Graduate school is a time of tremendous learning and growth that is professionally and personally rewarding, but it can also be filled with challenges. The USU Psychology Department wants you to feel well-supported as you progress in your education. If you find yourself experiencing psychological distress, please know there are a number of resources available to you. Some of these resources are free or are available on a sliding scale as part of your student fees. These resources include remote and in-person therapy with a psychotherapist, bibliotherapy, and an online psychotherapy resource - ACT Guide. You may opt to see a psychotherapist of your choosing but may need to pay out of pocket for their services.
Campus Resources
Self-Help Resources through the USU Library
USU Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
USU CAPS Services: USU CAPS offers individual therapy, group therapy, skills training groups, workshops and outreach, case management, as well as assessment services. Undergraduate students taking 9 credit hours and graduate students taking 6 credit hours are eligible for CAPS services. If you are interested in starting services, please call the CAPS office at: 435-797-1012. If you are a graduate student, please see the description below.
USU CAPS Embedded Psychologist: Department of Psychology graduate students who are interested in accessing CAPS services can contact Christopher Anders, the CAPS embedded psychologist in the College of Education and Human Services via email at christopher.anders@usu.edu to discuss treatment options. Be sure to let Dr. Anders know you are a graduate student in the Psychology Department. CAPS will do its best to prevent our Department of Psychology graduate student clients from running into their peers who are working as graduate assistants and practicum students. Practicum students and graduate assistants do not have access to the electronic files of their peers, nor are they involved in case discussions of Department of Psychology graduate student clients.
ACT Guide
Dr Levin’s laboratory is excited to offer access to ACT Guide, our new online self-help program based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). The ACT Guide Full Program is available for $25, and the ACT Guide Lite is available for $5. Since ACT Guide is staffed by a psychology graduate student and supervised by Mike Levin, some psychology graduate students may prefer to increase their confidentiality by registering using pseudonyms that cannot be reasonably linked to their identity. The program also requires an email address to register, which is primarily used to send over your login information (username/password). If you have concerns about privacy/confidentiality, you might use a new email that is not identifiable to staff or just enter the email ACTGuide@usu.edu.This will ensure your participation remains anonymous while also ensuring your login credentials are sent to a secure place and not to an unauthorized user. If you do choose to create a pseudonym with a different name and email, please make an effort to remember your username and password since you might not be able to retrieve them if you forget.
USU Student Health Services
Students may see a prescriber at the Student Health Center. You can make an appointment online or you can contact Judy Baldwin at 797-1660. When making an appointment, please mention that you are a Psychology doctoral student. If you experience delays in getting care or need to be seen immediately, but have trouble getting a prompt appointment, feel free to contact Dr. Becky Blais, who can help facilitate speedy referrals.
Instructions to Access In-Person Mental Health Resources through Graduate Student Insurance
We recognize that students have several roles on campus that may make them reticent to seek mental health services at one of the locations on campus. Students may access in-person treatment using their student health insurance option. Please note this program is only available to those who opt-in to the insurance plan offered through USU. Those who have insurance provided elsewhere (e.g., parents, spouse) should contact their insurance directly to learn about what options they have.