The CAPS staff is a diverse, multidisciplinary and multicultural group of professionals. We continually strive to provide UCSB students, faculty, and staff with professional services which demonstrate sensitivity and respect for human differences (e.g., age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socio-economic status), as evidenced by a commitment to receiving the additional training and consultation necessary to ensure the provision of responsive and culturally-competent services. 

For many students of color at a predominantly white institution, there exist differing values, beliefs, and cultural expectations which may impact the decision to seek support. Issues of diversity, ethnicity, and culture are important subjects of discussion within the therapy relationship. The following are additional sources of support for students of color at UCSB:

In the past, the helping professions frequently neglected the distinctive cultural realities of women's life patterns, psychological processes, and personality development as female. Women continue to face special barriers to their full development, both as a result of external forces, and of the internalization of inequities. The psychological staff at CAPS strives to provide services which are sensitive to, and affirming of women's unique experiences. For more information about sources of support for women on the UCSB campus, please visit the Women, Gender, and Sexual Equity Department and the Women’s Center.

Disabilities transcend all lines of gender, race, culture, age, and sexual orientation. Frequently, there are special social, educational, and physical access issues which impact students with disabilities at UCSB. For more information about sources of support for students with disabilities at UCSB, please visit the Disabled Students Program (DSP).

The social stigma long associated with gay, lesbian, and bisexual identities still results for some in the internalization of a negative self-concept. CAPS psychological staff can be characterized as gay-affirmative. For more information about sources of support for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning individuals and their allies at UCSB, please visit the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity and the Women’s Center.

Historically, military veterans have faced discrimination and harassment due to the general publics’ inability to separate the war from the warrior. At UCSB, we strive to create a veteran-friendly campus that welcomes student veterans from all eras, current military service members, their dependents, and loved ones. The Veterans Resource Team provides assistance in coordinating academic advising, tutoring, counseling, disability accommodations, veteran programming, benefits information, financial planning, medical assistance, peer to peer support, and mentoring by staff and faculty veterans.  For more information, please visit the Veterans Resource Center.