White-Gravenor Hall and Healy Hall were not the only campus locales to be renovated this academic year.
Under the leadership of its new director, Dr. Phillip Meilman, the Counseling and Psychiatric Service has expanded and restructured. CAPS is a mental health agency for Georgetown students and the campus community.
Since beginning his directorship late last summer, Meilman has tried to strengthen the mental health support network through the addition of more staff and seven group programs. These programs offer a range of services, from general therapy to support for victims of sexual assault.
“For many issues, group is the treatment of choice,” Meilman said. “You might have thought you were alone with a problem, but then you find out that other people might share that same experience.”
At least one student said she believed these improvements were long overdue.
“They don’t seem to have enough resources or staffing,” Ruth Coffman (SFS ‘06) said. “Many of my friends who went there in past years were turned away.”
Not all changes are visible to the public eye, Meilman said. CAPS now has a patient information system database, he said, that helps its staff understand and analyze what they do, allowing practitioners and administrators to assess their efficiency and performance.
“He has been a terrific leader at the Georgetown Counseling and Psychiatric Service since he arrived,” Director of Student Health Programs Dr. James Walsh said of Meilman. “There have been many improvements in service.”
Associate Dean Richard Hahn has noticed that CAPS is now a more effective interface between students’ academic and health needs.
“There’s been a more active, visible role taken by CAPS in terms of communication as well as standardization,” Hahn said.
When asked about CAPS, however, many students seem unaware of its existence.
Hahn cited protocol regarding students who come back to campus after medical leave as a specific example of this.
“Is the individual capable of moving forward and recovering in the next term?” Hahn said. “We are not mental health professionals, so a formal consultation with CAPS upon reentry is necessary to find out what’s best for the student.”
Arriving at Georgetown after filling a similar position at Cornell, Meilman said he has noticed differences between Georgetown and Cornell, both in the mental health needs and personalities of the students.
“It seemed as though we encountered greater numbers of more serious difficulties at Cornell,” Meilman said.
Meilman sensed that Georgetown would be a good fit for him when he interviewed here last year.
“Georgetown has a positive, upbeat atmosphere, and I feel very comfortable in this environment. I feel honored—and pleased to be here,” he said.
