FAQs

Please call the Emory Police Department at 404-727-6111 in an emergency if you are on campus or call 9-1-1 if you are in the United States off-campus. 

Eligibility, Appointments, and Referrals

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. 

CAPS is available to all students as a first resource for addressing any challenges they may be facing. Following an initial consultation, 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 based on the level of care that is needed. CAPS uses a brief therapy model 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 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. 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 of CAPS. Students who wish to be reassigned may contact CAPS at (404) 727-7450 or caps.info@emory.edu

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

If you already have a prescription, try to plan and request a refill before you’re close to running out. 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. To ensure your care continues smoothly, it’s important to know that providers generally need to meet with you for an initial evaluation before refilling a prescription. Try to plan and allow at least two to three weeks to connect with a new provider before your current prescription runs out. 

Yes. You can call CAPS at 404-727-7450 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. 

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.  

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

CAPS is available for in-person and telehealth services (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 brief 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. 

After-Hours Assistance

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

  • You can talk with a mental health professional immediately who can offer risk assessment and support for students experiencing urgent mental health concerns. 
  • You can leave a message. Messages will be followed up on the next business day. 
  • 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, and any contingency planning. This may include ongoing involvement with a mental health professional, or in more clinically complex situations, seeking medical attention. 

Confidentiality, Records, and Payment

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 enrolled Emory students.

Students using their Emory Student Health Insurance (EUSHIP) will need to have a referral activated 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. 

Helping Others and Additional Support

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 (if possible), 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 drop-in hours or their initial consultation.

You can call CAPS at 404-727-7450 to consult with a clinician 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. 

Well-being is about caring for all the things that make you who you are – whether in the classroom or play, in movement or stillness. Supporting your well-being is a process of creating space for yourself and knowing that you deserve to have that room to thrive.  
 

Within the Emory community, students have access to coordinated and comprehensive healthcare, counseling, recreation facilities and programs, and opportunities to practice building and maintaining overall well-being.   

 

  • 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 Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).