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these issues can worsen and may
require more attention.
CAPS offers a wide array of services
along a continuum of intensity
for various psychological issues.
When appropriate, CAPS offers
online treatment for anxiety and
depression. These are two distinct,
seven-module series a student can
complete from the comfort of their
room (one module per week). They
can then connect online for a weekly,
brief videoconferencing session
with their counselor to check on
how they are doing and review their
progress. Some students prefer
face-to-face instruction, and CAPS
offers three types of workshops:
anxiety management, depression and sleep. Sleep often gets disrupted when
students leave the structure of home and enter communal living. These are
structured workshops where students learn skills and leave the session
with plans to practice these skills.
The group therapy model is an ideal form of therapy for students, helping
students within a social setting. The most intense form of therapy that
CAPS offers is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). It requires two-and-a-half
hours/week in DBT learning skills classes and individual sessions. As much
as therapeutically possible, CAPS involves the parents as we collaborate
to enhance the mental health of the student. Which service is the optimal
treatment for each student hinges on the Individual Assessment, a diagnostic
interview conducted at the initial point of contact. Students can access care
with the CAPS walk-in clinic that operates from 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m., Monday–
Friday. It runs on a first-come, first-served basis and a student can plan on
one and a half hours to two hours for this initial assessment. Redfern Health
Center is open for operation weekdays, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
during summer and semester breaks), except on Wednesdays when Redfern
opens at 9 a.m. (9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. during summer and semester breaks).
However, many groups are scheduled after 5 p.m. (4:30 p.m. during summer
and semester breaks) in order to accommodate students’ needs. Given that
some mental health needs also require medication, CAPS works collaboratively
with Medical Services for medication management. CAPS also provides
psychiatric services.
Urgent Care
For those times when an appointment cannot be made in advance, urgent
problems or new injuries may be seen on a walk-in basis through the nurse’s
clinic. Patients are assessed by a registered nurse who provides treatment
or makes an immediate, same-day or next-day referral to a physician/nurse
practitioner. Waiting times for the nurse’s clinic may vary depending on the
number and complexity of these visits. In the evenings and late nights, sick
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