Penn State students say Counseling and Psychological Services "less bad than most people talk about"

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State's Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS, is available to support all students when it comes to mental health and wellness. It offers group and individual counseling, crisis intervention, and community education and outreach.

Despite its goal of bettering the mental health of the Penn State community, students have a wide range of opinions.

Freshman agribusiness management major Cassie Laudenslager said she doesn’t know anyone who has taken advantage of the CAPS resources yet, but she’s glad it’s there as a resource.

“If I needed help, I would probably just want a safe place to go and just somebody that I could feel comfortable talking to, no matter what it is,” Laudenslager said.

She said she knows the basics about the services because of the information provided in class syllabi but doesn’t know many details.

Abby Waterhouse, a junior majoring in secondary education, said there needs to be more outreach so students know what resources are available.

She said she got help from CAPS last year, and her experience was overall positive.

“I think it was less bad than most people talk about, in my experience,” Waterhouse said. “But I do think that some of it can be a little performative, in terms of like, ‘We’ll give you these services but only for six weeks.’”

CAPS has a line for questions that is open during business hours and a crisis line for any students who need immediate assistance.

Katie Knol is a fourth-year majoring in digital/print journalism and political science. To contact her, email her at ktk5187@psu.edu.