CAPS FAQs

All currently enrolled University of Arizona students can be seen at CAPS.

Mental health support for Arizona Online and non-main campus students:

Find out about health care and mental health support options for Arizona Online students.

Mental health support for faculty & staff:

Faculty and staff can receive mental health services through Life & Work Connections.

Getting Started at CAPS

There are two main ways to get started at CAPS: 

1. Schedule a Mental Health Counseling & Consultation through PatientLink or call 520-621-3334
2. Schedule a Mental Health Counseling & Consultation with one of our site-based counselors located in student spaces & specific academic colleges and centers 

Mental Health Foundation Workshops are also open to any student for self-scheduling.

Help Connecting with Other Services
The CAPS Care Coordination Team can also help students get connected with the best services for them, whether that's at CAPS or someplace else.

Getting Started with Additional Services

CAPS offers comprehensive mental health services. Learn more about how to schedule the type of appointment you need. 

How Minors Can Access Services

Review our instructions for accessing services for students who are under 18.

While CAPS offers comprehensive services, the best plan for a student may involve other University resources or off-campus services. This can happen for a number of reasons, like insurance needs, the kind of services a student is looking for, or what would be the best match for a student's concerns. When that's the case, our care coordinators will discuss your options and help identify people to call to get started. 

If you have questions about campus or community resources, you can also schedule a free Resource & Referral appointment with a care coordinator through PatientLink or by calling CAPS at 520-621-3334.

Mental Health Counseling & Consultation is 1:1 counseling scheduled as needed with a CAPS counselor. Dive deeper into your goals and concerns, build on Mental Health Foundations and Connections, and receive personalized recommendations for your pathway

Learn more about Mental Health Counseling & Consultation

Immediate support is available for students in crisis. A mental health crisis can be hard to define, but a good rule of thumb is to consider any situation in which a person's behavior or state of mind puts them at risk of hurting themselves or others or prevents them from being able to care for themselves or function effectively a potential mental health crisis. 

You don't need to figure it out alone. Whether you're a student seeking support or are concerned about a student, we can help you figure out your next steps.

• Students can access crisis support services by calling CAPS 24/7 or dropping in CAPS North or CAPS South during business hours.
• Student supporters can call CAPS for a consultation or escort a student to CAPS during business hours.

Counseling

You can make as many Mental Health Counseling & Consultation appointments as you like. These sessions can only be scheduled one at a time.

Counseling & Consultation sessions are just one type of mental health support offered at CAPS. Students can get mental health support through any of our services. You can talk with your counselor at any time about what plan works best for you. 

Medication Management

CAPS psychiatry providers work with students on a short-term basis (about 6-12 weeks). We also have mental health partnerships for continuing psychiatric care in the community if longer-term or more intensive treatment is needed.

Mental Health Foundations & Connections

CAPS offers a variety of Mental Health Foundations and Mental Health Connections. There's no limit to how many Foundation and Connections you can attend as a student. These services are also designed to be used in combination with individual care at CAPS.

We understand that things come up. If you need to cancel or miss your appointment, please follow these instructions to avoid a late cancellation or missed appointment fee.

Our goal is to get you connected with the services you need. During a Mental Health Counseling & Consultation visit, your counselor will gather important information about your symptoms and mental health history that will help them make recommendations and referrals for your care. Whether your next step is psychiatry at CAPS, off-campus, or another service, your counselor will help you get connected.

A student may be evaluated for psychotropic medications at CAPS. You'll need to meet briefly with a CAPS counselor to initiate psychiatry services. If the counselor deems it reasonable, students will be given an appointment to be evaluated by a member of the psychiatry team. The psychiatric team member will determine if medications may be beneficial in the student's treatment and prescribe these medications, if indicated. 

Find out more about psychiatry services.

After you have seen a member of the psychiatric team for a medical evaluation and been prescribed psychotropic medication, you will be asked to come in at certain intervals for brief "medication checks" and/or prescription renewals. These "med-check" appointments are generally made by calling the CAPS medical assistant at (520) 621-2379. 

Because there is an extremely high demand for these appointments, and it could take some time to get an appointment at a time that works for you, we suggest that you call (520) 621-2379 at least two weeks before you run out of medication for best appointment availability. We take calls during regular Campus Health hours and will do our best to find a time that fits your schedule.

Campus Health is sensitive to the needs of some patients who simply cannot afford certain critical medications. Some pharmaceutical companies offer Patient Assistance Programs that can enable you to obtain certain name-brand medications at little or no cost, if you do not currently have a prescription benefit included as a part of your health insurance and if you meet the other requirements. Note that not everyone will qualify for these programs, even if you believe you have a legitimate financial need.

Each of the pharmaceutical manufacturers that offer Patient Assistance Programs may have very different criteria for participation. Certain clinical parameters, as well as financial parameters will apply in determining eligibility.

If you think you may be eligible for one of these prescription medication Patient Assistance Programs, talk with your Campus Health provider. If they think you are a candidate, they will give you the information, including directions on what to do to apply.

Only Campus Health medical providers and CAPS providers have access to treatment information. Unless the student is younger than 18, no information, including the fact that a student has been seen in CAPS, can be released to others, including parents, unless the student provides signed consent.

Things to be aware of:

• Medical records can be viewed in our secure patient system (PatientLink), which requires your NetID and password to access. Anyone who you have given login information to could potentially see those records.
• No notations about visits to CAPS are made in the student's academic record. In the case of administrative or disciplinary referrals, the student will be asked to sign consent for the referring administrator to be contacted.
• As with all Arizona counseling, confidentiality will be broken only if a client is suicidal or homicidal, is committing acts of abuse against a child or a vulnerable adult, or there is a court order requiring that information be disclosed.

All charges at Campus Health, including CAPS visits, show up as "Student Health Charge" on your bursar bill. If you have used your parent/guardian's insurance, they could potentially find out the nature of your appointment through the insurance company's Explanation of Benefits statement.