CAPS offers referral services to students who would be best helped by longer term care, or for those with chronic mental health problems. These are referred to as Outside Providers.
Referrals to Outside Providers
For students with the UC Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP):
Your counselor will write a referral to receive services with an outside mental health provider.
A referral letter will be sent to your MyStudentChart in the Letters section. The letter includes:
Authorization number
Names/contact information of outside providers within the UC SHIP network
Instructions to select and schedule an appointment with one of the providers.
Once you select an outside provider, inform your CAPS counselor as soon as possible.
If you select a therapist outside the UC SHIP network of providers, you may incur higher out-of-pocket costs.
Your referral is valid one year from the date of the original referral. You may request renewals should you need additional treatment beyond one year. It is recommended that you contact CAPS to write a renewal BEFORE your original referral has expired. This will reduce any gaps between referrals and reduce possible out-of-pocket expenses.
CAPS does not write authorized referrals for students who do not have UC SHIP.
Your counselor will create a referral letter that will be sent to your MyStudentChart letters section.
This is not an official or authorized referral. It is a document you can use should you need to provide documentation to your private (non-UC SHIP) insurance.
Your counselor will work with you to coordinate a referral based on your private insurance guidelines.
You will need to obtain your insurance coverages and processes for mental health and discuss these with your CAPS counselor. This information can often be found on your insurer's website.
Konvergent - Search for an Outside Mental Health Provider
As an additional resource option for students looking to connect with an off-campus provider, UCSD Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) maintains an extensive list of off-campus community resources. The list is accessible at https://konvergent.io/public/ucsd-caps
This referral list was generated from publicly available records. This list does not constitute an endorsement of services. This list is updated yearly to maintain accuracy. Please contact providers directly for the most updated information, including accepted insurances.
As a reminder, if you have UC SHIP insurance, a referral will be required in order to utilize off-campus care.
Under the Search as a Guest, Select Search by a Plan or Network. This will take you to Find a Doctor.
What type of Care are you searching for? Select Medical
What state do you want to search in? Select California
Select a plan/network: – Scroll down a long menu to Medical – (Employer-Sponsored)
Select Blue Cross PPO (Prudent Buyer) – Large Group, then click Continue
I am looking for: Doctor/Medical Professional
Who specializes in: Select Psychology or Psychiatry
Located near: enter Zip Code Within distance of : defaults to 20 miles but you can change that.
Then click Search.
Once you identify a provider that you are interested in seeing, please call them directly to verify that they are indeed on the UC SHIP panel. Then you can schedule an appointment or initial consultation if they are taking new clients, and let me know which provider you have selected.
If you want to use your insurance, please remember it is your responsibility to verify and understand your insurance coverage and what your out-of-pocket costs will be. After attending your appointment, please call me to confirm if you plan to continue with the same provider for ongoing care.
If you are using the UCSD UC SHIP Insurance Panel and have questions, you can contact the UCSD Student Health Insurance Office. You will also need to sign an acknowledgment form that outlines information, such as copays and referral information.
Please note that your UC SHIP referral will no longer be valid (1) if it expires, (2) the number of visits specified is expended or (3) you change providers from those specified. If you need continued treatment when your referral becomes invalid, please contact your referring CAPS psychologist prior to incurring any additional charges, or you will be responsible for paying the entire amount billed. Retroactive referrals are not available for charges incurred without a concurrent valid referral.
