About Psychiatry
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers psychiatry services. We have a board-certified psychiatrist and a psychiatric nurse practitioner on our staff who both work part-time.
Students who are registered for classes at Mason and actively involved in counseling at CAPS are prioritized when scheduling psychiatric services. On some occasions, students require more intensive/specialized psychiatric treatment that is beyond the scope of what CAPS can provide. If this occurs, CAPS clinicians will work with students to establish care with a psychiatric provider in the community.
Psychiatry services are provided by appointment only. There are no psychiatry appointments after hours or on weekends. If you are experiencing a psychiatric/medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest Emergency Room.
Psychiatric Evaluation
If a student would like to make an appointment for a psychiatric evaluation, students first complete a check-in appointment with a CAPS clinician who will either assist you in scheduling an appointment with CAPS psychiatry or with a psychiatric provider in the community.
The first appointment for a psychiatric evaluation is scheduled for 90 minutes. During the initial evaluation, the psychiatric provider will review your needs and will develop a preliminary treatment plan. If you agree with the treatment plan, then a decision about ongoing treatment, possibly involving the use of a medication, will be discussed. Subsequent appointments will then be scheduled to discuss how well the medication is working and if any changes are needed. Follow-up appointments with psychiatric providers are usually 20-30 minutes in length. Once stable on a medication regimen, you will be provided with referrals to psychiatric providers in the community for ongoing medication management, if appropriate.
ADHD Evaluation and/or Management
If a student has previously been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), documentation of the diagnosis from a clinician is needed in order to be considered for medication treatment at CAPS. Documentation must be in the form of an evaluation which includes psychological testing that supports the diagnosis. Students need to ask your previous provider to send CAPS the documentation for review. If the documentation is deemed insufficient, then psychological testing will be required prior to meeting with a CAPS psychiatric provider. If, after the testing is complete, it is the opinion of the CAPS psychiatric provider that a student may have ADHD, then the decision to medicate and what kind of medication to use will be made by that provider. The psychiatric evaluation at CAPS may take several weeks and does not guarantee that medication management will occur. If you do not wish to wait for this evaluation, then a list of referrals for mental health providers in the community will be provided.