Frequently Asked Questions
You can call our office at 785-532-6927, or stop in, to inquire how to access our services. Clinical consultations (brief, 20-30 minute meetings to initiate services) are offered daily from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm on a first-come first-served basis. If no appointments are immediately available, the student may be asked to wait or they may be asked to come back the next day. In the event that the student is experiencing a crisis or urgent need, we have a Counselor on Duty to meet with students from 8 am to 5 pm every day the office is open. Lafene CAPS has contracted with TimelyCare to provide after-hours crisis phone consultation. The CrisisNow phone number is 785-626-8878.
Before your consultation meeting, you will complete a brief, 5-question survey, to ensure you are scheduled with the appropriate clinician. After that screen, if there are consultation sessions available, you will fill out our “Treatment Agreement” and two assessment forms. This process can take up to 15 minutes. Most consult appointments last between 20 to 30 minutes, in addition to the paper work. During the consultation session, your therapist will ask questions about why you’re coming in for therapy, your goals for therapy, what you’ve tried in the past, and what you’re willing to do to create change. We’ll also ask questions about risk factors related to suicidality, homicidality, and self-harming behaviors.
A mental health emergency is when a person is experiencing intense overwhelming response to a difficulty that exceeds their ability to use healthy coping skills. Examples of an emotional emergency include:
- Suicidal thoughts
- Homicidal thoughts
- Hearing voices or other misperceptions in reality
- Recent sexual or physical assault
- Recent overwhelming loss or catastrophe
If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, you may call or immediately come into Lafene CAPS between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm Monday-Friday. You can meet with the Counselor on Duty to help you determine the best course of action.
Lafene CAPS has contracted with TimelyCare to provide after-hours crisis phone consultation for CAPS. The CrisisNow phone number is 785-626-8878. Our main office number is forwarded to this service when we are closed (i.e., nights, weekends, holidays, and when the university is closed). You may contact this service in the case of an emergency afterhours. You may also contact the following resources:
- Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - Dial 988 to call, text or chat
- Veterans Crisis Line - call 1-800-273-8255 or text 838255
- The Trevor Lifeline for LGBTQ+ - 1-866-488-7386
- Trans Lifeline – 1-877-565-8860
Here at Lafene CAPS, we believe in self-agency when it comes to seeking therapy. Therefore, we do not reach out to students who are not engaged in therapy. We are happy to talk with you about your concerns and brainstorm ways to help advocate for mental health treatment with your peer. If you worry they will not respond, you can complete a “Student of Concern” report, which will be handled by K-State Student Support and Accountability. They will reach out to the student directly, and can also refer to our office.
- If you feel it requires immediate action, and the student is on campus, please call campus police at 785-532-6412.
- If the student is off-campus, please contact the local police department by dialing 911.
The mission of Lafene CAPS is to provide short-term assistance in areas of decision making, crisis intervention, problem/solution, or matters of personal concern that could interfere with student’s academic success. We can provide the following:
We can also provide specialized services for the following presenting concerns
- Eating Disorder treatment
- Couples Therapy (if both partners are eligible K-State students)
We have a vast list of self-help resources on our website to provide you with information on many psychological issues.
We are currently offering multiple asynchronous workshops, and they can be accessed by calling CAPS and having the workshop added to your Canvas page. You can take any workshop more than once, and you do not need to attend a consultation session to join the workshops.
Students can come to Lafene CAPS for clinical consultations on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no limit on the number of clinical consultations per student.
Group therapy requires an intake and pre-group screen. Groups often start about a month into each semester and run for about 8 to 10 weeks. Students could participate in workshops and group therapy simultaneously.
Lafene CAPS offers a limited number of individual sessions at no charge per academic semester.
CAPS does not offer long-term psychotherapy. There may be times when a student’s mental health needs require longer duration, more intensive interventions, or specialized forms of treatment that we cannot provide at CAPS. We will provide and help facilitate referrals to off-campus mental health providers in those situations.
CAPS does not offer family therapy. Our agency does not work with children; thus, couples who want or need family therapy that includes their children would also be referred to community resources.
Psychotherapists at Lafene CAPS do not prescribe medication. However, we work with med providers who can assist you. Students interested in medication should contact Lafene Health Center or a community provider.
We have developed material on common topics of interest to many university students. Information can be found under “additional resources.” In addition to “self-help” material, we have also partnered with TimelyCare to offer additional resources.
