Appointments & Services

First time clients and returning clients must complete the CAPS Registration Forms each academic year prior to scheduling their first appointment. Clients returning from fall semester counseling will only need to submit an Updated Availability Form.

• Forms can be accessed:
  • Monday - Friday 7:15am-4:15pm
• You will have up to 30 minutes to complete your forms. Incomplete forms will not be saved or submitted.
• To access the forms, you must be on the URWIN wifi network. Those not on the network must download a VPN from the UR Help Desk and log in to access the forms.
• Once forms are submitted to CAPS the student will be contacted by email or phone with an appointment offer. We strive to schedule the appointment on the day the registration forms are received. If not available, we will offer an appointment within your given availability.
  • If you have not been contacted with an appointment within 24 hours of submitting your registration forms, call CAPS at 804-289-8119

• TIPS:
  • Provide as much information as possible when completing the registration forms.
  • Provide all of your weekly availability. The more availability you provide, the easier and faster it is to get an appointment scheduled. Availability should include any time you are not in class.

If you are experiencing mental health emergency contact CAPS directly at 804-289-8119 M-F from 8:30-4:30. After hours call URPD at 804-289-8911. Visit our Crisis page for more information.

• Your first visit will be a 25-30 minute consultation appointment.
  • For personal planning purposes, allow up to 1 hour.

• Your provider will focus on learning about your mental health goals and meeting your immediate needs, and will conclude by making a recommendation about next steps based on the meeting and the CAPS Individualized Care Model.

Students typically utilize CAPS for 1-8 sessions to reach their goals. We have found students who are able to dedicate more time and energy to working on their mental health outside of the meetings usually have quicker and better results.

CAPS has multiple brief consultation appointments available every day in order to meet students’ needs. These appointments are available on a first come, first served basis.

• We will strive to schedule the initial brief consultation appointment on the same day as the registration forms are completed based on appointment availability and the student’s weekly availability form.
• Students who are already registered with CAPS for the current academic year and would like to request a same day urgent appointment, should complete the AR FORM. The form is located at the bottom of the forms page. NOTE: Please DO NOT complete the CAPS Registration forms again; if you have questions contact CAPS at 804-289-8119. 

CAPS offers crisis appointments daily. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency including frequent suicidal/homicidal thoughts or hearing voices or seeing things that others aren’t hearing or seeing:

• Call CAPS directly at 804-289-8119 Monday-Friday from 8:30-4:30
• After hours call URPD immediately at 804-289-8911
• Visit our Crisis page for more information

In most cases, CAPS clients will have the option to meet either in-person or remotely.

• Students attending remote sessions must be physically located in the state of Virginia. 
• If you are in need of a private space to speak to a counselor remotely, please see the list of spaces on campus: Private Spaces

Counseling Services:

• Students who no show to a Brief Consultation appointment will not be automatically rescheduled and CAPS will reach out to attempt to reschedule if interested.
• Students must make every effort to attend all scheduled counseling appointments. Students who miss two appointments without notifying CAPS at least 24 hours in advance may be referred off campus.
• Students who arrive more than 10 minutes late for a counseling appointment may be asked to reschedule.
• Students who miss the first session of a CAPS program may be unable to move forward and must wait to join the next session.

Psychiatric Services:

• Students must make every effort to attend all scheduled psychiatric appointments. Students who miss two psychiatric appointments without notifying CAPS at least 24 hours in advance will no longer be eligible to use this service.

Visit the CAPS Groups & Program flyer for specific course offerings.

Group Counseling
Group Counseling opportunities provide weekly support for students with 1-2 CAPS providers and a group of peers addressing struggles related to various topics. These group offerings are typically longer-term (8+ weeks or semester-long) and tend to be less structured than the skill-building programs. A student may be referred to group counseling if they are seeking weekly check-ins at CAPS, struggle with relationship concerns and would benefit from peer feedback and support, and/or identify with a specific population for which we offer a support group.

WHY GROUP? The real question is Why NOT group?:

• You can benefit even when you say very little but listen carefully to others!
• You might learn more about yourself from hearing others’ stories and struggles
• Provides a safe place to take risks and experiment with others (i.e. how you might confront a friend, practice with the group!)
• Initial anxiety about group settings is NORMAL and often quickly reduces. Being comfortable in group settings is a valuable life skill and what better place to do that than in a confidential and safe space!

