Counseling is confidential. We believe it is most effective when a student can be direct and honest without fear that personal information will be divulged. CAPS staff members understand that students may be reluctant to seek help because they are worried about confidentiality. They may be concerned that their parents, friends, or professors will find out that they're seeking help. They may also worry that their counseling records will affect their prospects for graduate school or future employment.

How we protect your privacy and confidentiality
Questions and concerns
Authorization for release of information

How We Protect Your Privacy and Confidentiality

We are committed to protecting your privacy and confidentiality to the fullest extent of state and federal law. We do not release information outside of Gannett without written permission from a student except upon court order or where required by law (as, for example, in child abuse situations), or as required in our judgment to protect you or others from physical danger or need for an emergency hospitalization. When, in our judgment, there exists a threat to the life of an individual that cannot be managed through the normal counseling process or a situation where a student cannot take care of him/herself because of a mental disorder, we may enlist the help of a family member or significant other in order to help resolve the crisis or assure safety.

We do not make notations of counseling on a student's official university record. Within Gannett, staff will confer as needed to provide the best possible services. In the event of a hospitalization, we will notify the university crisis management team of a student's admission and discharge dates in order to avoid a situation in which a student might be mistaken for a missing person.

Gannett's Notice of Privacy Practices provides an exhaustive list of how clients' medical information may and may not be accessed or shared. This notice is given to every individual who accesses services at Gannett, including CAPS. If you are under the age of 18, please discuss confidentiality with the staff member you consult with, as some additional considerations may apply.

Questions and Concerns

Please read about Gannett's commitment to confidentiality. If you have specific concerns about confidentiality or privacy, please be sure to discuss them with a CAPS staff member during a phone consultation or appointment. We work with all members of the Cornell community to ensure that confidentiality is honored and will be forthright about any privacy limitation.

Authorization for release of information

If you believe that it would be helpful for your counselor or psychiatrist to talk with someone else about how you are doing or what you are dealing with in your work together, please discuss it with her or him. Together, you can decide what in particular might be helpful to share with whom and during what time frame. We will need your signed permission, using this Authorization for Release of Health Information (pdf).

There are no fees for phone assessment appointments, group sessions, or one-time consultations regarding concerns about another student's welfare. There is a flat fee of $10 for most other services. If the fee presents a financial hardship, students can discuss this with a staff member, who can assist them with alternative financial arrangements. CAPS waives charges in the event of a campus tragedy for which students need immediate assistance.

There is a $10 student visit charge for:

• individual and couples counseling visits
• follow-up visits involving prescription renewals (telephone requests are strongly discouraged)

Students will be billed $10 for missed appointments that are not canceled 24 hours in advance.

Unless you tell us otherwise, during the academic year we will submit bills directly to your Bursar account. On your Bursar bill, the fee will appear as a general medical charge, not as a psychological service or counseling fee. Please note that in the summer, bursaring is not available. You will need to go to the Cashier's Office to pay for services.

If you wish to pay the fee in person, please go directly to the Cashier's Office on Level 3 of Gannett where you can pay your bill with cash, personal check, or credit card (VISA, MasterCard, or Discover). 

If you do not pay your bill at the time of service, it will appear on your Bursar account. If you are concerned about charges appearing on your statement, you may prefer to pay for services at the time of each visit. We do not bill insurance companies or disclose information about counseling services provided at CAPS. Other fees—for missed appointments, late cancellations, and telephone requests for prescription renewals—will also be bursared (or billed to you if there is no Bursar account).

Fees for missed appointments, late cancellations, and telephone requests for prescription renewals—will also be bursared (or billed to you if there is no Bursar account).

(More information about paying for services at Gannett)

Inability to pay should never be a barrier to receiving the health care you need. If you have concerns about expenses related to medical or mental health care, please discuss them with a CAPS staff member or member of Gannett's Billing Office staff before or during your visit to Gannett. We can help you consider your options, defer fees, extend payment, access financial assistance, or make other special arrangements.

