CAPS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We are available after hours for emergency consults at 202-444-PAGE (7243). You will be prompted to give your name and phone number. In most cases, a CAPS clinician will call you back within 15 minutes. If you do not hear back from a clinician within 15 minutes, please call again. 

Please visit our page on how to make an appointment to find out how to make an appointment during business hours.

All CAPS records are confidential and are not part of a student’s academic record. No information is released to an outside party (even parents) without the student’s explicit written authorization. Exceptions to confidentiality include information about child abuse, serious risk to human life, and court orders.

Generally, students can be seen the same day they walk in. This will vary by time of year–at times of high demand (midterms until finals) it is conceivable that the wait may be longer. Every effort is made to accommodate students as quickly as possible.

CAPS psychiatrists are available to provide medication consultation, evaluation, and management for students who are engaged in individual therapy at CAPS. If you or your CAPS counselor feel that medication may be helpful to your situation, an appointment for a consultation with a psychiatrist can be arranged. This meeting will allow the student and the psychiatrist an opportunity to discuss the appropriateness of medication and discuss any other medical concerns that may be present.

On Main Campus, we provide free evaluations, crisis assessment and intervention, referral to community resources, consultation, support and therapy groups, and outreach programming. Evaluations are typically defined as 1 or 2 visits with a CAPS psychologist or social worker to evaluate the concerns and formulate a treatment plan if needed. If ongoing mental health services are needed after the period of evaluation, then there is a fee for service at CAPS for individual sessions, while group counseling remains free of charge. The fee for each individual psychotherapy session is $10 and the fee for each psychiatry visit is $15.  In cases of financial hardship, CAPS will work to make services affordable. We do not want finances to stand in the way of any student obtaining help.

At the Law Center and School of Continuing Studies, there are different service delivery models.

A student may be referred in the following ways:
Suggest to the student that they walk in to CAPS during our daily walk-in hours.For emergencies and crises on weekends or after hours, a CAPS clinician-on-call is available by calling (202) 444-PAGE (7243).
When uncertain of what actions to take, call (202) 687-6985 to work out a specific strategy for getting help for a particularly reluctant or an especially troubled student.
Walk the student to CAPS, particularly in a crisis.

Please visit our page on Medical Leave of Absence (MLOA) page for information about taking a medical leave of absence.

It depends on your particular circumstances. We will base our recommendation for the length of leave on an individualized assessment. A medical leave of absence allows students whose academic progress has been seriously compromised by illness to take time away from Georgetown University without academic penalty. Such leave affords students time to pursue treatment and eventually return to the University with a significantly improved chance of success academically and personally. Frequently students want to rush back to campus as soon as possible, but we find that this is not the best strategy because a premature return often results in the need for another MLOA.

Students returning from a MLOA typically have further and ongoing needs for care. CAPS offers a free Support Group for students returning from MLOA (see Group Therapy page). Because CAPS is designed for short-term work, we generally recommend that students seek individual care in the community where it can be of a longer duration. In addition, because we have a finite ability to render services, we want to make sure that we have availability for students who have never been in counseling before. However, in certain cases, we may make an exception if suitable help cannot be found in the community or if there is true financial hardship.