A student in a therapy session at CAPS

Psychiatric Services

Psychiatry services are offered to currently enrolled Purdue Students on the West Lafayette campus who are struggling with mental health concerns and are actively engaged in psychotherapy with a clinician at CAPS. The psychiatric team at CAPS provides medication evaluation and management of mental health concerns. It consists of board certified/board eligible psychiatrists, a psychiatric mental health clinical nurse specialist, and a psychiatry RN who all have clinical experience addressing the unique treatment needs of young adults. The psychiatric team collaborates closely with therapists and primary care providers regarding the mental health care of students and provides medication evaluation, monitoring and education. 

Please note: a student engaged in therapy with a campus colleague in the College of Veterinary Medicine, the PPTRC, or the PCGC may be referred for psychiatric services via the process described under “Referring Professionals”.  Referrals will be considered based on psychiatric provider availability provided the student’s clinical concerns are within CAPS’ scope of services.

Fees

Fees for the initial appointment with Psychiatry are $25; all 30-minute follow-up sessions will be charged at $25 and subsequent follow-up sessions longer than 30 minutes will be charged at $50. No-show fees of $25 will be charged for missed appointments. CAPS psychiatric providers are in-network with Purdue Student Resources Insurance. 

Referring Professionals

Thank you for considering a referral to CAPS psychiatry when psychiatric assessment has been recommended to a student under your care.  Referrals to CAPS psychiatry from campus colleague therapy providers are coordinated by the psychiatry team RN during the academic year and by other support staff during the summer term.

CAPS psychiatric services are available to currently enrolled Purdue students on the West Lafayette campus who are actively engaged in ongoing therapy.  CAPS operates according to a combined treatment model with an expectation of ongoing coordination of care and sharing of clinical information between therapy and psychiatry providers, with a goal of promoting best treatment outcomes within our short-term treatment model.

To initiate a referral to CAPS, you must send the following information:

1. HIPAA-Compliant Authorization Form - CAPS HIPAA-Compliant Authorization Form - This must be signed by the student to allow for communication between treatment providers (CAPS, community or campus colleague therapist, and medical provider if indicated).  If you have questions about completing this form, please contact our office.

2. Intake and progress notes from the referring therapist (to provide a summary of treatment thus far, including presenting concerns, length of treatment, reason for referral, and risk assessment if indicated).

3. Psychiatric Referral Form - Psychiatric Referral Form - A completed Psychiatric Referral form from the referring therapist, with whom the student is actively engaged in ongoing care.

4. Prescribing records -  If the student being referred to CAPS has a history of current or prior psychiatric medication treatment, please have the student complete a HIPAA-Compliant Authorization Form to request that those prescribing records be forwarded to CAPS.  If needed, students can use CAPS’ release form (link above) for this purpose and CAPS administrative staff can request the records on the student’s behalf.

The above information may be either faxed to CAPS at (765) 496-2139, or mailed to CAPS.  Once all information is received the student will be placed on a referral list so that the referral can be reviewed by the CAPS psychiatry team to determine the most appropriate next steps.  In some instances, a referral may not be a good fit for services available at CAPS, for example if more intensive or specialized treatment is needed to address high risk, alcohol and/or drug use, or an eating disorder.  If this is the case the CAPS psychiatry team will communicate these concerns to the referring therapist so that other treatment options can be explored.  If a referral is approved, the student will be contacted directly by CAPS staff (via encrypted message, and if needed later a follow-up phone call) with information about how to schedule a psychiatric intake appointment and complete additional CAPS intake forms prior to their appointment.

We look forward to working with you.  If you have any questions about the referral process, please don’t hesitate to contact us at (765) 494-6995.