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Student Counseling Service Name Change Reflects Broad Array Of Services

The change to Counseling & Psychological Services 37 years after the department’s establishment reflects the array of services provided to students and reasserts its mission.
By Sondra White, Texas A&M University Division of Student Affairs July 9, 2019

1 on 1 student counseling session
During the 2017-18 fiscal year, CAPS spent 22,122 hours on counseling for individual students.

Texas A&M Student Affairs

The Student Counseling Service at Texas A&M University changed its name to Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) effective July 9.

One of 17 departments within the Division of Student Affairs, the Student Counseling Service was named in 1982 when the unit joined with the former Academic Counseling Center to create a unit that would address academic, career and personal counseling.

“The previous name does not accurately reflect the services we provide students, and we are often confused with other departments due to the broad usage of the term ‘counseling’ within our campus,” CAPS Director Mary Ann Covey said. “The intentionality of adding ‘psychological’ and the plural of ‘services’ indicates more precisely what we do and reflects the variety of services we offer for our Aggie students, such as counseling for individuals, couples, groups, workshops, consultation and campus engagement.”

Stewards of student wellbeing

CAPS provides goal-oriented counseling to address the mental health and developmental issues of Texas A&M students. Services are available in workshop, group, couples and individual formats as well as limited psychiatric care and crisis intervention. The CAPS team engages in assessment, intervention and outreach from a culturally informed, social justice perspective.

During the 2017-18 fiscal year, CAPS spent 22,122 hours on counseling for individual students. The department employs professional counselors, psychologists, social workers, pre-doctoral interns, a psychiatrist, nurse practitioner and support staff.

The CAPS staff are infusing new energy into prevention and education efforts that strive to create a healthy campus environment through personal and educational awareness, stigma reduction and fostering emotional wellbeing as the department moves beyond its doors to work collaboratively and innovatively with the larger campus community.

As part of its campus-wide initiatives to educate and support the Texas A&M community, CAPS features the following program highlights:

  • HelpLine: Staffed by student volunteers, this after-hours mental health service for Texas A&M provides support, information, crisis intervention and referrals to students and those concerned about students. It is available from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weekdays and 24 hours a day on weekends when school is in session.
  • Suicide Awareness & Prevention Office: In 2018, CAPS received a competitive grant for its suicide prevention program through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The three-year grant will boost Texas A&M’s suicide prevention training programs such as QPR, Campus Connect, Gatekeeper 2.0 and Kognito. It will also fund the “Not Another Aggie” campus-wide suicide awareness marketing campaign launching in the fall semester.
  • Sanvello (formerly Pacifica): This highly-rated application is available for free to assist with stress, anxiety and depression. During the past two years, 6,026 Texas A&M students, faculty and staff have downloaded the app.

The CAPS offices are located in the Student Services complex in the White Creek area of West Campus, but will move back to the center of campus when the new Student Services Building opens in spring 2020.

Learn more at the CAPS website or call 979-845-4427. Need help now or just want to talk? Call HelpLine at 979-845-2700.

For information on how to support Counseling & Psychological Services at Texas A&M University, contact Megan Pulliam, director of development, at mpulliam@txamfoundation.com or call 979-458-1689.

Give online to the Houston A&M University Mothers’ Club HelpLine Endowment.

Media contact: Sondra White, Texas A&M University Division of Student Affairs, 979-458-3296, sondra@tamu.edu.

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