Frequently Asked Questions

How can I talk to a psychotherapist at Lafene Counseling and Psychological Services?

You can call our office at 785-532-6927, or stop in, to inquire how to access our services. Clinical consultations (brief, 20-30 minute meetings to initiate services) are offered daily from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm on a first-come first-served basis. If no appointments are immediately available, the student may be asked to wait or they may be asked to come back the next day. In the event that the student is experiencing a crisis or urgent need, we have a Counselor on Duty to meet with students from 8 am to 5 pm every day the office is open. Lafene CAPS has contracted with TELUS Health Student Support to provide after-hours crisis phone consultation.

What can I expect at my consultation appointment?

Before your consultation meeting, you will complete a brief, 5-question survey, to ensure you are scheduled with the appropriate clinician. After that screen, if there are consultation sessions available, you will fill out our “Treatment Agreement” and two assessment forms. This process can take up to 15 minutes. Most consult appointments last between 20 to 30 minutes, in addition to the paper work. During the consultation session, your therapist will ask questions about why you’re coming in for therapy, your goals for therapy, what you’ve tried in the past, and what you’re willing to do to create change. We’ll also ask questions about risk factors related to suicidality, homicidality, and self-harming behaviors.

What is considered a mental health emergency and what if I have one?

A mental health emergency is when a person is experiencing intense overwhelming response to a difficulty that exceeds their ability to use healthy coping skills. Examples of an emotional emergency include:

Suicidal thoughts
Homicidal thoughts
Hearing voices or other misperceptions in reality
Recent sexual or physical assault
Recent overwhelming loss or catastrophe

If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, you may call or immediately come into Lafene CAPS between the hours of 8 am and 5 pm Monday-Friday. You can meet with the Counselor on Duty to help you determine the best course of action.

Lafene CAPS has contracted with TELUS Health Student Support to provide after-hours crisis phone consultation for CAPS. Our main office number is forwarded to this service when we are closed (i.e., nights, weekends, holidays, and when the university is closed). You may contact this service in the case of an emergency afterhours. You may also contact the following resources:

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - Dial 988 to call, text or chat
Veterans Crisis Line - call 1-800-273-8255 or text 838255
The TrevorLifelinefor LGBTQ+ - 1-866-488-7386
Trans Lifeline – 1-877-565-8860

What if I am concerned about someone else?

Here at Lafene CAPS we believe in self agency when it comes to seeking therapy. Therefore, we do not reach out to students that are not engaged in therapy. We are happy to talk with you about your concerns, and brainstorm ways to help advocate for mental health treatment with your peer. If you worry they will not respond, you can complete a “Student of Concern” report which will be handled by K-State Student Support and Accountability. They will reach out to the student directly, and can also refer to our office.

If you feel it requires immediate action,and the student is on-campus please call campus police at 785-532-6412.
If the student is off-campus, please contact the local police department by dialing 911.

What kind of services does CAPS provide?

The mission of Lafene CAPS is to provide short-term assistance in areas of decision making, crisis intervention, problem/solution, or matters of personal concern that could interfere with student’s academic success. We can provide the following:

We can also provide specialized services for the following presenting concerns

Eating Disorder treatment
Couples Therapy (if both partners are eligible K-State students)

Are there limits to services provided?

We have a vast list of self-help resources on our website to provide you with information on many psychological issues.

We are currently offering multiple asynchronous workshops and they can be accessed by calling CAPS and having the workshop added to your Canvas page. You could take all workshops offered more than once and you do not need to attend a consultation session to join the workshops.

Students can come to Lafene CAPS for clinical consultations on a first-come first-served basis. There is not a limit on number of clinical consultations per student.

Group therapy requires an intake and pre-group screen. Groups often start about a month after the beginning of each semester and run for about 8 to 10 weeks. Students could participate in workshops and group therapy at the same time.

Lafene CAPS offers a limited number of individual sessions at no charge per academic semester.

CAPS does not offer long-term psychotherapy. There may be times when a student’s mental health needs require longer duration, more intensive interventions, or specialized forms of treatment that we cannot provide at CAPS. We will provide and help facilitate referrals to off-campus mental health providers in those situations.

CAPS does not offer family therapy. Our agency does not work with children, thus couples wanting/needing family therapy that would include their children would also be referred to resources in the community.

Do you have medication services?

Do you have self-help materials?

What support is possible at the end of the semester?

Towards the latter stages of the semester it may be more difficult to initiate services as many of our providers’ caseload are full. We will continue to offer clinical consultations and crisis services. There are however several alternative options in the community and on campus that could assist you with your needs. It may be helpful to contact Student Support and Accountability or speak with your professors to discuss academic support. If you are in crisis and need immediate assistance, we are open Monday-Friday from 8 am to 5 pm with a counselor on duty during those times. Our website also has several useful self-help strategies.

Can I get a letter from your office that verifies my concerns?

If this is your first contact with Lafene CAPS, we will refer you to Student Support and Accountability (785-532-6432) or to the Dean of your college for assistance. During that conversation, they can determine what options are available to you. Lafene CAPS staff cannot provide a letter verifying your struggles for times when we have not had contact with you. We require at least an intake and three individual therapy sessions before we are willing to consider writing a letter.

If you have been seen at Lafene CAPS earlier in the semester and have had ongoing contact with a therapist to address your struggles, your therapist may be able to write a letter in support of accommodations. Please call and schedule an appointment with your therapist. Keep in mind that it is your professor's decision in working with you about what options they may or may not offer to you.

Will you write a letter for an Emotional Support Animal (ESA)?

Are there charges for the service?

Will students have to wait?

Are you staffed by professionals or students?

The staff at Lafene CAPS are trained professionals and consists of licensed masters and PhD level professionals in the field of psychology, social work, counseling, and couples and family. Additionally, this agency hosts an APA-accredited internship in health service psychology. As such, we also have on staff psychology interns who are in the last stage of their doctoral program in psychology.

Occasionally, the agency may also have one or two graduate students from the Couple & Family Therapy graduate programs at K-State. Trainees are assigned tasks at the level of their training and experience, and are closely supervised as part of their learning.

Will staff give talks, presentations, or brief workshops to organizations, classes, or campus office groups?

Is Lafene CAPS open in the evening?

How private and confidential is contact with Lafene CAPS?

Information shared in therapy at Lafene CAPS at Kansas State University is held in strict confidence and applicants for service are required to sign an informed consent before they are seen. Confidentiality means that what a client discusses in sessions and any written records of contact with this office do not go on the student's academic record and will not be disclosed to any other office or individual unless the person has signed a written release of information for this to occur.

There are, however, some exceptions to confidentiality. Therapists are required to release certain information in situations in which there is imminent harm to the person or danger to others, in instances of abuse to vulnerable populations or as a result of a court order. While these types of events are extremely rare, it is important to note that these possibilities exist.

In addition, files may be reviewed in the process of agency accreditation with visits by professional review teams. All materials are handled confidentially and no materials with identifying information will leave the agency without obtaining specific release to do so. Files are retained for seven years past the date of last contact and are then destroyed or deleted. Any questions about confidentiality can be directed to our office for further details if needed.

Lafene Health Center and CAPS share an electronic record keeping system. While psychotherapists can see medical documentation for clients, health providers (except for the APRNs) cannot see the psychotherapy notes. All records are separate from any other office on the K-State campus.