Counseling & Psychological Services

College life can be challenging and is often stressful. Students experience those challenges in a number of different ways: difficulties adjusting to college, confusion in deciding on a major or career path, struggles in relationships, or making friends or getting along with a roommate. Many students feel anxious, depressed, confused or overwhelmed at some point during their college experience and need help dealing with feelings and problems that seem beyond their control.

For college students, that help may come from friends, family members, significant others, etc., but in some cases, help is needed from a trained professional. Counseling is a process that can help people identify more effective strategies both to cope with difficult situations and to achieve their goals. While some people who seek counseling have chronic emotional difficulties, most are dealing with normal life events and are simply in need of an objective listener — someone who doesn't judge and who can help them see new alternatives.

Individual counseling is basically a collaborative effort between you and your counselor. Our goal is to provide an open, supportive and confidential environment for you to address the issues that are concerning you. 

We have a printable brochure with basic information about our Center. Print brochure

CAPS provides services to all FGCU students while currently enrolled in a semester, in which services take place. 

* If you'd like to request an outreach presentation for your organization or academic class, please contact our Director of Outreach and Prevention.

** We offer formalized testing for college students at a reduced rate from the prevailing rate in private sector. 

*** Typically for students who have been sanctioned, this service incurs a cost.

CAPS makes every effort to provide individual services as quickly and efficiently as possible. Due to the high demand for counseling/therapy and psychiatry services, the following attendance policy is in place. This policy applies to students receiving any clinical service from any member of the clinical staff.   

(1)  You can opt-in to our courtesy appointment reminder system, whereby you will receive a text message reminder for your appointment. Opting in or out of the reminder system in no way changes any no-show charge.

(2) Clients who do not show for an appointment will be charged a no-show fee. The fee is $25 for any clinician, any appointment type or length (not including group sessions), and $45 for the psychiatrist or LD/ADHD testing.  It appears on your FGCU account as a miscellaneous medical charge. You will be charged a no-show or late cancellation fee if you do not cancel at least 24 hours before your appointment time. 

(3)  Clients who need to cancel or change an appointment with any clinician are expected to do so as far in advance as possible. You may leave a message on nights/weekends to cancel an upcoming appointment (24 hour notice is required to avoid no-show or late cancellation fee). Do not use the HelpLine to change or cancel an appointment.

(5)  CAPS is not a medication clinic.  You might be required to attend therapy or case management appointments to be eligible for psychiatric services at CAPS.

(6) Some clinicians and clients set up recurring appointments (i.e., same day and time each week).  If you cancel or no-show for an appointment, we are left to assume you are no longer interested in maintaining your recurring appointments unless you specifically ask us to schedule you for a subsequent appointment. 

Clients who show a pattern of no-show or cancellation of appointments may have their eligibility for services suspended.  Clinicians reserve the right to suspend or terminate services after three (3) missed (canceled or no-show) appointments.  If you have any questions about the Attendance Policy, please consult your clinician.

View full informed consent form

CAPS has served as a training site for Master’s level clinicians (i.e., graduate assistants), primarily from academic programs focused on mental health counseling and social work, since academic year 2001-2002.  While many of our graduate assistants come from FGCU’s own accredited Mental Health Counseling program, we have also hosted students from programs of social work or counseling programs at other schools.  We host 3 graduate assistants each academic year.

In academic year 2013-2014 CAPS hosted our first Doctoral Interns.  Later that year CAPS was awarded membership in the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC), which allows us to advertise our training site and recruit from the organization that runs the doctoral internship match process.  We currently host 3 Doctoral Interns each academic year and take their feedback into strong consideration in our efforts to continuously improve our training program. 

We have several licensed mental health counselors and several licensed psychologists on staff who provide individual supervision to trainees.  As a site, we generally ascribe to a developmental model of supervision.  This means working to meet the trainee where she/he is, provide feedback and opportunities appropriate to that level of development, and encourage movement toward a next level of development clinically, professionally, and theoretically.  We highly value our trainees and welcome any questions or feedback you may have.  For detailed information and application instructions go to:

Master’s Level and Doctoral Practicum Training 

Doctoral Internship