Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is committed to assisting students with their mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, drugs and alcohol.
When you feel like the demands of life are closing in on you, our CAPS staff is here to help. We're committed to helping you overcome, or at least cope with, your personal problems so you can achieve your educational goals.
CAPS provides a range of services without charge on a short-term basis to currently enrolled students who have paid the Health Center fee. The services are intended to facilitate intellectual and personal growth by helping students resolve concerns that may interfere with their academic progress, social development or comfort at PennWest Edinboro.
One-on-one counseling provides therapy for those experiencing personal or interpersonal distress.
This is designed for students with common concerns to help one another by sharing information and experiences.
Each semester, different psycho-educational programs may be offered to enhance student development. Previous topics have included: Effective Communication Skills, Breaking Up: How to Cope, Date Rape Awareness/Risk Reduction and Cultural Diversity.
Referrals are provided for outpatient and inpatient psychological services with other providers, agencies, and hospitals (such as Saint Vincent Health Center, Millcreek Community Hospital and Meadville Medical Center) and also for outpatient evaluations and specialized treatment (drug and alcohol treatment, rape crisis center, etc.). Referrals will be offered upon request or when deemed necessary and appropriate. On- or off-campus referrals can be coordinated by CAPS. However, students may contact other agencies or campus services directly at any time.
Appointments are requested and can be made in person or by phone. At times CAPS may employ a waiting list for services. Same-day requests for assistance will be honored based on scheduling availability. Most often, appointments will be weekly and last about 50 minutes. However, some students find their needs are met during the initial consultation and require no further services. Please arrive at the Ghering Health and Wellness Center about 10-15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time to complete the necessary forms to receive services. Our telephone number is 814-732-2252.
In case of a crisis or emergency, call 814-732-2911 on campus or 911 otherwise. Telephone Helpline services are available from outside agencies after hours:
In other areas, consult your local telephone directory.
All services provided by CAPS are strictly confidential. Information you share in
counseling or generate through testing is not disclosed outside CAPS without your
written permission. Only in rare instances do exceptions to confidentiality occur,
such as when you pose an imminent threat of serious harm to yourself or others and
in the case of suspected child abuse or neglect.
Professional ethics statements by organizations such as the American Psychological Association guide the practices of CAPS.