First Appointment Process

Find more information about eligibility here. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)

Currently enrolled KU students can now schedule first time appointments online!

Initial appointments are for students who:

  • Have never been seen at CAPS OR
  • Have received services, but it has been more than 6 months since you were last seen

To schedule a first time appointment, go to the CAPS Portal and log-in with your KU credentials, and click on the "Appts" tab. Available appointments are only shown for up to 3 weeks in advance. If you are unable to find an open slot that works with your schedule, please check back as more times are opened daily.

You may also call (785) 864-2277 to schedule a first time appointment. 

    Initial appointments are not for crises or urgent needs. If you are in crisis or your needs are urgent, please call or come into CAPS. See below for more information regarding crisis or urgent appointments. 

    If you are already connected to a clinician or service, please call to schedule an appointment.

    CAPS Portal - Online Scheduling
    Crises and Urgent Needs

    CAP’S therapists are available for urgent appointments weekdays from 8:00am - 4:00pm. If you need immediate help, call (785) 864-2277 or come in to our office on the 2nd floor of Watkins Health Services and request an urgent appointment. There may be a slight wait if all of our clinicians are in sessions with other students. We will make every effort to see you as quickly as possible.

    Some examples of urgent concerns include:

    • Experiencing elevated levels of distress
    • Thinking about suicide
    • Thoughts or desire to harm someone else
    • Recent traumatic event
    • Recent death of a loved one
    • Hearing voices or seeing things that others are not

    CAPS Services

    What should I expect during my visit?

    Your first appointment is an Initial Consultation with a therapist. During this session, staff will review your present concerns, relevant background information, and what things you would like to change. Staff will discuss options for treatment, which may include resources outside of CAPS. You and your therapist will decide on a plan to best help you meet your goals. The practice of counseling and psychotherapy is not easily described. Much of what we do in therapy is very individualized and depends, in part, on your goals.

    To maintain safety, the following are some of the precautions that you need to take for in-person appointments:

    • You will only keep your in-person appointment if you are symptom free and feel well.
    • You agree that you will NOT come to CAPS:
      • if you are ill with any contagious illness,
      • if you have a fever, shortness of breath, coughing, or any other symptoms associated with COVID-19,
      • if you have been exposed to another person who is showing signs of infection or has confirmed COVID-19 within the past two weeks.
      • Please call to let us know you are ill and you will not be billed for a missed session. If you are feeling well enough for a session and are calling greater than 24 hours prior to your appointment time, please ask to have your appointment changed to a telehealth visit.
    • If you have had a fever, you will only keep your in-person appointment if you have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
    • You will cancel or reschedule your appointment if you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 within the last 14 days.
    • If you have traveled, you will only attend in-person appointments if you have adhered to the current Kansas Department of Health and Education (KDHE) travel guidelines.
    • You may request in-person or telemental health (TMH) services by contacting CAPS before your appointment. There may be times that CAPS is unable to meet your request (e.g., if front desk staff are out of the office, your practitioner is unavailable to meet with you in-person, or there is a public health threat).
    • You are not required to use TMH and may request in-person services. If CAPS is only offering TMH due to a public health emergency, staff will discuss options in the community for in-person services so that you may transfer your care to another practitioner.
    • CAPS has limited availability for confidential spaces where you may have a telehealth appointment with one of our practitioners. Please talk to our front desk staff or your practitioner to arrange to use this space.

    CAPS office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM when classes are in session. CAPS is open during intersession on a more abbreviated schedule. Appointments may be made by phone during regular business hours. There is no provision for contacting us other than during the above hours. Calls placed to the CAPS office after regular hours will be forwarded to CAPS voicemail. Voicemail messages will be picked up the next business day. The voicemail greeting will instruct callers who have an urgent need to contact community resources.

    In addition to communicating with you by phone, CAPS staff will also communicate with you through our CAPS Portal. You will receive a text message that will alert you to log into our portal to see the message.

    Because of the high value placed on the privacy of our clients, staff members of CAPS do not use email, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media to schedule/cancel appointments, communicate with clients/patients, or provide services. All communication should occur by calling (785) 864-2277.