Houston CAPS

What is individual therapy?

• A safe, accepting, and non-judgmental place to confidentially explore issues of personal concern, make decisions, learn about yourself, gain new life skills, and get support from a trained mental health professional.
• Sessions are 50 minutes long and confidential.

Who is eligible for individual therapy?

• Currently enrolled students are eligible for an initial intake assessment.
• CAPS reserves the right to determine if we have adequate resources and expertise to address your particular treatment needs. If your needs cannot adequately or ethically be met by CAPS, we will work with you to secure an appropriate referral.

What is the cost for services?

• Fees for services are already included in students’ previously paid fees. No additional charges are incurred for therapy services.

How do I begin individual therapy?

• Call the Denton CAPS main office at 940-898-3801 for assistance with scheduling.
• During the intake appointment, you and a therapist will begin to explore the nature of your concerns and goals.
• Based on the outcome of this initial assessment, CAPS staff will make a treatment recommendation which may include individual or couples therapy or referral to another campus or community agency.
• If individual therapy is clinically indicated, the recommended frequency and duration of treatment will be determined on a case by case basis with regard to your unique presenting concerns.
• When appropriate, ongoing individual therapy sessions are scheduled by appointment at the conclusion of the intake appointment.
• During peak service times, you may be placed on a waitlist for services. Referrals and options for accessing crisis services will also be provided.

What is couples therapy?

A safe, accepting, and non-judgmental place to confidentially explore how to improve or sustain your relationship with your partner.

Examples of some common couple’s concerns include:

• Improving communication
• Increasing intimacy
• Building trust
• Healing from the effects of previous difficult relationships
• Deciding about making a deeper commitment to each other

Who is eligible for couples therapy?

• Only one partner needs to be a currently enrolled TWU student.
• The enrolled student and their partner are eligible for an initial intake assessment.
• Based on the outcome of this initial assessment, CAPS staff will make a treatment recommendation which may include individual or couples therapy or referral to another campus or community agency.
• If couples therapy is clinically indicated, the recommended frequency and duration of treatment will be determined on a case by case basis with regard to you and your partner’s unique presenting concerns.
• CAPS reserves the right to determine if we have adequate resources and expertise to address your particular treatment needs. If your needs cannot adequately or ethically be met by CAPS, we will work with you and your partner to secure an appropriate referral.

What is the cost for services?

• Fees for services are already included in students’ previously paid fees. No additional charges are incurred.

How do we begin couples therapy?

• Call the Denton CAPS main office at 940-898-3801 for assistance with scheduling.
• The TWU student and their partner must attend the intake session together.
• During the intake appointment you, your partner, and a therapist will begin to explore the nature of your concerns and goals.
• The couple and therapist will collaboratively determine which resources available at CAPS, (or another agency), are best suited to address your needs.
• When appropriate, ongoing couple therapy sessions are scheduled by appointment at the conclusion of the intake appointment.
• During peak service times, you may be placed on a waitlist for services. Referrals and options for accessing crisis services will also be provided.

What is a crisis?

The definition of a crisis may vary from person to person based on their ability to cope, current resources, and past life experiences. Always consult with a mental health professional if you are concerned about yourself or someone else.

Some general guidelines defining a crisis include:

• An inability to keep self physically safe
• Threatening to hurt self or others
• Being threatened or physically hurt by someone else
• Seeing or hearing things that are not there
• Experiencing uncontrollable panic and unable to calm down
• Recent sexual or physical assault
• Currently living without food, clothing, and shelter
• Recent loss of a loved one
• Having withdrawal symptoms from drugs or alcohol (Call 911 in this instance for medical assistance)

How do I initiate crisis services?

The TWU Crisis line is: 940-898-HELP (4357)

• During normal business hours, the line will be answered by CAPS staff. 
• After-hours and during University closures, the line will be answered by Protocall, an organization with over a decade of experience supporting university communities with seamless, customized crisis intervention services. 
• CAPS staff will have access to all student calls in order to provide additional support to students as needed.
• For all medical emergencies (during or after regular business hours), please call 911 first.
• If you are uncomfortable contacting TWU CAPS or 911, we sincerely hope you will still seek help somewhere. Please see our Mental Health Resources section for additional resources.

What can I expect if I initiate crisis intervention services?

When you meet with a crisis therapist, they will:

• Ask you questions to assess your safety and ability to cope
• Help you calm down
• Assist you in making a plan to address your concerns

A therapist may also:

• Contact police and/or medical professionals to assist you or others. This may take place without your consent if the crisis situation warrants and falls under the limits of confidentiality as mandated by the State of Texas. Please see our confidentiality section for additional information.
• Refer you to CAPS or another agency for services.

What is the cost for services?

Fees for services are included in enrolled students’ paid fees. No additional charges are incurred.

CAPS provides workshops and presentations for faculty, students, campus organizations and classes on a wide variety of topics. We work collaboratively with our campus partners to design programs to best fit their needs. We are happy to arrange programs that may be of interest to your organization or class. We are also available to be part of panel discussions.

How to make a request:

• Please request a presentation at a minimum of three weeks in advance of the anticipated presentation date.
• To arrange for a presentation, please complete our Outreach Request Form.

The following is a brief sample of presentation topics that are available and we welcome other topic requests as well. We look forward to being able to respond to your needs.

• Anger Management
• Stress, Anxiety, and/or Depression Management
• Basic University Survival Skills
• Body Image Issues
• Juggling Multiple Roles
• Love Stinks - Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
• Dealing with Sexual Assault
• Coping with Performance Anxiety