CAPS partnership provides in-house mental health support for KU social work and law students

University of Kansas School of Social Welfare and School of Law students now have expanded access to mental health support. The office of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers support for students through embedded clinicians located in buildings across the Lawrence campus.   

This includes an embedded clinician on the third floor of Green Hall. Carley Sherer, a recent graduate from the Master of Social Work program at KU, provides counseling services for KU social work and law students.

“We know that mental wellness is an essential factor in navigating college successfully,” said Michelle Carney, dean of the KU School of Social Welfare. “While KU students already have access to counseling through CAPS, our goal in placing Carley in Green Hall was to bring that support closer to where students spend their academic lives.”

Sherer is familiar with the business of student life, which helps her work effectively with students as an in-house resource. In her role, Sherer offers individual counseling appointments, drop-in support and workshops. CAPS provides similar embedded counseling services through KU Housing in Daisy Hill Commons and at the Kansas Union.  

Since starting work this summer, Sherer said she’s seen an encouraging number of students during her afternoon availability on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“I think a big thing for students is the work-life balance, considering they are balancing school, often work and practicum, and all of these emotions that come up doing emotionally intense work,” Sherer said. “I think it’s helpful that I’ve also been through that recently.”

Collaborative effort by KU Social Welfare and KU Law

Offering embedded counseling services is a collaborative effort between the KU School of Social Welfare and KU School of Law, motivated by Social Welfare’s move into Green Hall in spring 2025.

The partnership has been beneficial to students in both schools, said Leah Terranova, KU Law associate dean for academic and student affairs. Terranova said the School of Law did an internal survey of students to gauge whether they would use an embedded counselor in Green Hall, and if that would be an improvement in their academic lives.

The response was a resounding yes.

“Law students are really busy. They don't have a lot of time, and creating that time for self-care and for working with a counselor can often prove to be a stumbling block in getting that care, getting access to the care,” Terranova said. “We thought having someone here on site would be really useful.”

Terranova said Sherer’s presence and resources have been a great success so far, and that students are excited to have access to a counselor in the building while they go through rigorous academic programs.   

Providing embedded counseling services through CAPS is part of a larger effort to offer holistic support for law and social work students. Stephen Mazza, dean of the KU School of Law, said housing two professional schools in Green Hall opens doors for future collaboration.  

“Because this joint effort has been so successful, it gives us momentum to partner on other projects,” Mazza said. “Having the School of Social Welfare in the building is a constant reminder that we have these opportunities available to us, and that we should take more advantage of those.”  

The School of Social Welfare is well-equipped for support services. In Green Hall, there is a writing coach, student support coordinator, retention coordinator, academic advisors and mentors.   

The partnership with KU Law and CAPS is an extension of this support for social work student wellness.   

 “We could not be more excited for this partnership,” said Dr. Chris Corbett, director of CAPS. “We love that Carley is here as a resource and celebrate the leadership of KU Law and Social Welfare, recognizing its importance for overall student well-being and success.”

More about Carley Sherer

Sherer’s prior experience in social work was as a volunteer crisis counselor for the Kansas Suicide Prevention Lifeline in Lawrence. She’s also worked in special education social work, inpatient hospitals, crisis therapy and in outpatient therapy settings.  

“I would say the biggest thing I learned from the kind of crisis work experiences I've had is that everyone is going through something,” Sherer said. “It also amazes me how open people are with a random stranger that they're only meeting for that short amount of time. It really just shows that we need other people.”

Sherer’s drop-in session times for current KU law and social work students are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m. Learn more about CAPS services and eligibility at caps.ku.edu/eligibility-services.

To schedule an appointment with Sherer, call the CAPS office: 785-864-2277