Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS, typically limits the number of counseling sessions students can attend to six, which can make it difficult for students to get the mental health care they need. While six sessions are, according to Student Health Executive Director Dr. Christopher Holstege, sufficient for the majority of students, the limit can discourage students from coming to CAPS and can hinder the quality of the actual sessions themselves. Given the effects of these restraints, the University should provide more resources for CAPS to hire more staff.
In some cases, CAPS extends therapy until the student either finds outside care, graduates or becomes stable. This should not be the exception — a student shouldn’t have to be in an especially serious situation to merit more counseling. Moreover, a six session limit can prevent both the counselor and the student from addressing the student’s needs in appropriate depth; third-year Curry student Carley McQuain, for instance, told The Cavalier Daily her sessions focused on, “‘How are you doing this week?’” instead of primarily on what she was there for — an eating disorder.
Most people at CAPS are committed professionals who are doing their best to deal with a burdensome workload and lack of institutional support. Given the prevalence of mental health issues at many universities, including our own, we should invest the resources necessary to make sure everyone gets quality care. Those in crisis are understandably a priority for any health system — but the University should do more to serve the needs of all students.
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