FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

There are many situations that cause emotional stress that may interfere with your ability to perform at your best while you are studying here at FAU. These may include depression, anxiety, a death in the family, relationship difficulties, alcohol or drug abuse, a physical illness, sexuality issues, family difficulties, study problems, eating concerns, or other challenges. In short, anything that gets in the way of you getting the most out of your experience at FAU or your life in general may be explored in counseling.

• When you feel like you are too alone
• When you feel trapped, and can't get out
• When you worry all the time, and never seem to find answers
• When you are in a relationship that is stressing you out but you can't leave it
• When the way you feel is effecting your sleep, your eating habits, your job, your relationships, your classes, your everyday life
• When you are down and hopeless
• When it's not getting any better
• When you feel hurt and can't make the hurt go away
• When you are having thoughts or urges to hurt yourself or someone else

"I have tried everything I know and things keep getting worse. I am not sleeping well, my relationships are suffering, and I am not going to class regularly."

The Counseling Center works under a short term therapy model and we find that most of our clients feel their needs have been met within about 4-6 sessions. If, during your first appointment, we agree that your needs would be better met by longer-term therapy or by another type of therapy that we do not offer, we will assist you in finding a therapist in the community that can meet your needs.

"My counselor helped me to understand and deal with my feelings and thoughts more effectively...Life is slowly getting back in balance for me."

Your privacy is important to you. Your counselor will not disclose any information about you to others without your written permission except as required by law. That means that your family, professors, administrators, or classmates do not have any access to what you discuss in counseling. However, sometimes you may decide to sign a release of information for the purpose of coordinating your care with specific individuals. Any counseling records kept will be separate from all records kept by the University.

To assure the privacy of client information, our counselors do not use e-mail to discuss clinical or personal information. We use it solely for scheduling and only with your permission to do so.

As a currently enrolled student at FAU, you are eligible to receive short-term individual or group counseling sessions at Counseling and Psychological Services, if your counselor thinks these are the most appropriate services for you. Individual counseling appointments usually last approximately 50 minutes and are held weekly, biweekly, or monthly, depending on your treatment plan. Students can visit any of our convenient centers at the Boca Raton, Davie and Jupiter Campuses.  Click here for location information.

Faculty and staff are not eligible for counseling services in the center and should seek assistance through the  EAP - Employee Assistance Program (1-800-865-3200).

Login ID: Florida Atlantic University
Password: EAP or through your health insurance coverage.

Please call or come into CAPS in advance to schedule a first appointment. Please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time, in order to complete some questionnaires electronically prior to meeting with your counselor. You will then met with your counselor for about 30 minutes to discuss your current concerns and develop a plan to help your needs. This may include short-term individual counseling, group counseling, or a referral to a provider in the community. Please see “services” tab for details about those potential options.

Please note that if you do not arrive 15 minutes early, your appointment time may need to be rescheduled. If you need to cancel or reschedule, please call 24 hours in advance so that we can give that appointment time to another student. You will receive an email or text reminder the day before your appointment. 

Call at least 24 hours before the appointment to cancel and/or reschedule the appointment so that others can use that appointment time.

Boca Raton:  561-297-CAPS

Jupiter:  561-297-3540

Davie:  954-236-1210

Our center works based on a short-term treatment model. Treatment planning will be discussed at the time of your first appointment to determine appropriateness for services at CAPS or for a referral to a local community provider. Students who attend individual counseling receive an average of 4-6 sessions.  Please know that any student in need of crisis counseling will not be turned away, regardless of whether or not they are participating in ongoing services at CAPS.