Day-to-day life can be hectic for any college student, so Penn State’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) will integrate a new “CAPS Chat” service now at all dining commons locations to help students get immediate help for a variety of mental health issues. Here’s an overview of what you can expect from the program:

What It Is

CAPS Chat allows students to stop by five designated common areas to talk to professional CAPS counselors about an array of minor psychological issues, like general anxiety, relationship advice, and stress-related problems. In essence, CAPS Chat covers nearly anything that is not a significant emergency issue.

The chats only run for up to 30 minutes, but they offer students a handy resource for a variety of issues. According to CAPS counselor Jason Yoder, CAPS wanted to to put together a more proactive approach to student counseling and therapy that could help target immediate issues and prevent them from worsening over time. The team also wanted to place each CAPS Chat service in a “high-traffic” student area. CAPS chat doesn’t require any major paperwork, so students can feel free to stop by at their convenience.

Where and When

• Pollock Commons: Mondays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (inside the ResLife office)
• Warnock (North) Commons: Tuesdays from 2 p.m. 4 p.m. (inside the Cultural Lounge)
• Redifer (South) Commons: Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (inside the ResLife office)
• Waring (West) Commons: Thursdays from 2 p.m. 4 p.m. (inside the Cultural Lounge)
• Findlay/Johnston (East) Commons: Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (inside the ResLife office)
• Penn State Law School: Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Office 310)

It’s important to note CAPS Chat is not meant for serious emergency issues — for such issues, please schedule a CAPS appointment in advance or call 911 in the case of an emergency. For more information, visit the CAPS Chat website.