California State University, Fullerton: Campus Launches CAPS Wellness Room to Support Students’ Mental Health
Recognizing the important link between mental health and student success throughout college, Cal State Fullerton recently launched the Counseling and Psychological Services Wellness Room.
“The success of students at four-year universities is not just dependent on their study habits or extracurricular activities — it’s dependent on their overall functioning and well-being as people,” said CSUF President Fram Virjee at the Sept. 26 grand opening. “The CAPS Wellness Room is a space where students can focus on their mental health individually, while being surrounded by others who are doing the exact same thing, creating a sense of community.”
Born from the voices of students like Asha Bhattacharya ’21 (B.A. business administration-marketing), the CAPS Wellness Room empowers students to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle while pursuing academic excellence.
“The CAPS Wellness Room’s core values of empowerment, compassion and advocacy for mental health make us a significant resource on campus,” said Ken Rios, CAPS Wellness Room coordinator. “We offer quality care in an environment that fosters resilience and personal growth toward lifelong wellness. This space is set aside from distractions for students to take a holistic approach to their well-being as they discover, engage and practice self-care.”
Rios noted the CAPS Wellness Room is a result of CSUF’s “students-first” approach.
“Asha shared her idea of a proactive mental health wellness room with President Virjee. The fact that this is now coming to fruition highlights the importance of student voices at CSUF,” he said.
Services in the CAPS Wellness Room, located in Room 1334 on the third floor of Titan Hall, include:
Massage chairs and napping pods (appointments required via TitanNet in the student portal)
A mindfulness/art area for students to engage with peers
A yoga room, featuring instructor-led classes
Comfortable sofas for students to relax
CAPS provides a variety of wellness resources for students at CSUF, including psychiatric services, wellness coaching, crisis services and drop-in counseling groups, among other resources.
“We all experience mental health challenges, and having access to wellness resources is vital to supporting and attaining a healthy lifestyle. As a community, we must do our part to destigmatize mental health and normalize the healthy habit of self-care,” said Rios.