Your college years can be an exciting and challenging time. Students can face a variety of concerns including general stress, being a first generation student, academic difficulties, anxiety, and depression. Student Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is dedicated to helping you reach your personal and academic goals. Our clinicians are trained in providing culturally responsive services in a number of different ways to our unique student population.

The mission of CAPS is to provide a variety of services to help students address mental health concerns and make the most of their college experience. This includes offering students a range of activities to meet their needs, including self-directed resources, workshops addressing general mental health concerns, group therapy/support groups, relationship therapy, and individual therapy. CAPS providers also provide outreach to the university community through tabling events, skill building/educational workshops, lectures, and seminars.

All students’ interested in therapy at CAPS must first schedule an Initial Consultation with a clinician for a thorough assessment, at which point treatment recommendations are provided (that may or may not include CAPS services). Please call 702-895-3627 to schedule an Initial Consultation. If you are looking to see a clinician in a moment of emotional crisis you can do so by calling or coming  into CAPS during our regular business hours. *Please note that you will need to complete forms upon arrival and there may be a wait if the crisis clinician is meeting with another student.*

Initial consultations are generally between 30 – 60 minutes long. You will be asked to complete paperwork prior to the start of the appointment. Please plan accordingly. Your clinician might ask about the concern bringing you to therapy as well as collect information about other areas of your life such as your academics, relationships, and general mood. CAPS provides support using a brief, solution-focused model that allows your needs to be met in the most effective manner with the resources available. Based on this information and the services we offer, your clinician will make recommendations for therapy options based on your presenting concerns and available resources. This may include a variety of services including brief individual therapy, group therapy, relationship therapy, workshops, or long-term, open-ended therapy in the community.

Initial consultations are scheduled up to three weeks in advance. Once all the available initial consultation time slots are filled for the next three weeks students must wait until additional initial consultation slots are open to schedule for future dates. Students in an emotional crisis may be seen during open hours for same-day crisis services.

If your initial consultation clinician recommends CAPS services, including individual, relationship, or group therapy, the wait can vary depending on the demand. After completing the initial consultation your clinician will talk with you about the wait time.

If your intake clinician refers you for individual therapy at CAPS, you can certainly make your request known to your Initial consultation clinician; however your assignment can depend on the requested clinician’s current caseload. In some cases this may also increase your wait time.

In order to see the psychiatrist/psychiatric nurse practitioner you will need a referral from one of the CAPS clinicians. Therefore, you will need to schedule an initial consultation with CAPS first. Please let your clinician know that you are interested in medication management. The intake clinician will refer you for an assessment with the Behavioral Health Team when appropriate.

Currently enrolled students at UNLV pay a health fee as part of their tuition which allows them access to services within Student Wellness. CAPS does not charge any office visit fees. Some students may be asked to complete additional testing and assessment at follow up for a nominal fee which will be discussed in advance.

These assessments help clinicians to gather information about your presenting concerns and gauge your progress in counseling. Please plan for this at every appointment.

If you know that you need to cancel an appointment in advance, please call the CAPS front desk at 702-895-3627 to cancel or reschedule the appointment. You can also cancel in the Medicat portal. Students will be charged a no show fee if they do not show for an appointment. This fee does not apply for follow-ups or initial consultations; however students are strongly encouraged to cancel appointments in advance so that the appointment time can be offered to another student in need.

At CAPS we are committed to serving the student body at UNLV and offering support in the best way possible. In order to do so, we do ask that you let us know if you are unable to make it to a scheduled appointment. This way, we are able to offer that spot to another student who might be in need. If you no-show for an individual session you will be charged a $25 no-show fee. If you no-show for a group session, there is a $20 no-show fee. If you no-show for a relationship therapy session, there is a $30 no-show fee. If you no-show for an initial consultation or a follow-up appointment you will not be charged a fee.