Most students who come into UHC-CAPS receive clinical services in the form of individual counseling, group counseling, or workshops, but sometimes UHC-CAPS will collaborate with a student to receive their counseling in the community. This decision may happen in the Initial Consultation (ICs), ongoing counseling appointments, or through work with UHC-CAPS Care Management staff. In the event that UHC-CAPS supports you with finding counseling in the community, you might be wondering, what do I do next. That's a great question, and you've come to the right place for answers. While the Community Provider Database is no longer available, there are several different ways to access a community provider. Here are some tips and resources to help.
Programs and resources if you have Blue Cross Blue Shield:
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AbleTo is an eight-week cognitive behavioral therapy program to treat anxiety and depression. Register here.
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Virtual Visits are care from a behavioral health specialist by phone or video to address mental health and substance use concerns. Find a doctor here.
Find a therapist:
Psychology Today is a resource website that hosts the most up-to-date list of therapists in the community. If you're interested, you can view provider profiles and complete a search by filtering for things like insurance, demographics, types of therapy, and other issues you may want your therapist to be skilled in. Get started here.
What to consider when finding a therapist:
Do they take your insurance?
It is always a good idea to confirm with a provider that they take your insurance when making your initial appointment and ask about a co-pay or any additional costs. You can also do this by calling your insurance company directly by using the number on the back of your insurance card. *If you see a CAPS therapist: CAPS is a free on-campus resource that will not bill your insurance.
Do you have any demographic preferences for your therapist?
You can specifically search for a therapist who is a particular gender, age, sexual identity, etc. and would make you feel the most comfortable.
Are there any specialties that your new therapist would ideally have?
You can search for certain issues (such as depression, anxiety, substance use concerns, relationship issues, etc.) and keep an eye out for them when reading therapist profiles.
Have you been in therapy in the past?
If you've been to therapy in the past, you can learn what works well for you in a therapeutic relationship/approach. Common types of therapeutic approaches are: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Mindfulness. You can learn more about types of therapy here.