Towards the latter stages of the semester, it may be more difficult to initiate services as many of our providers’ caseloads are full. We will continue to offer clinical consultations and crisis services. There are, however, several alternative options in the community and on campus that could assist you with your needs. It may be helpful to contact Student Support and Accountability or speak with your professors to discuss academic support. If you are in crisis and need immediate assistance, we are open Monday-Friday from 8 am to 5 pm with a counselor on duty during those times. Our website also has several useful self-help strategies.
If this is your first contact with Lafene CAPS, we will refer you to Student Support and Accountability (785-532-6432) or to the Dean of your college for assistance. During that conversation, they can determine what options are available to you. Lafene CAPS staff cannot provide a letter verifying your struggles for times when we have not had contact with you. We require at least an intake and three individual therapy sessions before we are willing to consider writing a letter.
If you have been seen at Lafene CAPS earlier in the semester and have had ongoing contact with a therapist to address your struggles, your therapist may be able to write a letter in support of accommodations. Please call and schedule an appointment with your therapist. Keep in mind that it is your professor's decision in working with you about what options they may or may not offer to you.
Lafene CAPS does not write letters for Emotional Support Animals. Some providers in the community can conduct assessments to determine eligibility for an ESA. These assessments may take 1-6 sessions, during which eligibility, education about ESA laws and regulations, and other referral resources will be discussed.
Lafene CAPS offers workshops, group therapy, couple therapy, and short-term goal-oriented individual therapy to enrolled students who have paid the student services fee. You can contact CAPS for information about additional fees for testing and other services. There is a $25 no-show or late-cancellation fee for students with a scheduled appointment at CAPS who do not attend.
Students may be asked to wait a few minutes in the lobby for a consultation or to meet with the Counselor on Duty. Students who are experiencing a mental health crisis will be seen as soon as possible. However, for consultations, if all the psychotherapists are seeing clients, the student may be asked to return to Lafene CAPS as early as possible the next day.
The staff at Lafene CAPS are trained professionals, including licensed master's- and PhD-level professionals in psychology, social work, counseling, and couples and family. Additionally, this agency hosts an APA-accredited internship in health service psychology. As such, we also have on staff psychology interns who are in the final stage of their doctoral programs.
Occasionally, the agency may also have one or two graduate students from the Couple & Family Therapy graduate programs at K-State. Trainees are assigned tasks at a level commensurate with their training and experience and are closely supervised as part of their learning.
We are glad to take requests for presentations and ask that they be made at least two weeks in advance of the requested date. If we are unable to meet the request, we will try to suggest other options or resources to help meet your needs.
Our hours of operation are 8 am to 5 pm, M-F, when the university is open. If you need to contact our office for a crisis or mental health emergency, our after-hours line is answered 24/7 by mental health therapists with TimelyCare. The CrisisNow phone number is 785-626-8878.
Information shared in therapy at Lafene CAPS at Kansas State University is held in strict confidence, and applicants for service are required to sign an informed consent before they are seen. Confidentiality means that what a client discusses in sessions and any written records of contact with this office do not go on the student's academic record and will not be disclosed to any other office or individual unless the person has signed a written release of information for this to occur.
There are, however, some exceptions to confidentiality. Therapists are required to release certain information in situations in which there is imminent harm to the person or danger to others, in instances of abuse to vulnerable populations, or as a result of a court order. While these types of events are extremely rare, it is important to note that these possibilities exist.
In addition, files may be reviewed during agency accreditation, including visits by professional review teams. All materials are handled confidentially, and no materials containing identifying information will leave the agency without a specific release. Files are retained for seven years past the date of last contact and are then destroyed or deleted. Any questions about confidentiality can be directed to our office for further details if needed.
Lafene Health Center and CAPS share an electronic record-keeping system. While psychotherapists can see medical documentation for clients, health providers (except for the APRNs) cannot see the psychotherapy notes. All records are separate from any other office on the K-State campus.
Because e-mail is not a secure or confidential medium, we cannot guarantee that any e-mail that you may send to us will remain confidential. While we consider your communications private and do not release information about you without your permission, our university administration reserves the right to monitor e-mail usage, so others may see the text of your message.
Lafene CAPS is located at 1105 Sunset Ave., Room 101 (entrance off of Platt Street).
An accessible entrance is available on the ground floor of the Lafene Health Center building off Platt Street. This entrance is on the south side of the building. Students can also access Lafene CAPS through the main entrance of Lafene Health Center, heading towards the south side of the building and taking the staircase or elevator down to the bottom floor.
If you will be driving to your appointment, we have client parking off Platt Street. These limited number of spaces designated for clients are to be used ONLY by clients during the brief time that they are in an appointment at Lafene CAPS.