the state of Michigan, you can continue working with your CAPS counselor.