Making an Appointment

How do I make an appointment at CAPS?

You can make an appointment for counseling by calling the main counseling office at 732-932-7884. You can also stop in at the Senior Street counseling office during office hours. We will offer you an initial telephone screening appointment, usually on the same day. This first screening appointment will last approximately 15-20 minutes and help us to determine the most appropriate kind of help to offer you. This initial contact will give you a chance to say what has been bothering you and to talk with a counselor about what options are available for further counseling. When you call for an appointment, we will ask you for your name, phone number, and Rutgers ID number. The phone number will be used only to call to confirm an appointment, or to change it if necessary. When we call, if you aren't there we would usually leave a neutral message saying, "Please call about our meeting," or something like that, instead of saying "Counseling, ADAP & Psychiatric Services called".
Keeping appointments is very important. If an emergency arises, please notify us as soon as possible that you will not be able to make your appointment. This allows us to offer the time to another student. As you may have experienced, there are times when the demand for services means that clients have to wait (longer than any of us would like) to be seen.

What happens during the first contact with Counseling and Psychological Services?

The first thing you will do is speak to a staff counselor on the telephone for about 15-20 minutes. During this initial contact with the counselor, several things will be accomplished. First, you will have a chance to describe why you are seeking counseling, and why you chose this particular time to do so. Also of interest will be things like how long you have been troubled by this problem, what you have tried in the past to solve it, whether it resembles problems you have had in the past, something about your family background, and other possible areas of interest like a history of abuse, substance use, and general health. At the end of the initial contact the counselor will review with you the various choices available. These usually include:
• scheduling an in-person appointment on the same day to assess your situation and address any urgent concerns
• scheduling an in-person session within a couple of days to get a better picture of your situation
• assigning you to a counselor for ongoing counseling
• making an appointment for you to talk with a counselor who leads a group to decide if the group would be most helpful for you
• referring you for a second opinion, for example to one of the campus psychiatrists
• suggesting some other action you could take to improve your situation
• referring you to another therapist or office either on or near campus, if they offer faster or more useful services.