About Us

What is CAPS?

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) promotes the best possible academic, vocational, and emotional health for Florida Tech students by providing a variety of support services, which include individual, couples, and group counseling, career assessment, outreach and consultation, and crisis intervention free of charge. In addition, psycho-educational evaluations and psychiatric services are offered for a fee.  Licensed psychologists and psychiatrists are on staff to provide services, as well as masters-level psychology interns enrolled in the clinical psychology doctoral program.  All services are offered on-site at the Melbourne campus.  Hours of operation are Monday–Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CAPS is located at the corner of University Boulevard and Country Club Road, adjacent to Holzer Health Center.  Additional information about CAPS services and other resources are available at www.fit.edu/caps.

Our services are available to currently enrolled Melbourne campus students.

Confidentiality

In all cases, the American Psychological Association professional standards of practice are followed and confidentiality is respected and protected by law. Any limitations of confidentiality will be reviewed by your CAPS therapist.

CAPS is also compliant with the requirements of the  Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA)". Click on HIPAA for a complete description of this policy.

Treatment

Many different psychological treatments are available through CAPS. Individual, couple, (both must be students at FIT). Vocational counseling, study skills training, personal counseling and assertiveness training are just a few of the many services available from CAPS.

Our preference is that treatment be as brief as possible, based on the initial evaluation and assessment. This allows us to focus on and tailor therapy to the individual person and the current situation. Cultural needs and issues are integrated throughout the process. CAPS therapists are supervised by licensed Clinical Psychologists.

Eligibility

Currently enrolled students. These services are free of charge for up to 16 sessions with the exception of learning disability evaluations and psychiatric services. If additional service is required, these cases will be reviewed on an individual basis. To appropriately meet the needs of clients, referrals to outside agencies will be made when needed.

You should be aware of the following no show policy that exists at the Counseling Center regarding missed appointments. This policy is necessitated by our mission to serve as many Florida Tech students as possible and we regret any hardships this may cause.

Any student who misses two consecutive counseling appointments, without prior notification, 24 hours in advance, will be unable to schedule additional appointments with the Counseling Center for the remainder of that particular semester.

NOTE: The above policy does not apply to crisis situations.  That is, the center is always available during regular office hours to any Florida Tech student experiencing a crisis or psychological emergency, regardless of prior missed appointments.

Staff

*CAPS has a staff of one full-time Director (licensed clinical psychologist) and two full-time Staff Psychologists (licensed clinical psycholgists), a full-time administrative secretary, and approximately seven advanced level doctoral clinical psychology student therapists in our fall/spring semesters.

Robyn Tapley, Psy.D.

Director 

Dr. Tapley completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and her Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology and Doctor of Psychology Degree at Florida Tech.  She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Memphis, Center for Counseling, Learning, and Testing.  Dr. Tapley is a Licensed Psychologist in the State of Florida.  She is a member of the American Psychological Association, Florida Psychological Association, and American College Counseling Association. Dr. Tapley holds an administrative role training and managing the center’s advanced practicum for doctoral psychology students, and serves on a variety of campus-wide committees.  She also provides clinical services to students, consultation to faculty/staff members, and supervision to doctoral students providing services at the center.

Debra Sloane, Psy.D., BCBA

Staff Psychologist

Dr. Sloane received her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Psychology from the University of Florida in 1985.  She received her Master’s of Science and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1987 and 1989 respectively.  She completed her Clinical Internship training at the University of South Florida’s Counseling Center for Human Development in 1989.  She is a Licensed Psychologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.  She currently works as a Licensed Staff Psychologist with college students at Florida Tech’s Counseling and Psychological Services.  She has worked with college aged young adults with Asperger’s Disorder or Learning Differences in individual and group therapy, as well as taught classes and provided training locally and nationally on topics of Characteristics of Asperger’s Syndrome and Social Thinking and Social Mentoring with Young Adults who have Asperger’s Disorder and/or Learning Differences.  She also works with  relationships and sexuality issues. Dr. Sloane holds a position as a member of the Community Advisory Board of Florida Institute of Technology’s Scott Center for Autism Treatment and Research.  She is a member of the Florida Psychological Association.

Rachel Butler, Psy.D.

Staff Psychologist

Dr. Rachel E. Butler graduated from the University of Mississippi with her B.A. in Psychology. She earned her Master’s Degree and Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology from Florida Institute of Technology.  She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Southern Mississippi Psychology Internship Consortium, including rotations at the University of Southern Mississippi Counseling Center, Pine Grove Professional Enhancement Program, Pine Belt Services for Children and Families, and Gentle Path Treatment Center for Sexual Addiction.  Shortly after earning her Doctorate Degree, Dr. Butler moved to England and worked as a Counsellor at the University of Reading Counselling Center and taught upper level undergraduate psychology courses at Richmond American International University of London.  Dr. Butler was accredited by the British Association for Counselors and Psychotherapists. She then relocated to the United Arab Emirates and worked as a School Counsellor at the British International School of Abu Dhabi for approximately two years.  Dr. Butler is comfortable working with a variety of issues related to depression, anxiety, cultural adjustment, relationship problems, and substance abuse.

Nancy Quintero

Administrative Secretary

Nancy Quintero has served as the administrative secretary at Counseling and Psychological Services since March of 2008.  Prior to arriving at Florida Tech, Nancy has worked for the Civilian Personnel Flt at Patrick AF Base in Cocoa Beach as a Human Resources Assistant. Nancy is now responsible for the day-to-day operations at CAPS and is frequently the first contact for students seeking services.  Nancy enjoys her position in the office and looks forward to assisting the student population.

CAPS Tour

  1. CAPS is located at 150 West University Blvd, # 264, on the corner of University and Country Club. When a new potential client walks through the waiting room, Nancy will greet them with a smile. The atmosphere at CAPS is professional but somewhat informal and relaxed. You can make an appointment with Nancy to see a CAPS therapist at a time convenient for you. Or if you prefer, you can call CAPS ahead of time to schedule an appointment and when you arrive a CAPS therapist will be ready to meet with you.
  2. After you arrive for your first appointment at CAPS, you will be asked to fill out an information packet, in which you will be able to provide some information on relevant issues on which you want to focus your treatment.
  3. The therapist will read the information sheet while you relax in the waiting room for a few minutes. He/she will then come and invite you into a private room for a confidential 50-minute session. The therapist will explain to you about confidentiality of information discussed in the session and then ask you what brings you to CAPS.
  4. While you converse with the therapist, he or she may choose to take notes in order to get a complete picture of what's on your mind. CAPS is a safe environment that has an experienced team of graduate level therapists who will be there to completely listen to you and will be there for you regardless of the issues you are working on.
  5. After the first session, the therapist will set up a regular time to meet with you each week or as needed.