Many college students feel a lot of pressure at the start of the school year, including financial, personal, and academic struggles. CSUSB students have a safe place on campus to get support and feel seen at Counseling and Psychological Services. CAPS is an on-campus mental health service that offers confidential support to students. The department offers counseling, crisis support, and wellness resources in a safe environment that provides support personally and academically. While therapy and counseling services have become accepted over the past decade, many students may not feel comfortable opening up about what they may be going through, from stress and mental illnesses to abuse.

Some students find it difficult to reach out for help because it can make them relive bad experiences. Others may see asking for help as a sign of weakness and not want their peers or family to know their struggles. “Everybody goes through something. Everybody," said Arlinda Wilson, the campus survivor advocate in the CAPS department. “Getting help is not a weakness; it's actually what makes you a stronger person.” CAPS mission is to support CSUSB students in their academic journey by being a support system for mental health struggles. This semester, the department has gotten more attention from students than normal.

“Heading into my senior year, I was feeling a lot of anxiety that was affecting me through the first couple of days of the semester,” said Natalie Antes, a kinesiology allied health major in her senior year. “With the stresses of senior year and how much I had on my plate, I had decided to go to the CAPS department and give it a try. My experience couldn't have been any better, as all the staff were so welcoming, and being able to talk to someone, which helped me with my anxiety, was truly so relieving.” While many outside therapy or counseling services cost money that many students may not be able to afford, CAPS is an on-campus resource that's included within tuition. Students who pay the student health fees within their tuition are eligible to visit CAPS and receive services whenever they need them.

“There have been many times throughout my life where I wanted to go to therapy, but I wasn't able to due to cost. I couldn't afford it, or my insurance was not able to cover it,” Leylah Zuniga, a pre-nursing major in her junior year, said. “But last year I decided to visit CAPS after I found it was included within our tuition, and it has been an amazing resource for me to be able to attend therapy without having to worry about cost.” The department has been very involved in making its presence known on campus by hosting events and workshops.

The next big event for students to attend will be “Clothing Line” for Domestic Violence Awareness Month on Oct. 1 at Coyote Walk from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students can write empowering statements on T-shirts, or use the shirt to speak up about what they went through. The organization may use some of the T-shirts in advertisements to bring awareness to sexual assault and domestic violence survivors “The workshops are a great place to start because most workshops are facilitated by therapists," said Wilson. “I think it's a really good way to start becoming comfortable with CAPS overall.” This fall semester, the CAPS department will continue to be a resource that offers support and help to students who need it.