All currently enrolled Emory University undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students are eligible for CAPS services. Students who have graduated or taken a leave of absence from the university are not eligible for CAPS services, but can be assisted with accessing community referral options as needed. Faculty and staff can access services through the Faculty Staff Assistance Program.

In general, you can schedule an initial assessment appointment within a few days to a week. However, please note that during times of peak clinical demand and your availability wait times may be variable. If you are experiencing a crisis, we have crisis drop-in appointments available Monday-Friday, 8:30-5 p.m. Please note that crisis walk-in appointments are typically brief (15-20 minute) triage appointments designed to assess the situation and determine next steps.

 

Following a student’s initial assessment appointment, a recommendation will be made for services either on or off campus. If clinically appropriate, students can be referred for brief individual or couples therapy, group therapy, or the Stress Clinic at CAPS. In general, an assignment for brief therapy at CAPS will be made within 2-4 weeks of a student’s initial assessment.

Therapy assignments are made based upon a number of factors such as the time of the semester, a student’s schedule of availability, and the urgency and severity of their concerns. If a student waiting for therapy assignment experiences a shift in circumstances, they may contact CAPS (either the clinician who conducted their initial assessment or the case manager) to update their information and discuss options for more immediate care either on or off campus. Students who choose to remain on the waitlist should talk with their initial assessment clinician for an estimated wait time, which in some instances may take up to several months depending on various factors. In addition to psychotherapy, CAPS offers Stress Clinic classes and workshops focused on skill building and distress tolerance.

All students can use CAPS as their first stop in trying to resolve whatever difficulties they are experiencing. Following an initial assessment, you will either continue with the clinician you first meet, be assigned to another clinician, or receive a referral to an outside clinician or service, depending on what makes the most sense in your particular situation. CAPS uses a brief therapy model in order to accommodate the needs of all the students we serve. Most students who need ongoing or specialized counseling/treatment see a provider off campus.

There are many reasons you may to choose to go off-campus rather than be seen at CAPS. For example, you might feel it is more private or allows more flexibility to have your own clinician off-campus, or you might need services that aren't available at CAPS (e.g., formal psychiatric assessment, neurological services, specialized or long-term psychotherapy, drug detoxification and treatment, inpatient services, day-treatment). Sometimes, the primary reason to see a community provider is the need to begin treatment immediately rather than wait for the next available psychotherapy opening at CAPS. If you need off-campus treatment, your CAPS clinician can help you find services that are maximally affordable, accessible, and appropriate for you. Regardless of the treatment needs, a consultation with a CAPS clinician is a good first step.

Therapy reassignments are made on a case-by-case basis and usually involve consultation with the Clinical Director, Dr. Cynthia Whitehead-LaBoo. Students who wish to consult with the Clinical Director about this may contact her by calling CAPS at (404) 727-7450.

No. CAPS does not prescribe medications, however, psychiatric services are available at Student Health Services.

If you already have a prescription, don't wait until your prescription has almost run out to arrange for a refill. The first person to consider contacting for a refill is the healthcare provider who originally gave you the prescription. If that provider is not available, you can contact Student Health-Psychiatry or call CAPS for a referral to a community provider. No responsible provider will refill your prescription without meeting with you for an initial evaluation, so you must allow for enough time before your prescription runs out to connect with a new provider -- allow at least two to three weeks.

Yes. You can call CAPS at 404-727-7450 and ask to speak with our Case Manager to request community referrals. If you have the Emory student health insurance, please let the CAPS clinician know so that we can activate your referral.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is available through Emory University Student Health Services (EUSHS). They do not require a referral letter from CAPS to provide HRT services. You may call Student Health directly (404-727-7551) and ask for an initial appointment with Dr. Haw. Appointments for HRT at EUSHS may be limited to specific times a month, so we encourage you to call as soon as you are ready. Starting HRT can be a stressful and emotionally draining process. It can impact your mental health, social support, and how you experience the world around you. We recommend that you meet with one of our therapists to discuss how CAPS can emotionally support you through this journey. It may also be helpful to check out the different resources and discussion groups hosted at the Office of LGBT Life on campus.

No, CAPS clinicians do not write letters of support for emotional support animals. 

We welcome all official service animals at CAPS.

However, while we love animals, emotional support animals and pets do not have access to public areas on Emory University’s campus. Therefore, we do not allow emotional support animals or pets at CAPS.  

 

CAPS is a nationally accredited and highly-respected training site for doctoral interns, post-doctoral fellows, and post-MSW fellows. There are no undergraduate trainees at CAPS. You can be confident that your clinician has the training appropriate to help you address whatever concerns you might bring in. All trainees are closely supervised by licensed professionals, and held to the highest standards of practice.

Emory offers a robust range of options for healthcare and mental health services to support our student community.

CAPS is available for in-person clinical, mental health assistance (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or 24/7 phone-based support for undergraduates, graduate and professional students on the Atlanta campus. We provide goal-oriented individual, couples/relationship and group counseling; crisis intervention and support; and assistance with referrals to campus partners and community-based providers.

TimelyCare is an independent company that provides services using a network of contracted providers in all 50 states. TimelyCare offers free, 24/7 virtual telehealth visits for Emory students on both the Atlanta and Oxford campuses. TalkNow, a part of TimelyCare, is a free, on-demand resource for immediate access to a mental health professional. This service is available 24/7 for all enrolled Emory students.

Please note these resources are not mutually exclusive, and you may find a combination of support resources works best for you.

If you need immediate assistance for life-threatening emergencies, call the Emory Police Department at 404-727-6111 or call 9-1-1 if you are in the United States.

