Informed Consent for Treatment at CAPS

Except in emergency/crisis situations, the University of Richmond Counseling and Psychological Services “CAPS” staff have a legal and ethical obligation to obtain your informed consent before initiating services.

Confidentiality

CAPS maintains a policy of confidentiality. All services are guided by the Ethical Principles and Standards for Service Providers of the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics and by the various licensing laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia as appropriate and applicable.

All information disclosed within the session, as well as the fact of registration for services, is confidential and will not be revealed to anyone outside CAPS without your permission, except under several conditions: a) where disclosure is required by law (e.g., when there is reasonable suspicion of abuse of children, or abuse, neglect or exploitation of the elderly or adults with a disability; when there is a court order); b) when there is a substantial likelihood that you will, in the near future, cause serious physical harm to yourself or others; or c) if there is a substantial risk that you will suffer serious harm due to a lack of capacity to protect yourself from harm or provide for your basic needs.

In cases (b) and (c), CAPS staff may be obligated to seek hospitalization for you, and/or inform appropriate individuals who may be able to help intervene and protect you (e.g. UR Police, your parents, members of the UR Threat Assessment Team, or intended victims where applicable).

In addition to CAPS staff, a limited number of staff in the Health & Well-being Operations unit may have access to the fact that you are a CAPS client for operational purposes.

The CAPS Privacy Practice Notice provides more detailed information about possible uses and disclosures of confidential information. Please be sure to read it carefully and keep a copy for your records.

Electronic Health Records

Confidential counseling records at CAPS are kept electronically on a secure, firewall-protected server. The data in these records is also encrypted on the server, affording an even higher level of confidentiality protection.

How Counseling Works

Counseling is a mutual, collaborative process, between client and mental health provider. You and your counselor will work together to facilitate change. You are responsible for making the effort to work on the problems or issues that concern you, while your counselor is committed to help you in this process.

When you are working with a counselor, it is important to take an active role when engaged in treatment. For example, it is helpful if you: (1) spend time between scheduled sessions thinking about what you and your counselor have been discussing; (2) follow through on any actions you agreed to take; (3) take the initiative to bring up issues or topics to talk about with your counselor. CAPS does not provide co-occurring counseling with other therapists, so if you already have a therapist you are working with, we ask you either schedule those visits during breaks or maintain that relationship and not pursue individual counseling at CAPS. If you have an individual counselor but want to participate in one of the groups at CAPS, this can be considered. If you have an off-campus counselor and are not participating in a group at CAPS, you will NOT have access to CAPS psychiatry. CAPS can provide referrals to off-campus psychiatric care.

Counseling works best when you and your counselor develop a good working relationship, based on mutual trust, honesty, and respect. If you experience any problems or difficulties relating to your counselor, we encourage you to discuss these with your counselor and attempt to reach some resolution. Sometimes you and your counselor may decide that it is best for you to meet with another therapist. Contact CAPS front desk staff to request a change of therapist.

Counseling Outcomes

No one can guarantee counseling will produce certain results. There are some risks associated with counseling. For example, you may discover things about yourself that are uncomfortable; you may have to face uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, and/or memories; sometimes relationships change as a result of counseling; if you are discussing a traumatic event with your counselor, sometimes the feelings get more intense. We can assure you that your counselor will use their professional skills to the best of their ability to address your concerns and help manage possible risks.

Diagnosis

As part of your counseling services, your clinician may determine that assigning a formal mental health diagnosis is appropriate based on your presenting concerns and the criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). Diagnoses are often used to guide treatment planning and may be required if you are referred for psychiatric evaluation, or if you will be receiving medication prescribed by our CAPS medical providers, requesting documentation for accommodations, or seeking services outside the college (e.g., insurance reimbursement, off-campus providers).

Not all students receiving services will be given a formal diagnosis. In some cases, treatment can be provided based on symptoms without the need for a diagnosis. You are welcome to discuss with your counselor whether a diagnosis is being considered or assigned.

If a diagnosis is made, it becomes part of your confidential counseling record. Diagnoses are not shared with academic departments or other campus offices without your explicit written consent, except in cases where disclosure is legally required, as explained above.

