A warm welcome from the staff of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). As part of Student Life, we support the mission of Purdue University as a welcoming community. CAPS is a place of inclusivity and safety for our many students who identify as international, LGBTQ and persons of color in graduate and undergraduate programs. In the spirit of cooperation and collaboration, we honor the similarities and differences in the challenges faced by International Students.

As an international student, you could be facing stressors that are unique to your experience. We understand the impact these stressors can have on one's mental health. At CAPS, we wish to support you in making sense of and honoring these experiences. We wish to help you navigate, adjust and decide how best you wish to support your overall well-being.

Some of the stressors that our international students have previously identified include homesickness, academic struggles, the lack of experience in a culturally new environment, lack of support with legal and procedural issues, feelings of isolation/loneliness, lack of readily available social support, visa related distresses, stress related to racial-ethnic identities, experiences of discrimination, financial struggles, grief/loss and many more. These stressors over time can deplete our mental and physical health, impacting our overall functioning.

Coupled with all the above-mentioned stresses, we understand the most overbearing stress of all to an international student could be the uncertainty in transitioning from one legal status to another (from F-1 to OPT, to H1-B, etc.) This major stress can be invisible and sometimes silenced, and we at CAPS wish to support you in giving that a voice.

In attempts to support our international community through these visible and invisible stresses, we are happy to let you know that we have qualified international staff therapists on the team at CAPS who may have experienced similar trajectories at one time or another and would be happy to support you in navigating your own stress related to your international status and unique living experience.