Making & Canceling Appointments

CAPS offers remote and in-person individual, couples, and group teletherapy to currently enrolled students residing within California via a confidential platform. (State regulations prevent provision of therapy across state lines.) 

Who is eligible for services at CAPS? Any USF undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled in classes and residing in California.

What is the cost of services at CAPS? Will anyone know I had an appointment? Services are free (covered by student fees) and confidential.

Are there limits on services at CAPS? Yes, therapy at CAPS is brief (with limits on number of sessions per academic year), and CAPS services are not a good fit for every issue or situation. (Read more in the drop-downs on our Services page.) 

What happens when I contact CAPS? Students seeking services will be scheduled for a brief phone triage appointment with a therapist, usually within a few business days. During the triage, the therapist will talk with the student about their needs and briefly assess safety, then help the student set up an appointment or give them other resources if CAPS is the wrong fit. For example, students desiring or needing longer-term, specialized, or weekly therapy or other services CAPS does not provide, such as psychiatric care, will be provided with referral options.

How quickly can I start therapy at CAPS? Although CAPS staff strive to see students as expediently as possible, there are times during the academic year when the center is heavily impacted. The typical wait for a first therapy appointment at CAPS is two to three weeks. Students will be offered alternatives off campus if they are seeking therapy at a time when CAPS has a longer wait time. Students will be seen the same day for mental health emergencies.

If you need to speak to a mental health clinician immediately, please call the CAPS 24/7 All Hours line at 855-531-0761 (available daily, including weekends and holidays, and accepts international calls).

 

 

Making Appointments

To schedule an appointment, please call our office at (415) 422-6352 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you are currently seeing a CAPS therapist, our front office staff can schedule your next appointment. If you are a new client at CAPS this year, our front office staff will set you up with a phone triage. You can also fill out our web form to get started scheduling a non-crisis appointment.

If you call our business line after hours, you will get a recording providing the All Hours Line number and giving the option to leave a voicemail for non-urgent issues; messages are checked by CAPS staff during business hours.

Triages are about 15 minutes. Most CAPS therapy appointments are 45 minutes and usually start at 15 minutes after the hour. Before an initial CAPS "intake" appointment, students are asked to complete paperwork, which may take 30 to 60 minutes, so students should plan accordingly.

 

Canceling Appointments, No-Show Fees

Because CAPS has a limited number of appointments available, we encourage you to keep your scheduled appointments. If you can't keep an appointment, please cancel or reschedule by calling CAPS' business line (415-422-6352) 24 hours in advance. You can leave a voicemail if you call when our office is closed. Please DO NOT CALL CAPS All-hours line to cancel an appointment. If you do not show up for an appointment without cancelling in advance, a $30 no-show fee will be charged to your student account.