Attendance Policy

If you arrive more than 10 minutes late for any CAPS appointment, it may be rescheduled.

If you need to cancel an appointment, please either call CAPS at (804) 289-8119, email caps@richmond.edu, or email your clinician as soon as you know that you will need to reschedule so we can offer that time to another student. At minimum, please notify CAPS of your need to cancel within 24 hours of your appointment if possible. If you no show or cancel an appointment, it is your responsibility to reach out to the CAPS office or directly to your clinician to reschedule.

If you cancel your first appointment of the year with CAPS less than two hours prior to the start of the appointment two or more times, you may be referred to an off-campus provider.

If you miss two scheduled appointments without canceling ahead of time by contacting CAPS, throughout the course of a semester, your case could be closed, or referred to an off campus provider.

You may return the following semester, re-register, and be connected with an available provider. In the event of a mental health crisis, you may still be seen at CAPS, even if you have been referred off campus for continued care.

Psychiatric Care

CAPS has full-time and part-time psychiatric providers to provide acute stabilization and time-limited psychiatric services to students who are actively engaged in “talk therapy” with one of the clinicians. Due to limited psychiatric service hours, students may be referred to community providers for maintenance treatment. Students who are already prescribed medications by a medical provider in the community are encouraged to continue seeing that provider for their medication needs. Psychiatric services at CAPS are not available over winter break and from mid-May through mid-August. During these times, students are responsible for arranging alternate psychiatric treatment in their current location. Psychiatric care at CAPS must be reestablished each academic year by completing the CAPS registration process and resuming counseling service.

Clinical Supervision

CAPS is an accredited counseling service and upholds professional practice standards. CAPS is also a training clinic and often has trainees from other universities working in our center and unlicensed staff who require supervision in pursuit of licensure. To meet professional practice and supervision standards, the work of unlicensed counselors and trainees is under professional review by a licensed CAPS provider, which includes reviewing case files, discussing treatment plans and approach, and signing off on all documentation. It is the responsibility of the clinician-in-training to inform you of their supervisee status and the name of their clinical supervisor.

Because of trainee supervision requirements, counseling sessions provided by trainees at the center will be digitally recorded. Recordings will never by conducted without your explicit written consent. All recordings are confidential, securely stored, and deleted after they have been reviewed by the trainee and their supervisor. Your counselor will discuss this with you and address any concerns or questions you may have.

Teletherapy

Teletherapy may be used to deliver services when deemed clinically appropriate by CAPS.

"Teletherapy” includes secure video conferencing, emails, telephone conversations, and education using interactive audio, video, or data communications.

All teletherapy services are to be furnished in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the services provided are governed by the laws of Virginia. Teletherapy services are required by law to take place within the jurisdiction in which your clinician is licensed. You must be physically located in the Commonwealth of Virginia to engage in teletherapy sessions. If at the time of your appointment, you are or will be physically outside the Commonwealth of Virginia, you must notify your therapist of this as soon as possible but no later than the start of the appointment.

While teletherapy will be conducted primarily through secure and private videoconferencing,  there are always some risks with teletherapy services including, but not limited to, the possibility that: the transmission of your medical information could be disrupted or distorted by technical failures; the transmission of your information could be intercepted by unauthorized persons, and/or the electronic storage of your medical information could be accessed by unauthorized persons.

You will be responsible for the following: (1) providing the computer and/or necessary telecommunications equipment and internet access for teletherapy sessions, (2) arranging a location with sufficient lighting and privacy that is free from distractions or intrusions for teletherapy sessions, (3) presenting and conducting yourself as if you were attending an in-person session. Teletherapy sessions may not be recorded.

Recording of Sessions

To support a safe and trusting environment:

Students may not audio- or video-record counseling sessions (in person or virtual). This includes recording through phones, smartwatches, laptops, apps, screen capture, or any other device.

Clinicians do not record sessions unless there is a specific clinical, training, or supervision reason and you have provided written consent in advance, as set forth above.

 

Right to Revoke This Consent

You have the right to revoke this consent in writing and terminate services at CAPS. In that event, CAPS staff are willing to help you locate alternative resources, either on- or off-campus.