CAPS Services

For Fall 2025, CAPS is offering in-person as well as remote therapy services to USF students currently enrolled in classes and residing in California. 

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  • Brief Therapy, Relationship Therapy & Single Session Therapy: CAPS offers therapy appointments in person, through confidential video or by phone to help address your personal and mental health concerns. There are a maximum of 12 individual or relationship therapy appointments per academic year, which include up to 2 single Single Session therapy appointments per semester.
  • Groups Therapy:  CAPS offers a variety of therapy groups in fall and spring, most of which meet weekly, for currently enrolled students living in California.
  • Workshop/Drop-In Spaces: We offer various workshops and workshop series, open to all USF students, regardless of location.
  • Crisis Services & All Hours Line: Students experiencing a mental health crisis will be seen the same day during business hours for crisis stabilization and to be connected with needed resources. During business hours, USF students in crisis or those referring them to CAPS should call (415) 422-6352 to schedule. After hours, students in crisis or needing other immediate mental health support or anyone concerned about the mental health of a USF student can call the CAPS All Hours line at (855) 531-0761. For mental health emergencies involving potential immediate harm to self or others, call USF Public Safety at (414) 422-2911 if on campus, or call 911 if not on campus and ask for a Crisis Intervention Trained (CIT) officer.
  • Outreach & Education: CAPS partners with other departments and organizations at USF to provide information about our services and education about various wellness and mental health topics.
  • Consultations: We provide consultations to USF students about services and resources, regardless of enrollment or location. We also consult with anyone who has concerns about a USF student's mental health and needs advice or resources.
  • Mental Health Referrals: If you need services that CAPS cannot provide, including off-campus mental health services in the Bay Area or elsewhere, CAPS or the Dean of Students Office can provide resources and advice about the process of finding these services.
  • Substance Use Assessment: These assessment therapy sessions are available to students who are mandated by USF to receive a clinical assessment for concerns with alcohol or another drug. 

During phone triages and intake appointments, the therapist will work to ensure the student gets the appropriate services to address their concerns. These services may be through CAPS or outside of CAPS. Students with concerns that can be addressed within a brief model of therapy are usually seen at CAPS, while those with concerns requiring longer-term or specialized therapy, medication prescription, or other mental health services CAPS does not provide are best addressed by professionals outside of the university.

CAPS utilizes a short-term model of therapy in order to use its resources most effectively and assist students in addressing issues common in a college setting. Concerns that are commonly addressed in brief psychotherapy at CAPS are:

  • Emotional/psychological: Stress and anxiety, mild depression, anger, loneliness, guilt, self-esteem, grief and loss
  • Relationship: Romantic relationship difficulties, sexual concerns, roommate conflicts, difficulties with coworkers or classmates, concerns with family or friends
  • Developmental/cultural: Identity development, adjustment to college, life transitions, cultural concerns, issues around racism and discrimination
  • Academic: Performance or test anxiety, perfectionism, underachievement,  motivation, concerns about future school and work
  • Other: Spiritual concerns, mild body image issues, healthy lifestyle choices, minor alcohol and drug use concerns, sexual assault

Students whose mental health needs cannot be met with short-term psychotherapy or who require a particular type of service not offered at CAPS, require a meeting with a clinician once a week or more, or require medication assessment or prescription for mental health needs will be referred to resources outside of the university. Students may be referred to resources and services outside of CAPS after the triage, initial therapy appointment, or during the course of treatment at CAPS (e.g., if factors indicating a need for such services become apparent during or after the intake assessment).

CAPS therapy services (brief individual, relational, single session therapy, and group therapy) can only be provided to currently enrolled students located in California. Remote workshops and consultations can be offered to USF students not located in California or not currently enrolled. CAPS cannot provide therapy to students at serious risk to themselves or others or who have severe symptoms (e.g., mania, psychosis). These conditions/symptoms are outside of CAPS' regular scope of practice. Ethical guidelines and licensing regulations prevent CAPS from providing remote therapy to clients outside of California.