Skill-Building Programs
A Skill-Building Program likely will be recommended as a first step for anyone pursuing CAPS services whose needs are appropriate for the program. These short-term programs provide useful, proactive, and beneficial skills to anyone, especially those struggling to manage their current circumstances. These short-term programs (3-4 week sessions) allow concentrated, skill-building practice.

All CAPS Group Counseling and Skill-Building Programs require the student to be a CAPS client who has completed an initial appointment with a counselor, but and can be pursued with or without participation in individual counseling.

Individual counseling may be the most appropriate and quickest way to help them reach their goals. CAPS uses a short-term counseling model, typically from 1-8 sessions, every other week. A counselor and student work together to identify goals that may be in a variety of realms of the student’s life: personal, relational, developmental, substance use, trauma, academic and other concerns that are preventing the student from functioning well.

Individualized counseling is often the modality students think of when they think of CAPS. However, individualized counseling requires high levels of time, energy and commitment. It is not necessarily the most efficient or effective step for all students. Students may find what they need in other steps of the Individualized Care Model requiring less time commitment while retaining more autonomy.

CAPS has a limited number of weekly hours of psychiatric coverage. Only students who are engaged in on-going CAPS counseling services are eligible to make appointments with a psychiatric provider.

• The first appointment with a psychiatric provider can only be made after meeting one or more times with a CAPS counselor.
• Psychiatrists do not prescribe ADHD medication only. Thriving Campus can assist with students seeking ADHD medication.
• Students seeking medication only will be assisted in finding an appropriate provider off-campus at the student’s expense.

Students who already have a satisfactory relationship with a prescribing professional off-campus are encouraged to continue working with that professional.

Rachel Turk, Psy.D., LCP

CAPS and the University of Richmond Athletics Department have collaborated to make mental health for our athletes a priority. Dr. Turk is located at the Robins Center and meets with varsity student-athletes. She specializes in working with survivors of trauma, individuals with eating concerns, and student-athletes. She is able to work with the UR student-athletes on both mental health concerns and sports performance issues.

Dr. Turk can provide the following services:

• Consultation for student-athletes, coaches, staff, and faculty (for concerns about students)
• Brief individual therapy
• Outreach activities such as presentations, workshops, trainings, guest lectures, interviews, etc.
• Ongoing team/group sessions/programs created and individualized to team needs.
• Referrals to other resources both on and off campus
• Group therapy

Confidentiality: Dr. Turk is an employee of CAPS, and the same CAPS confidentiality standards apply to her work in the Robins Center. Information for her clients is maintained separately from any other athletic, academic, or administrative records and cannot be shared outside of CAPS without permission of the client unless certain legal exceptions apply. In addition, Dr. Turk is a confidential employee and in her role as therapist is not mandated to report sexual assault information to the university.

How to Make an Appointment:

Varsity student-athlete who is interested in mental health or sports performance services:

• Email Dr. Turk directly at rturk@richmond.edu
• Email must include: your availability during business hours, M-F 8:30-5, for the next two weeks.
• During your first meeting you will complete the CAPS registration forms, review your concerns and plan appropriate next steps with Dr. Turk.
  • NOTE: Registration forms can be filled out prior to the appointment, just be sure to note on the forms you have an existing appointment with Dr. Turk.

Groups or teams associated with a varsity sport wanting to set up a session:

• Email Dr. Turk directly at rturk@richmond.edu
• Email must include: what team you are with, information about what you are hoping to get out of the program, and some times that might be available.

IMPORTANT: Student-athletes may also access CAPS services through the main office in the Well-Being Center.

Visit this link to learn about one athlete’s experience with anxiety and how CAPS helped her athletic performance and her experience on campus.

Athletic Mental Health Resources

CAPS Case Manager offers services aimed at providing practical support and assistance with accessing mental health and other resources. The Case Manager offers:

• Brief Consultation appointments
• Individual Counseling
• Referral and/or transition of care to off-campus services
  • Identifying referral options, connecting with the referral, and finding additional resources as needed.
• Hospital liaison services for students who have recently been psychiatrically hospitalized
  • These services involve assisting students with readjustment to university life and may include developing a treatment plan, establishing follow-up care, and communicating with academic deans and residence life.