Campus Life

Students can now chat with CAPS at new downtown location

Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — CAPS Chat is now being offered in a new location for students who live off campus. The service is available in the Off-Campus Student Support office, located at 204 East Calder Way, Suite 200, in State College.

The new location is a collaboration between four Student Affairs units: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Student Legal Services, Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the Off-Campus Student Support office, to add to a range of support for off-campus students.

CAPS Chat locations also include the Paul Robeson Cultural Center; the LGBTQA Student Resource Center; Penn State Law's Lewis Katz Building; and in Pollock, Warnock, Johnston, Waring and Redifer commons.

Jason Yoder, licensed clinical social worker and CAPS Chat coordinator, described the resource as an option for those looking into what counseling is all about. The program is geared toward students with concerns such as stress or mild anxiety, roommate troubles, or adjusting to a new place. Times vary by location, and students are seen on a first-come, first-served basis.  

Yoder said this is the first time CAPS Chat will be offered off campus, and that expanding to the downtown area “allows us to be more accessible to more students.”

CAPS Chat first started in the fall of 2016 at Redifer Commons in South Halls. Yoder said the program’s popularity and usage has allowed it to grow to 10 locations over the past three semesters. 

For CAPS Chat times and locations, visit the CAPS website

Last Updated September 23, 2020