Concerns best served in the professional community outside of CAPS are those requiring visits with a therapist once a week or more, requiring more than 8 to 12 psychotherapy sessions, and/or those that require comprehensive or specialized services, as well as situations including, but not limited to, the following:

  • History of multiple psychiatric hospitalizations and/or multiple suicide attempts
  • History of suicide attempts within the past year
  • Chronic suicide plan or intent, chronic or severe self-injury behaviors
  • Indications that short-term therapy may be detrimental or non-beneficial, as specified by the treating clinician
  • Evidence or risk of significant deterioration in mental or emotional functioning, requiring more intensive intervention
  • Psychotic symptoms or mania without a willingness to remain on medication for stabilization of symptoms
  • Inability or unwillingness to provide the information needed for CAPS to thoroughly assess symptoms
  • Other issues requiring specialized services not available through CAPS, such as
    • Significant and/or high-risk drug and/or alcohol problems, such as substance dependence and/or past failed treatments
    • Significant or longstanding eating disorder with no period of remission, no previous treatment, or that may pose a medical danger
    • Request for formal psychological evaluation or testing
    • Services to fulfill students’ court-mandated assessment or treatment requirements
    • Noncompliance with treatment recommendations

Documentation Letters

Please note that CAPS does not provide letters to verify a need for emotional support animals. If you need such a letter, a mental health or medical clinician off campus who has treated you previously may be able to provide it, or you can seek services from a new mental health clinician off campus.

CAPS does not provide documentation for students who seek services solely to "document" or "verify" their mental health issues. In addition, SDS accommodation letters for existing clients are only provided on an EXCEPTION-ONLY basis. Students seeking such a letter who are not existing CAPS clients should seek services with a mental health clinician off campus or ask an off-campus clinician who is currently/has recently assessed and treated you.

Medication (psychiatry services)

CAPS does not offer medication services. Contact your primary doctor and/or your insurance company for information about psychiatric service providers nearby who take your insurance. CAPS or the Dean of Students Office can also provide information on and guidance in finding off-campus medication services using your insurance or for low or sliding-scale options if needed.

Ongoing and Specialty Therapy Services

CAPS offers brief, intermittent therapy. If you are seeking ongoing and/or weekly therapy, treatment for serious mental health conditions, or specialized services such as intensive eating disorder or substance use treatment, please contact your insurance company for information about providers in the area who accept your insurance. Contact information for your insurance company can usually be found on their website or insurance card. CAPS may refer you for off-campus services after initial assessment or at any point during treatment if we determine our services will not meet your needs, per our Scope of Services.

CAPS All Hours

(855) 531-0761

When to call CAPS All Hours

  • If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and need to speak to a counselor urgently.
  • You are with a student who is experiencing a mental health crisis.
  • For medical emergencies, call Public Safety or 911. For all other inquiries and mental health needs, call the CAPS office.
  • The counselors at this number do not have CAPS information, do not have access to the CAPS schedule system, and can't assist you with your scheduling, canceling, or rescheduling appointments.

All consultations are confidential and free, with information being given only to the All Hours Line staff and CAPS staff in most cases. Note that if the on-call therapist believes that there is an imminent risk of harm to the caller or other parties, they will contact the appropriate emergency services.

Concern

USF's Employee Assistance benefits are provided by Concern. Your confidential, all in one mental health, employee well-being solution is an employer paid benefit provided to you and your eligible dependents. Services can be accessed 24/7 CONCERN Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at (800) 344-4222.

CAPS Consultation for Faculty and Staff

  • CAPS therapists are available to consult with faculty and staff who have concerns about a USF student. Call CAPS during business hours at (415) 422-6352, or call the All Hours Line at (855) 531-0761 any time, 24/7, to speak with a professional therapist about your concerns. Note that unless we have a release from the student you're calling about, we can't disclose any information, including whether they are being seen at CAPS. However, we can always receive information from you and give general advice and resources.
  • Our website provides helpful information for faculty and staff about supporting students and when and how to refer students to CAPS.

Dean of Students and Case Management

The Office of the Dean of Students is a central place for you and other members of the University community to receive assistance with navigating the complex issues of student life.  The staff of the Office of the Dean of Students provides support to address barriers to your success and well-being. Our office is a place where every student can come for the advice or assistance they need.

