Frequently Asked Questions

• Seattle University students are eligible for clinical services while they are currently enrolled and taking classes, including undergraduate, graduate, and law school students. Students must be in Washington at the time of their appointment. 
• If you graduate or withdraw from the university you would no longer be eligible for CAPS counseling services. 
• University employees who are part-time students are not eligible for clinical services since the University provides health insurance as part of the employee benefits package. Employees seek services through the university Employee Assistance Program. 

CAPS services are completely free for SU students. There is no billing, insurance requirement, or copay at CAPS. 

Students come to CAPS with a variety of concerns including but not limited to: adjusting to college, academic concerns, stress and anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, family conflicts, alcohol and drug use, disordered eating concerns, grief and loss, loneliness, sexuality, identity exploration, coping with disability or chronic health concerns, sexual abuse or sexual assault, relationship violence, and other trauma concerns.

Because CAPS uses a short-term therapy model, some concerns are better suited for more frequent or on-going psychotherapy. Your CAPS therapist can help you explore what options are recommended based on your goals and symptoms and can also aid with identifying appropriate referrals if needed.

If you are interested in more frequent or on-going counseling and are not currently seeing a CAPS therapist, please visit our office during our Urgent Care hours to receive case management from a member of our team and set a plan for your mental healthcare. Urgent Hours are offered Mondays through Fridays, from 11am - 1pm. If you are unable to visit the CAPS office during Urgent Care hours for referrals, please contact us at caps@seattleu.edu. 

All staff providing direct therapy services are licensed with the State of Washington or are pre-licensed clinicians under supervision of an approved supervisor licensed with the State of Washington. CAPS staff have various credentials, with degrees ranging from Doctorate of Psychology to Masters level degrees in social work, counseling, or related fields. 

For more information about our staff, visit our Our Staff page. 

All patient information is confidential, including the fact that you are participating in therapy at CAPS. This means that under ordinary circumstances, no protected information will be revealed to anyone outside of CAPS without your written permission in the form of a Release of Information. CAPS will also never confirm nor deny that you have contacted our office or utilized any of our services to anyone you have not provided a Release of Information for. 

Consistent with the law and professional ethics, there are emergency and other special circumstances when CAPS and/or your therapist may be required to disclose information you have shared. 

No. CAPS operates under the following standard business hours (all times in PST): 

Mondays - Fridays
8:30am - 4:30pm

In addition, the CAPS office closes at 3pm on Fridays during the Summer quarter.

If you need evening or weekend services, students are recommended to utilize TimelyCare, a free teletherapy service for enrolled students. Additionally you can request referrals to off-campus therapists by visiting our office during Urgent Care hours for a 1-on-1 case management session, or by emailing caps@seattleu.edu. 

Urgent Care is offered during Summer quarter from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. , Mondays and Wednesdays. Additional hours return Fall quarter 2024. 

In the case that the CAPS office is closed or staff are otherwise unavailable: 

• If you or someone around you is experiencing a psychological emergency, please call King County Crisis Connections at 866-427-4747, or contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting to 9-8-8. 
• Seattle University provides students 24/7, on-demand mental health support through the TalkNow feature of the TimelyCare app. Download and login into the TimelyCare app with your SU email, and access the TalkNow feature to speak with a mental health professional about anything at any time. 
• You can find more information about additional options for emergency and after-hours care on our Suicide & Crisis Information page 

Teletherapy is the delivery of therapy services using telecommunications technology. At CAPS, we use Zoom for Healthcare to provide secure video conferencing therapy session 1-on-1 for enrolled SU students in Washington state. Using teletherapy, the client and the therapist can be in separate, private locations and still hold therapy sessions. For many mental health concerns, teletherapy can be just as effective as in-person psychotherapy services (APA, 2021). 

Online Therapy is Here to Stay | APA

The CAPS office offers exclusively short-term therapy options, so if you are interested in longer-term therapy you will need to work with a therapist off-campus. Our office can help you find appropriate referral resources for therapists, psychiatrists, and other mental health resources wherever you are located. 

For help with referrals, stop by our office in PAVL 120 during our Urgent Care hours (offered Mondays through Fridays, 11am - 1pm) for a 1-on-1 case management session with one of our counselors, to discuss your care options and assist with referrals. If you are unable to attend an Urgent Hours 1-on-1 session, contact us at caps@seattleu.edu. If you are currently being seen at CAPS, you may also request referrals from your therapist. 

CAPS does not offer psychiatry services or medication management. Students who have questions about managing their medications on-campus should contact the Student Health Center for support. CAPS can also provide referral information to prescribers in the community. For help with referrals, see our Case Management & Receiving Referrals page 

Due to confidentiality, all potential clients must make appointments themselves, either over the phone or in-person at our office, and someone else cannot schedule an appointment for them. If you have an immediate concern about a student's safety or the safety of others, please call the SU Department of Public Safety at (206)-296-5911. 

If you are concerned about a student, you can call CAPS to schedule a consultation with a member of the team to learn about any other resources that may be available. You can also refer any SU student to the CARE team, an interdisciplinary team who can help students who need resources and support for a variety of reasons, including mental health concerns. 

No, for reasons similar to why you cannot make an appointment for a student. While CAPS will contact established student clients for scheduling purposes, due to our services being confidential and voluntary CAPS staff are unable to reach out to students for other concerns. 

If you feel that someone needs to reach out to the student, we recommend referring the student to the CARE team. Facilitated by the Office of the Dean of Students, the CARE team is an interdisciplinary team designed to help students who need resources and support for a variety of reasons, including mental health concerns. The CARE team assists students by: 

• Connecting students with on- and off-campus resources
• Consulting with faculty and staff about how to respond to various concerns 
• Facilitating formal and informal outreach and check-ins  

You can read more about the CARE team on the Dean of Students website. If you have an immediate concern about a student's safety or the safety of others, please call the Seattle U Department of Public Safety at (206) 296-5911

Due to the need to establish standard of care when providing accurate clinical documentation, the CAPS office can only provide hardship withdrawal documentation to current clients who have attended a minimum of four sessions.

Students who are not eligible to receive hardship withdrawal documentation from CAPS are recommended to contact a provider who is familiar with their situation, has established a standard of care, and can provide accurate documentation on the concern.

If a student does not currently have a provider who is familiar with themselves or their concern, CAPS can assist with referrals to off-campus mental health professionals during Urgent Hours. Students can attend a 1-on-1 session with a member of CAPS staff at that time to review the situation and receive referrals to outside providers. CAPS would like to remind students that connecting with an off-campus provider does not guarantee that provider will complete withdrawal documentation.

For more information on the availability of Urgent Care hours, click here.