CAPS has added four Masters in Social Work fellowship positions that will work similarly to internships, CAPS director Allen O’Barr said. The four new social workers will help reduce the wait time for students who walk in for appointments.
“The number of hours that we’ll actually have to see students in CAPS is going to remain the same, but the ability to see students who walk in for the first time is going to be increased,” O’Barr said.
The other change being made is better referral coordination for all students. When a student is referred to help outside the University, they will have the opportunity to come back in with CAPS and talk about their next move in the referral.
Elizabeth McIntyre, a referral coordinator for CAPS, said any student who comes into a walk-in appointment and is referred out will be given the opportunity to set up a referral coordination appointment or decline it.
“If they choose not to have a referral coordination appointment, they’ll be given a handout that talks them through what referral coordination is, ways that can help, things that can get in the way of getting connected,” she said.
McIntyre said their goal this year is to track students more during the referral process.
“We try to follow up until we know someone is connected, but we also don’t want to completely annoy and stalk people, so we usually follow up twice,” she said.
When students are referred, they can set up a referral coordination — a follow-up 30-minute appointment, usually within two weeks after their initial walk-in.