Case Management provides support intervention, consultation, crisis management, and education to address student success, wellness, and the campus community.

 

Students can:

歡迎來到舊金山大學心理諮商中心(CAPS)。我們是一群博士及碩士的諮商師所組成的 團隊,為目前在 USF 註冊上課的學生提供心理諮商服務。以下是一些關於我們服務的資 訊:

  • 服務時間:星期一至星期五, 8:30am—5pm, 11:30am—12:30pm 為午餐休息 時間
  • 所有學生需要提前預約諮商服務。如果沒有提前預約,我們不能保證您到中心時能 馬上和諮商師會談。學生需要先經過初步的電話評估後決定否合適本中心諮商服務, 在初步評估許可後學生可以撥打(415)422-6352 預約時間。諮商時間通常在整 點十分鐘後開始,每一個時段五十分鐘,例如:1:10pm—2pm 
  • 每一次諮商都會由同一位諮商師和你會談。如果你想更換另外一位諮商師,請和櫃 台助理反應,他們會協助你更換諮商師。
  • CAPS 提供短期諮商(每學年提供六至八次會談)。如果你需要長期專業的諮商 服務,或是會講中文的諮商師,或是有其他特殊要求,我們很樂意為體提供轉介服 務,協助你找到一個適合的校外諮商師。
  • 你的會談內容將全部保密。所有諮商師都會嚴格遵循法律要求及道德規範,不會和 任何人透露會談內容,(包括學校,朋友,家人)。除非我們有學生的書面許可, 允許我們和其他人討論會談內容。然而,在以下提及的特殊情況,則不在保密範圍 。例如諮商師查覺學生有自殺,傷害他人意圖,計劃損毀他人財產(比如汽車,家 庭,建築)的傾向,或者兒童,長者,及需要仰賴特殊照護的成人被虐待的時候。

我們希望經由 CAPS 的協助,可以讓你在 USF 有一個好的學習經驗。如果你對諮商 有任何問題,我們鼓勵你和你的諮商師討論。

 

SF提供普通话服务的心理急助单位

Crisis Hotlines

Information about our services in other languages can be looked up using Google Translate.

Community Referrals for Multilingual students

Alla Volovich 2211 Post St #401, San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 831-4395  

  • Russian 

Chinatown/North Beach Mental Health Services: (415) 352-2000, 729 Filbert Street San Francisco, CA  

  • English, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Cantonese.

Talia Korenbrot - (415) 294-5340

  • Spanish

Catherine Debon - (510) 496-6038 

  • French 

Karim Dajani - (415) 440-2540, 1776 Union San Francisco, CA 94123

  • French, Arabic 

Melanie Horn - (415) 921-1234 399 Laurel Street #3 San Francisco, CA 94118  

  • French 

Luis Perez - (415) 377-8001, 870 Market St. Suite 1150 A San Francisco, CA 94102 

  • Spanish

Annie de Jong - (415) 346-8144, 2071 Antioch Court, Suite 203 Oakland, CA 94611

  • Dutch 

Mary Pacheco - (415) 441-7011, 1311 Sutter Street #201 San Francisco, CA 94109  

  • Spanish

Caren Ludmer (415) 409-2993, 2126 Sutter St San Francisco, CA 94115 

  • French, Italian, Spanish 

Contact CAPS

If lines are busy, please leave a voicemail or complete this form to sign up and we will contact you as soon as possible. 

If you need to speak to a mental health clinician immediately, please call the Crisis: CAPS 24/7 All Hours line at 855-531-0761 (available daily, including weekends and holidays, and accepts international calls), Public Safety (415-422-2911), 911, the Suicide Hotline (dial 988), or go to your nearest emergency room.

Location
Gillson Hall - Lower Level
2325 Golden Gate Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94118

Hours:
Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CAPS Front Desk, for scheduling and inquires (415) 422-6352

CAPS All Hours, for 24/7 crisis support or urgent mental health concerns (855) 531-0761