Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at the University of Michigan is a free counseling service offered to any enrolled student. Through their services students are able to get help right on campus by professionals. They do individual and group counseling as well as urgent/ crisis services. If CAPS does not work for someone’s needs, they are also able to give referrals and help guide students to a better solution. There are some limitations to these services. CAPS is a short term solution and while the university does not limit the amount of times you can seek help, they do intend for their services to help for a brief time period. They do list some of their limitations on the website. However, they are not located on the homepage but located on the bottom of the ‘Scope of Services’ tab
Everyone has a different experience with CAPS but there have been some common themes where students have seen the lacking ability of CAPS. There is an unclear amount of time between when you request help and when someone is actually available to schedule an appointment. After waiting for an appointment, many students have stated that they were disappointed with their results. This is often because they are unaware of the limitations of CAPS. It is a common thought on campus that CAPS is therapy offered to students, and while that is partly true it leaves out the main fact that it is not meant to help with long term issues unless you are looking for a recommendation/referral.
University Health Services (UHS) is the main health and wellness resource for students. While not all services are free to University of Michigan Students, most are. UHS provides help with physical as well as mental health issues. They have many features that are very beneficial to students. For example, someone can call for nurse advice to determine if they need to go in for an appointment or not. When it comes to scheduling an appointment, there are many different ways to contact them. UHS also offers alternate options if the situation is urgent. When it comes to talking with someone, UHS offers in-person options as well as teletherapy with professionals who are able to help with most issues. By having more programs to help with specific situations they are able to do a better job of helping students.
There are many mixed reviews when it comes to the services offered at UHS. however, many of the negative reviews were regarding the treatments offered for physical health. The reviews for the treatment of mental health were pretty positive and many people stated that they preferred using UHS over CAPS. They were more capable of addressing long term issues and providing helpful consultations. The costs for UHS are included in tuition but if someone is not currently enrolled they are still able to get help at UHS as long as they have a referral from a UHS clinician.
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