K-State Counseling and Psychological Services gives students a space to address their mental health needs
Mental health is a struggle roughly 1 in 5 Americans deal with every day. These mental challenges, combined with the stresses that life can bring, create internal challenges that affect people’s ability to function in a productive manner. Knowing the barriers mental health can bring and how they can affect a student’s morale and academic standing, K-State’s Lafene Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) created an environment where students can go to address their mental health.
“Our goal is to assist all students with any mental health barriers that may be affecting their academic success,” said Kodee Walls, Ph.D., LP, ABPP lead clinician and training director for Lafene CAPS. “CAPS wants every student to feel that they can be successful at K-State. We strive for not only assistance in the mental health issues students face, but also cultural competence and inclusiveness.”
CAPS provides many mental health treatment options to students no matter the severity of the challenge they are facing. “Everyone on our staff is either a licensed clinician or under the supervision of a licensed clinician,” said Walls. “Our staff has experience in a multitude of mental health areas including but not limited to psychology, counseling, and couples and family therapy.”
CAPS ensures through their services that no student need is ignored. “Our staff is dedicated to addressing all student mental health barriers and all services are free,” said Walls. “It could be something as simple as a one-session meeting to discuss strategies to deal with a roommate conflict or how a student can manage the stress that comes along with wanting to live up to their parent’s expectations of them.”
“We also aid students with more challenging obstacles that require more individualized attention. CAPS offers group therapy and up to eight individual therapy sessions per semester. If more help is needed, we work with the student to find a long-term therapy provider that fits within their budget and is easily accessible to them.”
CAPS also provides walk-in crisis appointments and a 24-hour crisis hotline.
Student success is at the heart of what CAPS does. “We are committed to helping students graduate,” said Walls.
“I could not be more thankful to CAPS for all that they did to help me succeed through a very dark time in my life,” said Dalton Burton, K-State alum. “My therapist helped me navigate through some very deep waters, and I am eternally grateful to the entire CAPS staff for their dedication to my well-being.”
To support CAPS please visit: ksufoundation.org/give/counselingservices.
By James Dalton Burton
