CAPS provides clinical, consultative and preventative services for students at the University of Vermont as well as collaboration with staff and faculty members.  We view mental health in the context of the community and greater systems in which our students live.  CAPS values and promotes diverse identities, ideas and belief systems as essential aspects of a thriving campus community.

CAPS offers a variety of supports and services with an emphasis on helping students cope more effectively with their personal and academic lives. CAPS scope of services is designed to provide students with rapid access to resources and supports within our brief model of care.

If you are new to CAPS, or have not been seen by a CAPS provider in at least six months: All students are asked to call our office at 802-656-3340 to be scheduled for a phone triage appointment with a counselor.

During a phone triage appointment, the counselor will ask some brief questions in order to best assist directing students to the appropriate resources and supports for their needs. Such recommendations may include, but are not limited to, drop-in resources, group therapy options, other on-campus resources, off-campus referrals, or a more comprehensive same-day initial consultation.

Following a phone triage appointment, a counselor may recommend a student come in for a same-day in-person initial consultation to further explore and consider what supports and services may be beneficial.
Initial consultation appointments are 45-minute appointments that focus on information gathering, immediate support, and discussing further next steps and collaboratively create a plan that may include additional services at CAPS, a referral to a community provider or other campus resources. During the initial consultation the counselor will ask some brief questions in order to assess current concerns and possible risk factors.

Scope of Services for Indivdual Counseling

Case Management services through CAPS are designed to help students find and access the supports they need, at UVM or within the community. This is not an ongoing therapeutic counseling service. Case management is a coordination and referral service, to ensure the referrals and supports for students, best meet their mental health needs. These 30 min appointments involve meeting with the CAPS case manager, discussing and assessing client needs, and coordinating services to offer the best treatment. Case management appointments also involve follow up to engage with students around status of the referral process, problem-solve logistical issues (i.e.: transportation, finance, etc.) and discuss client's experience with providers.

Access to CAPS for urgent concerns or safety assessment, and assistance with navigating on or off-campus resources remains available to all students throughout their college career, regardless of whether they have been referred to an off-campus provider for on-going treatment. Additionally, an on-call counselor is available by phone after hours and during the weekends for urgent needs. On-call counselor can be reached by calling CAPS main phone line at (802) 656-3340 and following prompts.

Scope of Services for Group Therapy

Drop-in Let's Talk Program

• CAPS provides opportunities for students to access a counselor as a drop-in service.  No appointment is required. Drop in opportunities open to all identities are available at Living Well in the Davis Center and at the UVM Women's Center.

Embedded Counselors at Identity Centers on Campus

• In collaboration with UVM identity centers, counselors are available specifically for students of color and LGBTQAI+ students through the Mosaic Center for Students of Color and the Prism Center, respectively. These offerings acknowledge the research and personal histories of these specific groups regarding limited access to culturally-sensitive therapeutic supports due to systemic barriers and ongoing stigma around mental health assistance, providing those supports in a proactive way in the spaces on campus dedicated to enriching the experiences of students of those identities while navigating academic and social demands at UVM.

Daily Drop-in Mental Health Workshops

• In addition to our Let's Talk program, Counseling and Psychiatry Services partners with Living Well to provide flexible, interactive psychoeducational workshops on a daily basis, with counseling staff.

Scope of Services for Psychiatry