Mental health care at Brown University is redefined, prioritizing the wellbeing of students
Brown University's CAPS Reimagines Mental Health News
The Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at Brown University is undergoing a significant transformation, aiming to address issues around accessibility and diversity, increase news for students with chronic mental health conditions, and serve students effectively as they are spread across the globe.
Since the arrival of CAPS director Will Meek in 2017, the center has been on a mission to improve its services. Meek found long wait times for first-time counseling appointments, with some students waiting up to a month. To address this issue, Meek spearheaded a new approach, reducing average wait times to just three days. This change, along with other initiatives, has enabled CAPS to increase the number of yearly appointments by 75% and student visitors by nearly 20%.
One of the key changes has been the commitment to building a more diverse team of counselors. CAPS has made a concerted effort to hire a diverse group of clinicians, including more clinicians of color, from different races, and who speak different languages. This commitment to diversity has encouraged a comfort level among students seeking support from CAPS, particularly during the anti-racist movement following the killing of George Floyd.
CAPS has also established CAPS Labs, which pilots new initiatives and policies that students spearhead or suggest. This approach has led to the creation of the B.E.A.R Project, Brown's suicide prevention news, which was designed after CAPS solicited feedback on suicide prevention from across the Brown community.
The new care model provides students with care options such as varied session lengths and same-day appointments. CAPS has also hired a dedicated urgent care clinician to manage crisis situations. Students are now invited to offer feedback during the hiring process for new counselors, further fostering a sense of inclusivity and empowerment.
More than two dozen colleges and universities have consulted with CAPS over the past year on how to transition to a similar model. CAPS' efforts to promote inclusivity and diversity have not gone unnoticed. In 2020, they earned a DIAP Community Award for their work.
In 2021, CAPS is scheduled to move into the new health and wellness center and residence hall, bringing them into the same space as other services and programs instrumental to students' physical and emotional well-being. The effort to create a more diverse staff reflects a goal established in the center's Departmental Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan.
Lane-Aaronian, the outreach coordinator at CAPS, fosters dialog among students, faculty, and staff that promotes mental health news on campus. With these ongoing efforts, CAPS at Brown University continues to reimagine mental health news on campus, aiming to meet the varying needs of its diverse student community.
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