Sometimes situated in isolated buildings or at the end of windowless hallways, mental health counseling services on college campuses may not have seemed the most beckoning of refuges for the students they were meant to serve. For years, geography and the decentralization of counseling resources on Rutgers’ far-flung New Brunswick campuses had also made the coordination of treatment challenging for professional staff and daunting to students.

These were some of the issues confronting administrators in 2006 when the Transformation of Undergraduate Education also set in motion the consolidation of the various mental health counseling services that had reported to the undergraduate colleges.

With the establishment of the School of Arts and Sciences, psychological and psychiatric services and substance abuse counseling were brought together as Counseling, Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program, and Psychiatric Services. But finding a home for them would be the next challenge.

Young adults aged 18-24 have the highest prevalence of diagnosable forms of mental illness and represent 27% of the cases of mental illness across all age categories – National Alliance on Mental Health – Rutgers chapter.

For Jill Richards who arrived at Rutgers in September 2007 from Stony Brook University, where she was assistant director of Counseling and Psychological Services, the restructuring presented an opportunity: to not only improve the coordination of counseling services for students but also reinvent the environment in which they were delivered.

With approximately 10 percent, or 3,000, students seeking services each year in New Brunswick, the need was clear. But long hallways and sterile decor would no longer do, especially amidst growing awareness that mental health services need to be readily available and unintimidating so students feel comfortable accessing them.

“We want to be seen as a resource for the emotional wellbeing of students in a preventative sense as well as at the intervention level,” said Richards, who was named director of Counseling and Psychological Services last year.

On Sept. 14, President McCormick presided over the ribbon cutting for the new Counseling, Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program, and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) Building on the College Avenue Campus, marking the official union of mental health services for students under one roof. The 9,400-square-foot, $5 million facility at 17 Senior Street is now the central hub for services previously located in separate facilities. Its professional staff of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and substance abuse counselors provide psychological and psychiatric services; alcohol and drug counseling; stress management programs; and referral and information services. 

"Bringing together the staff who deal with student mental health needs in one building
has produced synergies that could never have happened before," McCormick said. "Creating a team approach enables our mental health professionals to develop specializations, to act as a crisis center and to take a holistic approach to the treatment of the students they see."

Decorated in soothing ocean hues and flooded with natural light, the colonial-inspired building was designed to create an inviting non-institutional environment, Richards said. Original artworks provided by the Brodsky Center for Innovative Print and Paper add to its warmth.

 “Our main goal was to have it look and feel like a big house, rather than a sterile medical environment,” said Richards, a clinical psychologist. “We were very conscious of privacy and sound proofing in consultation and meeting areas.” 

Bringing a range of mental health services under one roof also enables better coordination of care among the members of the multidisciplinary staff. Students requesting services are quickly put in communication with a professional who can guide them on the next step in their care. In addition, students continue to be served at a counseling facility at 61 Nichol Avenue on the Cook/Douglass Campus that offers the same services as the Senior Street center.

“Stress is inherent in daily living,” Richards said. "We are a passionate group of mental health professionals who understand the pressures students are under and appreciate both the promise and trials of this time of their lives. We try to help students recognize and marshal the resources they already have while also offering a variety of support services to make the most of their University lives."

In addition to individual counseling, students can take advantage of peer support groups that meet in locations outside the center, as well as stress reduction, meditation and other programs.

Tulsi Shah, president of the Rutgers chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, an organization that raises awareness about mental health issues, said putting CAPS under one roof “is a great idea.”

“College is a journey most of us will never forget; however, for most of us, some days are just a long roller coaster ride with many twists and turns that never end,” Shah said. “But having a full staff available who can listen and offer advice through our darkest times is one of the best gifts Rutgers offers its students.”

The CAPS building is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For further information or to schedule an appointment, call CAPS at 732-932-7884. After hours, callers are directed to a 24-hour emergency service for assistance in the New Brunswick area (732-235-5700).