Benefits of Free Mental Health Services on Campus
The Counseling and Psychological Services, more commonly known as CAPS, is a great tool in the arsenal of FREE resources at UNC Pembroke. Not only does CAPS specialize their psychological services for their patients, they also host many campus events throughout the year.
CAPS is located on the second floor of the Health Services building.
Their mission statement is simple: “The mission of the Counseling and Psychological Services is to provide services for students struggling with issues that affect quality of life. Our focus is of a developmental and preventative nature to help students learn to balance their lives.”
The staff are dedicated to helping students however they can. They can also link students to outside resources, such as the CARE center.
The first thing a student should do when seeking the use of CAPS is attending a triage appointment. These are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
As the student walks in, they are greeted by one of the receptionists on duty, and escorted to a set of computers to fill out necessary paperwork. During the wait, CAPS offers cold bottles of water, the use of a Keurig machine, and a number of clipboards with coloring pages on them; they really try to make their clients feel at home and relaxed.
The counselors all try to help the situations in a student’s life. Each has their own specialty, such as gambling and eating disorders, but can help in those suffering with stress, anxiety, and things of the like. For those who need it, there is also a psychiatrist within the staff, who can prescribe medication, if absolutely necessary.
One of the best things that they offer is the use of CARE reports. One can submit a CARE report about a friend that they believe might be in need of help.
Of course, in emergency cases such as threatening their life or others, please contact the authorities. Otherwise, this is a great tool to seek help for a friend in need, whether academically or socially.
For those who are just looking to support the services, always be on the lookout for activities in the UC that CAPS hosts (all are listed on BraveConnect).
They often do wellness screenings, just for a quick check up on stress and other basic psychological needs. Also, CAPS will also be hosting their “DE-STRESS FEST”, where you can enjoy time with friends and paint items, such as ornaments, as a way to take a break from the finals.
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