Requests for Documentation
Release of Information Request
CAPS is able to provide relevant documentation and/or copies of your records to you or others in a manner consistent with state laws governing the release of confidential information. We want to make sure you are informed about implications of releasing your information and also help make sure that only the necessary information be shared with others to accomplish your needs for making this request. Please keep in mind: Mental health providers do their best to maintain records that accurately reflect the sessions you had with your provider and to capture their impressions of your needs. If there is anything that is unclear or confusing to you in that documentation, then we want you to be able to ask questions. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns with the information you have received.
If you are a current student, please click the button below and complete the brief form. Based on your needs, CAPS will send you the relevant form needed to request documentation through the CAPS Student Portal. If you are a former student, please click the button below to select a relevant form. Please contact us if you have any questions about this process.
Any Release of Information you submit may later be revoked per your request. Any revocation of a previously completed Release of Information must be submitted in writing by identifying the specific Release of Information you are revoking along with proof of your identity. Any information already shared in compliance with the Release of Information you had submitted may not be revoked. Please contact our offices to discuss how to revoke an already submitted Release of Information.
Letter Request
CAPS does not make recommendations to course instructors, academic advisors, or academic deans to excuse absences, allow make-up tests, grant incomplete grades, or to change an academic requirement or to take academic action.
If you have received services from CAPS and would like your counselor to write a letter to your course instructor, academic advisor, or academic dean, please note that your counselor may write a letter to:
- Confirm your attendance of counseling sessions or participation in CAPS programs.
- Provide a brief summary of your presenting concerns and the progress you made in counseling.
Your counselor may also provide a professional opinion regarding how your individual concerns might impact your academic performance. Your counselor will determine the appropriateness of providing such opinions after they are able to work with you for a period of time and a proper assessment has been conducted.
All CAPS services are confidential. You will need to sign an authorization to permit the release of information before your counselor can write a letter to another party revealing that you received CAPS services. Information that your counselor provides to the recipient of a letter is no longer protected by the confidentiality of CAPS and may become part of your educational record. FERPA (Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) states that certain individuals may access your educational record, such as a school official who has a legitimate educational interest; this record may also be accessed in the event of a “health and safety” emergency. Additionally, parents of students who are claimed as dependents on the federal income tax form may be able to access a student’s educational record. Only the specific information for which you provide authorization is released. All other information remains protected under the confidentiality laws of the State of Texas.
Please consult your counselor if you need a letter.
Emotional Support Animals
CAPS does not provide documentation to students that will support obtaining an Emotional Support Animal. While an animal may be able to provide comfort to students, it is not within our training or practice to provide documentation supporting the presence of a disability that substantially limits an area of major functioning to an extent that requires the presence of an animal.
In addition, CAPS does not provide referrals for these types of documentation. CAPS is unable to endorse an approach for making such recommendations, making it unethical to recommend any specific provider or course of action to secure such documentation.