Scope of Care

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) provides initial consultation, community referrals, and crisis intervention to all students. If deemed clinically appropriate, students are offered short-term individual counseling (5-7 sessions) and group counseling. Counseling services are provided to full-time, matriculated, undergraduate students. Graduate students are required to pay the Health Center fee to receive individual and group counseling services.

Generally, students whose presenting issues would not be adequately addressed by a short-term counseling modality or whose presenting issues would require more intensive or specialty services than offered by CPS will be referred to community agencies after their CPS consultation. In addition, given that CPS is only open during Fall and Spring regular semesters, students who require continuity of services throughout the year may also be referred for community services.  When CPS is unable to provide counseling services, a list of community referrals will be provided to students. 

CPS has established criteria to assist them in determining when students will likely need a different type or level of care than what is within the role and scope of CPS.  These criteria pertain to the determination of appropriateness for ongoing counseling and psychiatric services through CPS. All KU students, whether or not they meet criteria for ongoing services through CPS, are eligible for assessment/referral and crisis intervention services.  When a CPS faculty counselor is in doubt about whether or not to offer CPS services to a student based on the criteria, they may schedule the student for an extended assessment session.  When the appropriate disposition for a student is unclear, the counselor will review the case with the CPS Chairperson and/or with the Department.  In some instances, the counselor may decide that a referral to community resources is in the best interest of the student, as they will best serve the student's mental health needs.

If you are a potential KU student or you are a parent, caregiver, mental health provider, or other individual involved with a potential KU student, we welcome you to consider helping the student plan for the transition to managing their mental well-being in the college setting. The Jed Foundation's Transitioning Health and Mental Health Care to College Resources are an excellent source of information that may help you with this process. Included in the resources is a Transition of Care guide that assists students in developing a plan for transitioning their mental health care to the college environment.