Individual Counseling
Who may use these services: Stanford students
The cost of most services is covered without charge for students who have paid the Campus Health Service Fee. Students who have not paid the Campus Health Service Fee will be charged for each service.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers evaluations and brief counseling to students without charge for students who have paid the Campus Health Service Fee (or for a charge for students who have not paid the Campus Health Service Fee). Men, women, Chicano/Latino, African-American, Asian-American, and lesbian and gay counselors are available upon request. Students requesting or requiring longer, ongoing therapy incur fees. For more information, see the following:
- On this page:
Basic Services
A CAPS therapist provides an initial evaluation and discusses ways to deal with your concerns. Typically, a CAPS social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist will meet with you weekly to address your concerns in short-term counseling.
Therapists are assigned to students based upon availability, rather than discipline. All of our therapists are able to assist you in assessment and planning treatment.
Stanford students are eligible for an initial consultation. Evaluations and short-term counseling require no fee for students who have paid the Campus Health Service Fee (or for a charge for students who have not paid the Campus Health Service Fee). For couples therapy, only one of you needs to be a registered Stanford student.
CAPS provides a free initial consultation to evaluate your need for medication.
Appointments
Appointments are usually available within three to five
days of your request. You may request a specific therapist
on the basis of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or
professional training, but it may mean a longer wait until
one becomes available. Make appointments by calling (650) 723-3785.
If you have never been seen at CAPS before, the first time you call us to
make an appointment, you will be scheduled for a phone screening appointment with one of our clinicians. The purpose of this 5-10 minute phone call is for the clinician to understand the focus of your concern and how this concern is affecting your daily life. This will allow the clinician to
assess your needs and match you with an appropriate clinician (gender,
ethnicity, area of expertise, etc.) and appointment type (individual
therapy, couples therapy, medication evaluation, etc.)
After your phone screening you may be selected to participate in a brief
survey to help evaluate the triage system. Your feedback is important in
improving our clinical services.
Cancellations
If you need to cancel an appointment, it must be done at least 24 hours prior to your session. Otherwise, it will count as one of your sessions.
Long-Term Services and Fees
Some situations are more appropriately addressed in long-term therapy due to their history and complexity. These include medication management and other services not covered in an initial evaluation and short-term therapy. These services incur fees. The following options are available:
- You can see a CAPS therapist if an opening for long-term therapy is available. The fee begins when you and your therapist agree on the need for long-term therapy. Your insurance benefits may be applied to the CAPS fee.
- If medication is prescribed while you are under CAPS care, visits required to monitor medication are on a fee-for-service basis. CAPS does not provide evaluation or medication supervision for students who are already in therapy outside of CAPS.
- Additional services are available on a fee-for-service basis (e.g., biofeedback).
- The portion of the fee for which you are responsible may vary. It is based on your insurance coverage and the treatment involved. Fees are paid after each session.
- You will be billed for sessions which are not cancelled at least 24 hours before your appointment. Most insurance companies do not reimburse for missed sessions.
- If no opening for long-term therapy is available at CAPS, we will provide you with a referral to a clinic or therapist in the community. If you have Stanford Cardinal Care insurance, the referral will be made to a ValueOptions network therapist or mental health agency.