For psychological emergencies, there are several resources available through Emory University and the Atlanta community. Visit https://counseling.emory.edu/about/emergency.html for more information.

When you call during business hours, you will be greeted by a team member who will assist you in answering questions, scheduling appointments or connecting you with immediate support.

When you call after hours, on holidays, or during school breaks, you will first be met with an automated message that provides you with three options:

1. You can talk with a mental health professional immediately who can offer risk assessment and support for students experiencing urgent mental health concerns.
2. You can leave a message. Messages will be followed up on the next business day.
3. You can learn how to schedule an initial consultation online.

If you need immediate assistance for an emergency, please call the Emory Police Department at 404-727-6111 if you are on campus or call 9-1-1 if you are in the United States off-campus.

Our after-hours phone line is to support identified mental health needs of our enrolled student community to include those in GA, out of state and abroad. We focus on brief, solution-focused interventions to assess the student’s current situation and arrange for appropriate further levels of care depending on the situation.

We conduct a guided clinical assessment where we talk with you about your presenting issue(s), as well as assess risk related to categories such as suicide, self-harm, thoughts of harm to others, substance use, interpersonal harm, etc. With that, we work with you to create an immediate safety plan for after the call, as well as any contingency planning. This may include ongoing involvement with a mental health professional or in more clinically complex situations, seeking medical attention.

Our after-hours phone line is to support identified mental health needs of our enrolled student community to include those in Georgia, out of state, and abroad.

Yes, translation services are available with our after-hours support. We utilize a third-party provider, Language Service Associates, to provide translation and interpreter services. They offer more than 250 languages, and our top 10 most frequently requested are:

• Spanish
• Mandarin
• French
• Farsi
• Russian
• Japanese
• Cantonese
• Cambodian
• Vietnamese
• Arabic

Yes. We are always working to enhance our services and your feedback is vital to that effort. After your conversation, you will have the opportunity to provide feedback. You can also contact Dr. Tenille Gaines (tgaine5@emory.edu), executive director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

Yes. Counseling often includes the disclosure of sensitive personal information, and it is important that you feel safe discussing private matters with your counselor.

We want you to know that CAPS respects your need for privacy and maintains strict adherence to professional ethics codes and legal rules of confidentiality. Information shared between a client and mental health professional, including a student's clinical contact with our office, cannot be released to anyone -- including family members or the university -- without the consent of the student. There are certain situations in which CAPS is legally obligated to make an exception to confidentiality, including:

• To prevent imminent danger to self or an identifiable other.
• In situations where a child or vulnerable adult is being abused or neglected.
• When disclosure is made necessary by legal proceedings.

Minor students under the age of 18 who voluntarily seek treatment will need to obtain consent from a parent or legal guardian following their initial consultation in order to pursue treatment.

It is also important to note that the electronic clinical record keeping system at CAPS is also confidential and is separate and distinct from other record keeping systems at the university.

 

No.

All of the services offered at CAPS are free to registered Emory students. Students do not have to pay out of pocket.

Students using their Emory Student Health Insurance (EUSHIP) will need to have a referral activated in order to receive coverage. The activation can happen through CAPS or Student Health. Please note that you must contact CAPS or Student Health each year in August to reactivate the referral. More information about the plan and benefits can be found on the Student Health website.

The Health & Wellness Fee is an important funding supplement for Emory University's health and wellness services. Money generated by this fee is used across several departments to increase the availability of counseling, psychiatry, health, wellness, alcohol and other drug counseling, and crisis intervention support services for Emory students. Even if an individual Emory student never uses campus mental health services, these services are still critically important because they will be used by a friend, a roommate or a classmate in need of help which, in turn, has a positive impact on the larger community and the individual members who are part of it.

It can be very difficult when someone you care about is in pain. You might find yourself feeling helpless, frightened, frustrated, or angry. You can't make your friend seek help if they don't want to or don't feel they need it, but here are some things you might offer them as a friend:

• Let your friend know, in some private setting, that you are concerned. Suggest that they make an appointment with CAPS to see if we can be of help. Try to phrase your communications in "I" language, rather than "you" language: for example, "I care about you and I feel concerned when I see you hurting" rather than "You are in trouble and you need help."
• Offer to sit with your friend while they call for an appointment.
• Offer to accompany your friend to CAPS during crisis walk-in hours or to their Initial Assessment appointment.

You can call CAPS at 404-727-7450 to consult with the on-call therapist if you have concerns about someone other than yourself. You can also contact the Student Intervention Services team (404-430-1120) if you would like a university staff member to reach out to a student of concern.

Finally, you can also submit a Student of Concern form and a university staff member will contact the student.

Be Well, Your Way (Explore the plethora of resources and support at Emory to establish, maintain, and enhance the many facets of your wellbeing.)

Student Case Management and Intervention Services

Student Health Services Psychiatry 

Office of Health Promotions

Emory Psychological Center

Emory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

Office of Spiritual and Religious Life

The Faculty, Staff Assistance Program (FSAP)

Office of Undergraduate Education

TimelyCare (24/7 virtual telehealth, including TalkNow)

All clients are asked to provide feedback on the CAPS services they receive as a routine part of their care. Clients who do not have the opportunity to complete the evaluation at CAPS, can complete an Evaluation of Services form. The form contains instructions on how to submit feedback and students are invited to attach additional comments as needed. Thank you for helping us to continue to improve our services!

If you have feedback about your experience with calling CAPS after hours, we encourage you to provide feedback directly after your conversation or by contacting Dr. Tenille Gaines, executive director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).