The first step for most students seeking CAPS services is a telephone screening with one of our counselors. Call 255-5208 to schedule a time for your phone appointment. The phone screening will probably be scheduled for the same or next day. You will speak with a trained clinician who will ask some questions about you and your current concerns and provide options for addressing your needs.

If appropriate, you will be scheduled for an in-person appointment with a CAPS professional.

If you feel your concerns are an emergency, please let us know right away.

During your 15-20 minute telephone screening, you and your counselor will discuss next steps, including referral to other Cornell or community offices or providers. Your counselor may recommend that you be scheduled for a 45-50 minute in person assessment at CAPS to provide a more in-depth general picture of your concerns. In this session, your counselor may ask you about:

• your current situation, how long it has been going on, and your efforts to deal with it
• how you have dealt with stressful situations in the past, including previous counseling experiences
• your personal support system and history of family, peer, and intimate relationships
• your alcohol and/or other drug use
  previous, current or chronic health issues (medical or psychological), and any current medications
• your goals for counseling or other services

Based on this information, this counselor will make recommendations for the most appropriate assistance, which may include group counseling, individual counseling, couples counseling, a referral to a psychiatrist, referral to a community provider, or other services mentioned in this web site.

If you are scheduled for on-going individual or couples counseling, these confidential meetings with an objective listener provide a non-judgmental forum for you to explore in depth issues such as

• self-worth
• relationship difficulties
• anxiety or depression
• issues related to sexuality and/or sexual identity
• difficulty "fitting in at Cornell"
• cultural, ethnic, and minority concerns
•  management of recurrent mental health conditions

Most individuals experience change and even resolution within two to six visits.

In order to be eligible for couple's counseling, either you or your partner must be a Cornell student.

Whether you are participating in individual, group, or couples counseling, these tips can assist you:

• Arrive on time for scheduled appointments.
• Set small, realistic goals for what you want to accomplish.
• Set time aside between sessions to reflect on issues discussed during your visits and/or complete readings or homework assignments.
• Address any concern about the process with your counselor or the group as soon as you become aware that it is interfering with your progress.
• If for any reason you find that you and your counselor are not a good match, discuss it with him or her, and we will attempt to honor your request for a new counselor.
• Remember that change is difficult and may come slowly. Be patient with yourself and go at a pace that is comfortable to you.

Please be sure that you have made arrangements for child care and/or pet care prior to your appointments. We are unable to watch children or pets while clients are being seen at CAPS and, for safety reasons, neither may be left unattended in the waiting room.

Your active participation is necessary for progress, and we urge you to attend all scheduled sessions. If you take psychiatric medications, follow-up visits are especially important in providing on-going, quality care.

If you need to cancel an appointment, please notify us at least 24 hours in advance by calling 255-5208. "No shows" for individuals or couples counseling and late cancellations will be charged $10.

If we need to cancel an appointment, please understand that sometimes emergency situations arise that take precedence over non-emergency scheduled visits. If we have to cancel your appointment to accommodate one of your peers in crisis, we will phone you or e-mail you to reschedule your appointment at the earliest available time.

If a serious personal situation is affecting your academic standing, CAPS can serve as a liaison with the academic units in the University (such as deans' offices and college advising offices).

We also will handle requests for Medical Leaves Of Absence (MLOA) for mental health reasons and returns from these medical leaves of absence. The purpose of such MLOA is to allow a student to leave the Cornell University environment to get well and eventually return and succeed academically.

CAPS psychiatrists and counselors can provide treatment and medication for students with ADD/ADHD. If you have been diagnosed with this condition, you must bring in medical documentation confirming this diagnosis. This documentation is essential because of the high risk of potential abuse for many of the drugs used to treat ADD/ADHD.

You will be scheduled for an assessment, first with a counselor, and then with a psychiatrist to work with you on medication. Your previous records will facilitate filling future prescriptions.

Note: CAPS does not provide ADD/ADHD testing. If you want to explore testing, services, and/or academic accommodations, contact Student Disability Services here at Cornell at 254-4545 or clt_sds@cornell.edu.