You can call CAPS at 407-823-2811 or drop by in-person or use our online scheduling system (Click here) to schedule an initial assessment appointment that is convenient to your schedule. Because many students use our services, there may be a waiting period as the semester goes on (usually from a few days to 2 weeks) before the first appointment can be scheduled.
A limited number of same-day/urgent appointments are available each day for students who need to be immediately seen on that same day. Scheduling of these appointments starts at 8:30am each day Monday-Friday. If you are in crisis, please inform the support staff and we will make every attempt to respond to you as soon as possible.
You will need to first complete initial paperwork/forms, which could take approximately 30 minutes to complete. We will send you a link to the the intake packet instructions via TEXT on the morning of your appointment. We need to receive the completed online forms by 10 am in order to process the information and provide to your counselor. You and your counselor will meet either in person or via video to begin an assessment of your concerns and decide how CAPS may be of assistance to you. By the end of the first appointment, your counselor will help you summarize your concerns and explore treatment options for resolving them.
If it is decided that the services offered at CAPS are appropriate given your needs, you will be asked to call the center at the assigned date so that you can schedule an appointment with your assigned counselor. A courtesy text may also be sent to you reminding you to contact CAPS to schedule an appointment.
CAPS provides short-term individual counseling services and many issues can be addressed within this model. In collaboration with you counselor, you will establish goals for counseling and determine the approximate number of sessions you will need. Typically, students use an average of 4-6 sessions a year. Brief individual counseling sessions are typically scheduled on a bi-weekly basis for approximately 45-50 minutes per session. If at any time your counselor determines other services are better suited to your needs, such as group therapy or longer-term therapy, CAPS will assist you in setting up services with appropriate screening information, or with an off-campus providers. Ongoing appointments are available between the hours of 8:00am to 5:00pm. See CAPS Scope of service
If you must miss a session due to illness or emergency, please contact the center via phone or use our online cancellation form (Click here) to cancel the appointment 24 hours in advance. Services at CAPS are offered on an appointment basis. Time is reserved in our schedules whenever a student requests services. We also provide optional text reminders to help students attend these appointments. Canceling or missing appointments cause problems that go beyond a financial impact on our center. When an appointment is made, it takes an available time slot away from another client and missed appointments delay the delivery of health care to other clients, some who are in crisis.
You should be aware of the following policy that exists at CAPS regarding missed appointments. This policy is necessitated by our mission to serve as many UCF students as possible and we regret any hardships this may cause.
Any student who misses two consecutive counseling appointments, without prior notification, will be unable to schedule additional appointments with CAPS for the remainder of that particular semester.
Please Note: The above policy does not apply to crisis situations. The center is always available during regular office hours to any UCF-enrolled student experiencing a crisis or psychological emergency, regardless of prior missed appointments.
CAPS has implemented a fee policy for missed appointments. A charge of $30.00 will be assessed for each no show, or late cancellation/reschedule office visit appointment if less than 24 hours’ notice is given. A “late cancellation/reschedule” is canceling/rescheduling an appointment without calling us 24 hours in advance.
Please Note: We understand that situations such as medical emergencies occasionally arise when an appointment cannot be kept and adequate notice is not possible. These situations will be considered on a case by case basis. You may file an appeal within 30 days of any charges assessed. CAPS will attempt to collect outstanding balances.
To fill out an appeals form, click here.