Counseling

CAPS staff provide confidential support and assistance.

Discover the benefits of counseling.

When you have problems with your thinking, feelings or moods, it can affect your confidence, relationships and academic success. CAPS offers confidential and expert resources when you experience such problems — plus strategies to create a healthier life.

Do you need help?
College brings new pressures, environment and changing expectations that can overwhelm students. Do you feel overwhelmed by your classes or assignments? Are you depressed or anxious? Are you questioning your sexual identity? Is your use of drugs or alcohol use creating problems in your academic and personal life?

You’re not alone: In a national survey, more than half of all college students say they experience similar feelings and concerns.

CAPS offers support with:

Adjustment / transition to / from college
Anger management
Anxiety / stress
Confidence/greater self-awareness
Mood changes (depression)
Eating concerns / self-esteem / body image
Grief and loss
Gender identity
Relationship conflicts
Spirituality
Suicidality
Trauma
LGBTQAI+/sexual identity
Consent and healthy sex practices
Social equity and inclusion
Executive function problems (procrastination, time management)

The earlier you seek help, the greater the impact can be. And if you have a diagnosed mental health condition, our services can support you in your treatment and recovery.

Individual Counseling

Individual counseling is available at CAPS to current undergraduate or graduate students, at no charge. Individual counseling is a process that lets you work one-on-one with a trained mental health professional in a safe and caring environment, especially when confidentiality is a concern. Our approach supports self-healing and personal growth.

Medication Services

Medication services are intended for students who are interested in exploring medication as a treatment option, have not taken psychiatric medication previously, need a medication adjustment or seeking education about medications. CAPS medication providers do not prescribe stimulant medications (e.g. Adderall, Vyvanse), and they do not provide emergency services or refills. To access medication services a student must meet with a CAPS provider first.

Schedule an appointment today by calling 401-454-6637.

Referrals to outside providers also are offered based on each student’s mental health needs and goals.

The CAPS Team

The diverse and highly trained Counseling and Psychological Services team includes:

Psychiatrists

Counselors

Psychologists

Licensed Mental Health Therapists

Social Workers

Provider Information:

Director, Deborah Levans, LICSW
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: BSW, St. Thomas University, MSW, Boston College
Clinical interest/specializations: Identity (Including racial, gender) International Students, First Generation Students, (Traumatic) Grief, Trauma, Eating Disorders
Languages spoken: English, French, Spanish

Staff Counselor, Damion Vania, LMHC
Pronouns: He/Him
Education: BA Boston University, MA Lesley College
Clinical Interests/specializations: Creatives, international students, grad students.
Languages spoken: English

Staff Counselor, Connor Curtis, LCSW
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: B.S., University of Rhode Island, MSW, Boston University
Clinical interests/specializations; LGBTQIA+ concerns; transitions; family/interpersonal conflict; attachment; anxiety disorders; trauma
Languages spoken: English

Intercultural Specialist, Adrina Riggins
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: BS, Springfield College, MA/CAGS, Salve Regina University
Clinical Interests/specializations: Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, Self-Image, Stress, Relationships, Stress, Communication Skills, Coping Skills, Behavior Change

Psychiatrist, Dr. Harold Woodcome, MD
Pronouns: He/Him
Education: Brown University, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons
Psychiatry Residency: Brown University/Butler Hospital
Areas of Interest: Young Adult Psychiatry
Languages spoken: English

Psychiatry Resident, Dr. Amy Johnson, MD
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: Middlebury College, SUNY Downstate
Psychiatry Residency: Brown University/Butler Hospital
Areas of Interest: Child & Adolescent /Young Adult Psychiatry
Languages spoken: English

Part-Time Counselor, Brooke Darelius, LCSW
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: BA, Rhode Island College, MSW, Rhode Island College
Clinical Interests/specializations: anxiety, depression, adjustment to adulthood
Languages spoken: English

Part Time Counselor, Mike Petrarca, LMHC
Pronouns: He/Him
Education: BA, Suffolk University, MA/CAGS, Rhode Island College.
Clinical Interests/specializations: OCD/anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, ADHD, existential issues, autism spectrum disorders.
Languages spoken: English

Part-Time Counselor, Yatyee Lee, LMHC
Pronouns: She/Her
Education: BSSc, the Chinese University of Hong Kong,MA, Rhode Island College CAGS, Rhode Island College
Areas of clinical interest/specialization: Adjustment, acculturation, relationship, depression, anxiety
Languages Spoken: English, Mandarin, Cantonese

Intern, Aisha Farra
Pronouns: Aisha Farra
Education: BSc, University of Toronto; MA, York University; MSc, Oklahoma State University, PhD Candidate, UMass Boston
Languages: English
Clinical interest/specialization: international students, grief, school-to-work transition, anxiety, family challenges, graduate students, muslim and/or Arab-identified students, Latinx-identified students
Languages spoken: English

Intern, Sara Palomo
Education: BA, Brown University, MsC, University of Edinburg, MSW Candidate, Smith College
Clinical Interests/Specializations: working with young queer and trans people, centering joy, healing from trauma, exploring issues of identity, and weaving relational, narrative, multicultural feminist, internal family systems, and somatic approaches to therapy.
Languages spoken: English