Short contract student counselling in a neoliberal world

Abstract

A research study using a Foucauldian discourse methodology was undertaken in a third-level student counselling service to explore the little researched but widespread practice of short contract counselling. Short contract counselling was defined as a standardised small number of counselling sessions, in this case six, which was offered to all clients. Discussion of psychotherapy literature relevant to this topic and its relationship to the findings from this study form the basis of this article. Consideration was given to some of the major changes in the higher education environment which link to the penetration of neoliberalism into education and health which then provides the conditions of possibility for the emergence of short contract counselling. This practice has developed and is described as a means of allocating scarce resources in the face of high demand for services. Although it is widespread it has not received much specific attention from researchers but tends to be seen as an inevitable and taken for granted background to the delivery of student counselling. The focus of this study is not to evaluate the short contract model but rather to explore the context which allowed it to come to such a position of prominence in a relatively short period of time. The study findings drew attention to a range of discourses drawn on by the study participants who were both student clients and counsellors working in a service which operated this model. These were the discourses of productivity, managerialism and risk management. These discourses illustrate the influence of neoliberalism and highlight how disciplinary power can operate within the short contract model.