Meet Destiny Bracy! Destiny is a sophomore Finance major and a Psychology minor from North Little Rock, AR. Destiny is a Resident Assistant for Maple East, a member of Students Advocating for Stronger Sisterhood, a Parent & Family Ambassadors and involved in the Volunteer Action Center, Black Students Association and NAACP. Destiny enjoys playing the guitar in her free time!

Being a college student is an amazing experience. Meeting new people, joining new organizations, and attending class are all components that make post-secondary education so great. The stress associated with balancing all of this, however, can take a tole on one’s mental health. Fortunately, the University of Arkansas offers Counseling and Psychological Services (commonly known as CAPS).

If your student is unsure about counseling, Let’s Talk is the perfect option for them. Let’s Talk is a CAPS outreach program that offers students convenient access to brief informal consultations with licensed mental health clinicians at different locations across campus. Students usually attend those sessions if they are having academic struggles, anxiety and nervousness, felling down or sad, relationship or family issues, and stress. The Let’s Talk program should not be considered as a substitute for individual counseling or other mental health treatment. This program is simply designed to help your student with specific problems and provide insight on what it is like to speak with a counselor. It can also help your student decide if they want to take their counseling a step further and attend more formal sessions at CAPS. It is free for your student to receive a consultation and students are seen on a first come first served basis.

If your student decides to take their counselling a step further, they are in the right hands! The staff at CAPS is comprised of licensed mental health clinicians as well as board certified psychiatrists. CAPS services include short term individual counseling, psychiatry, group therapy, 24-hour emergency services, case management, and more. Initial assessments with a mental health clinician are required before starting individual counseling, select group therapy, and psychiatric services. Initial assessments are offered at varied times, Monday through Friday. A counselor will meet with your student for 30 minutes and will assess the type of care they require. After the assessment, the clinician will determine the next step. All fees received from CAPS services are billed to your student’s account. Everything is free of charge except the individual counseling, initial psychiatric consultation, and follow-up psychiatric consultation. If your student is feeling apprehensive about talking to a counselor, I can reassure them that everything is confidential. Information shared in counseling sessions, except for in rare circumstances, will remain private unless prior written consent is obtained from the client. Information can be forwarded to other professionals with written consent and information released to third parties will be in the form of treatment summaries or test results and will not include any case notes taken by the counselor.

Parents, if you recognize that your student is more stressed or down than usual, advise them to seek help from the CAPS center. I have heard from many people that seeing a counselor in CAPS have helped them deal and cope with their trials and tribulations. CAPS is a no-judgement zone and is a complete safe space for anyone looking to better themselves and their mental health. CAPS is located on the second floor of the Pat Walker Health Center and is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays. If your student needs immediate help, CAPS offers 24-hour emergency mental health services which can be reached at 479-575-5276. Your student’s mental health is important to everyone at the university, so parents, please inform your student of the resources available to them here on campus.