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Student Affairs

Overview and Mission

Located on the second floor of the August Center building (above the Student Health Center), Counseling and Psychological Services  (CaPS) provides free, confidential, and personalized services to meet the mental health needs of currently enrolled, undergraduate and graduate students on the Henrietta campus.   

Our mission is to enhance the RIT student potential for learning and success and to promote the emotional health and well-being of the campus community through the delivery of responsive, empirically-based, and culturally competent mental health services.

Our caring team of licensed mental health professionals offer primarily short-term individual psychotherapy, but also includes group counseling, walk-in crisis intervention, campus consultation and outreach education, and referrals to outside resources to help students change and thrive as they navigate the daily challenges of college life.

REFLECT · RECOGNIZE · REFRAME · REACHOUT

Resiliency is the cornerstone of personal and professional success, defined as the capacity to learn from and bounce back from challenges, setbacks and mistakes. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) cultivates and supports student resiliency with a confidential and culturally sensitive space that helps RIT students in the following ways:

  • Provide students the tools and opportunity to reflect on strengths and areas of difficulties and work toward what is important to them. CaPS helps strengthen each person’s unique ability to the tasks of a rigorous college environment. CaPS recognizes that struggles are a natural part of the college experience and help students recognize this as well.
  • Provide students with the skills to view challenges as opportunities for growth and learning. Challenges are actively worked on in a variety of ways (increasing self-awareness, building communication skills, risk-taking). CaPS believes that in talking about and sharing experiences and beliefs, students become better equipped to identify, confront and accept setbacks and develop greater resiliency.
  • Provide students with resources to engage with others and build fulfilling relationships in college and beyond. We assist students in connecting with groups, workshops, student activities, and unique external supports.

Commitment to Inclusive Excellence

Counseling and Psychological Services staff are committed to the expectation that all students who seek our services should be met with a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment.  We believe that students who engage with our programs and services are provided with opportunities to help strengthen and promote the development of the individual and the communities in which they live.  

We strive to deliver services that promote social justice and shine a light on the dignity, unique strengths, and worth of every individual.  This includes a commitment to recognize, value, and respect all individuals regardless of race, color, creed, age, marital status, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, veteran’s status, or disability.

Getting Started with Us

Plus IconHow do I get started?

For deaf and hard-of-hearing students, please go to this page.

For hearing students, please go to the following page.

If a student needs to be seen immediately, emergency services can be accessed.

Plus IconWhat happens during the initial phone call?

When you initially call, email, or walk-in, you will speak with a Clinical Intake Coordinator, who will begin by reviewing some basic information about you. These conversations generally last just a few minutes. They will be asking you a few questions about your reasons for requesting services, and will also review questions about your mental health history. These questions will include asking about medications, suicidal thoughts, trauma history, hospitalizations, self-harm, and more, in an effort to best determine the urgency of the next steps. In all cases, you will also be discussing an initial plan for treatment with us, which will typically involve scheduling an in person appointment with one of our mental health providers. In some cases, you may be asked to come in for a same-day assessment, if we feel you are in need of immediate help. 

Plus IconWhat will happen at the first appointment?

If you have not yet completed paperwork, you will spend some time initially completing forms upon arriving to your first appointment.  The mental health professional will meet with you for about 50 minutes during an intake session, or 30 minutes for a group consultation visit.  During your first appointment with the mental health professional, that person will ask you questions about your relevant history, current problems, resources and strengths, as well as help you determine your goals for coming to Counseling and Psychological services.  The mental health professional will work with you to determine a plan for therapy, consultation or referral to other resources.

Plus IconWho will be my assigned therapist?

Your assigned therapist will be determined based on mutual availability, and a match based on the needs and goals of your work together.  The therapist you work with will have specific experience in working with college students.  Your individual preferences will also be considered in the decision.

Plus IconWill my counselor be the same person I speak to during my telephone consultation or intake appointment?

As a priority, you will be referred to a therapist with the most availability and who specializes providing treatment for your need and goal areas.  This person may or may not be the mental health professional you spoke with during your initial telephone consultation.  Sometimes, a Clinical Intake Coordinator will want to meet with you for an additional assessment appointment to make sure they have a full picture of your needs and goals before referring you to a therapist.

Plus IconWhat can I do to prepare for my first appointment?

Once you arrivew for your first scheduled appointment, we will ask that you complete some paperwork (these forms take about 10 minutes to complete). You can arrive 10 minutes before your appointment to do so. During the initital meeting, your assigned therapist will talk with you and ask questions to get to know more about you, your goals, and your reasons for seeking services. You will work together with your assigned therapist to determine the most appropriate plan to address your needs.

Plus IconWhat if I need to be seen right away?

If a student needs to be seen immediately, walk-in services can be accessed. 

Plus IconHow do I obtain information about the person/service to whom I am being referred?

Ask your therapist about the referrals you are receiving.  They can provide you with written materials, web resources and other suggestions so you are informed.

Most resources and referral sources will have information and profiles on the web. See our Self Help Resources page, too.

Plus IconWhat if I do not like the person/service to whom I am referred?

As a client of the RIT Counseling and Psychological Services, you have the right to request a change and ask questions about the therapist or services to whom you are being referred.  If you request this change, it may be reviewed among the treatment team and the decision will be discussed with you.