Individual, short-term counseling can help you:

  •  Clarify concerns
  •  Assess the effectiveness of previously attempted solutions
  •  Generate new coping strategies

You can come into CAPS to talk about many issues, including:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety and extreme stress
  • Suicidal feelings
  • Anger
  • Trauma, including unwanted sexual contact

Many students experience some amount of anxiety or nervousness about first meeting with a clinician. You may be wondering what will happen, how you will react, what your therapist will be like, and whether or not the experience will be truly helpful. Don’t let that stop you from talking to a professional! Most students report that these feelings pass with time, and that they benefit a great deal from their counseling experience. We encourage you to discuss any worries you may have about counseling with your clinician.

When you are ready to make an appointment at CAPS, please call 805.893.4411 or come to our main office and request to schedule an intake appointment. For more information, please see how to Make An Appointment.

Your first counseling appointment will center around you and the clinician working together to clarify your concerns and to discuss which services are most appropriate for you. 

During the first meeting, the intake clinician might gather information about:

  •  Areas of concern
  •  Your intellectual and emotional styles
  •  Your family history 
  •  Your personal relationship history

This information will help determine which counseling strategies might be most helpful. With this information in mind, you and the intake clinician can work together to come up with your initial goals for counseling. 

During your intake appointment, if it is decided that you would do well with short-term counseling, you can continue to meet with a CAPS clinician. If it is determined that more intensive or extensive treatment is required, a referral for additional services outside of CAPS is provided. Should this be the case for you, the intake clinician will work closely with you to identify the most appropriate referrals given your circumstances, personal resources, and individual needs. If you would like to request a specific therapist (or you have specific requests regarding gender, culture, etc), please let someone know - either during your first appointment or at any time by submitting a Change of Clinician form online. 

No matter what you decide to do about individual counseling, students are also encouraged to consider participating in group therapy, support groups, and/or seek other community resources.  Please speak with your intake clinician about other counseling opportunities. 

Each counseling experience is unique, just as each individual is unique!

The first couple of meetings are usually spent clarifying the problem and examining what solutions may have already been attempted. During this time your clinician may gather information about:

  •  Your past
  •  Your personal style and relationship patterns
  •  Your intellectual and emotional functioning

This information helps the clincian determine which counseling strategies might be most helpful for you. Once given the chance to clarify your issues, you and the clinician will be better able to formulate realistic, achievable counseling goals. These counseling goals might include: 

  •  Learning new problem-solving or coping skills
  •  Increasing self-understanding
  •  Exploring life patterns
  •  Gaining a better sense of how you are influenced by relationships and your surroundings

Working together, you and your clinician can identify and implement the most effective solutions based on your unique circumstances.

It is important to address any concerns you have about your working relationship with your clinician, including any expectations or concerns you have about the counseling process. You have a right to be informed, and the clinician has a responsibility to address your concerns.

Define your goals

Think about what you would like to get out of counseling. Write down a list of events, issues, and/or feelings that might be contributing to your distress. Take time before each session to consider your expectations for that session. As counseling progresses, you might start to see some long-term goals emerge!

Be aware of the relationship between you and your clinician

A good working relationship is crucial to successful counseling, so you will want to experience a level of trust and understanding with your clinician. However, be aware that sometimes painful feelings are stirred up in the process of healing, and that you may not feel completely comfortable at all times with your clinician. This is completely normal! Please feel free to discuss these feelings openly so you and your clinician can make adjustments to better meet your needs for encouragement and support.

Be an active participant

This is your counseling process, so be as active as you wish in deciding how to use the time. Be honest with the clinician and give them feedback about how you see the sessions progressing.

Recognize and express feelings

The recognition, acceptance, and expression of feelings are all important to recognize when working towards personal growth and change.  However, they can be hard to deal with! Your clinician will work with you to integrate your thoughts and emotions in your life in a balanced way.

Be patient with yourself

Growth takes time, effort, and patience. All of your coping skills, behavior patterns and self-perceptions have been learned and reinforced over a long period of time. Changing what has become such an integral part of yourself is very difficult! By having patience with yourself, you set the foundation for development and change.