Students reach out to CAPS for many reasons, have very busy lives, and prefer differing forms of support. It might be surprising that not everyone who connects with CAPS needs—or wants—traditional one-to-one counseling sessions! CAPS offers free, confidential resources based upon a model and philosophy of care called Stepped Care 2.0, a multifaceted approach that values individualized services and student autonomy, and meets students where they are regarding readiness for creating change. This model asks questions like: What are you experiencing in your life right now? What do you care about? Where do you want to make changes or explore new possibilities? The term “stepped” refers to the varying intensities of offerings through CAPS, from self-help options, to brief workshops, peer programs, support services offered by campus partners, group work that addresses isolation, short-term individual counseling, or off-campus referrals.
Depending on individual assessment, professional best practices, and the realities of CAPS’ Scope of Practice, we can recommend any number of options represented on the Support Wheel above. CAPS' adaptation of Stepped Care allows for flexibility, respects that needs change over time, and minimizes the overall wait-time for services.
Short-term Counseling, Long-term Relationships
We offer short-term, individual counseling and, in many cases, maintain relationships with students over their academic careers. If you are interested in more intensive or more consistent. long-term, work during your time at Ithaca College, we will be happy to help you with finding a referral to a provider near to campus. With the advent of Telehealth, it may also be possible for you to continue to work with your counselor from home. If you would like to maintain that consistency, we encourage you to discuss this with your current provider prior to coming to campus so that you have your support system in place.