Free therapy across Utah: How CAPS serves statewide students

A Utah State University student once emailed Counseling and Prevention Services, or CAPS, with a simple message: Without her statewide therapist, she never would have finished her degree. 

“We’ve had students tell us that without Counseling and Prevention Services statewide, they never would have finished their degrees,” said Justin Barker, assistant director and statewide campus director for CAPS. “We work with students across the state to make sure distance doesn’t prevent them from getting help.” 

For students enrolled outside of Logan, access to mental health care has depended on geographical location. 

Today, four CAPS therapists are dedicated to serving students across the entire state: Barker from the Brigham City campus, psychologist Clark Ripplinger from Salt Lake City and social workers Jenny Anderson and Nicole Black from Uintah Basin and Blanding. Together, they serve students in Park City, Moab, Tremonton and other USU communities statewide. 

One student, who asked to stay anonymous, said she felt overwhelmed by classes and couldn’t understand why everyone else seemed to manage homework easily. 

“I felt like I was floundering and couldn’t keep up,” she said. “I felt like I was going insane.” 

CAPS was able to help her by giving her an ADHD diagnosis. It helped her get medication and gain an understanding of how her brain works. She made “leaps and bounds” in her educational journey. 

“Usually, the statewide students are a little bit of a different demographic than Logan,” Barker said. “They’re navigating a whole different lifestyle.” 

Many statewide students work full-time, are married with children or returned to school after years away. CAPS offers evening hours to accommodate those who work during the day.  

One client, who lived near Brigham City, requested Zoom therapy due to transportation issues. 

“We try our best to meet the students where they’re at and as far as what they’re able to do,” Barker said.  

Though most appointments happen over Zoom, the statewide team still travels to campuses for “Cookies with Counselors” and “Tea with Therapists” events, attending new student orientations and working with student government. 

“We’re very active on our respective campuses,” Barker said. 

Hiring Black to serve Blanding about two years ago solved a large problem, according to Barker. Located nearly 300 miles from USU’s main campus, Blanding went years without an on-campus mental health counselor. 

“For years, we struggled because, I don’t know if you know where Blanding is, but it’s about as far away from Logan as you can get in Utah,” Barker said. “I think it’s easier now for those students.”  

However, distance isn’t the real barrier anymore. 

“We’ve worked with statewide marketing for years. We have advertisements on TVs at different campuses. We have our pictures, our names, trying to personalize it,” Barker said. “We still run into that same feedback that people don’t know about us.”  

Four therapists for thousands of students scattered across Utah is why the statewide team works hard to ensure accessibility and why every success story is important to them, according to Barker. 

“There are literally thousands of statewide students who maybe don’t know who we are who could potentially benefit from our services,” he said. “That is part of my push to get more therapists — to get the word out there.” 

The Logan CAPS office sits in the TSC on the third floor. Low lighting replaces harsh overheads; sound machines muffle therapy room conversations; and pamphlets on insurance, anxiety support and the USU Student Nutrition Access Center, or SNAC, line a table. It’s the same care Barker wants every statewide student to know they can access, whether it’s in person or over Zoom. 

Students can request a therapist through the CAPS website at usu.edu/aggiewellness/caps by pressing the “request an appointment” button. Statewide or main campus students can also call 435-797-1012. Services are completely free and confidential. 

Barker meets monthly with statewide administration to brainstorm ways to reach more students. He and his team love their work, he said. 

CAPS serves thousands of students across Utah and continues outreach efforts to reach those who may not be aware of available counseling services. 

“We’re here. We want to help you. Please reach out.” Barker said.