Campus Counseling Centers Research Articles

College Student Preferences for Campus Mental Health Services and Practices

ABSTRACT The decline in college student mental health has been articulated by counseling center directors and administrators in higher education and has been thoroughly documented by research. Counseling centers have responded with diverse functions and services to holistically address the emotional and behavioral health needs of students. Beyond clinical services, counseling centers have developed services involving comprehensive prevention/outreach, case management, consultation, and collaboration. The question remains: how do students view the importance of such services and functions? The present study addresses this question as follow-up to past research and data that have illuminated the comprehensive nature of campus counseling center services. Findings in this study indicate that students who used campus counseling services, as well as students-in-general, agreed with the importance of the full range of comprehensive counseling center services. Specific responses to service preferences were also investigated (e.g., 24–7 Helpline, counseling services should be free to students).

CALM: caring action leadership mindfulness: a college counseling practice-based education model

ABSTRACT College is a phase in life where many young people experience freedom to make decisions as they have never had before. They are living in a community where their education, work, professional, social, and living environment are all very closely entwined. In order to be successful, college students need to feel connected to the college campus, especially at larger public universities. In 2021 the authors surveyed public university social work programs located within the United States and found that many graduate social work students complete internships with the campus counseling center. Advanced social work students are engaged in the majority of these practice education placements. Over three-quarters of the graduate social work students in these internships facilitate student support groups and/or psycho-educational classes and groups on campus. However, just over one-third teach college students mindfulness practice and/or meditation. We suggest a practice-based education model [CALM: Caring Action Leadership Mindfulness] for designing a collaborative Social Work Internship at the campus counseling center that supports the promotion of student mental and physical health, mindfulness and persistence to achieve a college degree.

Direct-to-Consumer STI Screening Information: Mental Health Providers as a Dissemination Channel

Background On college campuses, rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including chlamydia and gonorrhea, are increasing. However, rates of screening are low among college women. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) screening may be an innovative solution to improve screening rates, but little research exists on how college women prefer to receive information about these novel methods. The purpose was to explore the preferred communication channels for knowledge about DTC STI screening among college women. Methods Guided by the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI), in-depth interviews were conducted with sexually active college women, ages 18-24 (n=24). Interviews were analyzed thematically by two coders (Kappa=.83). This study presents a salient, emergent theme within the communication channels construct – the role of mental health providers in providing information related to DTC STI screening. Results A salient emergent theme of a preferred interpersonal communication channel for receiving STI screening information was mental health providers (MHPs) and the campus counseling center. Women described the counseling center and the MHPs on campus as an information and referral source for DTC STI screening. Interactions with the counseling center were viewed as more private and confidential than health clinics, and MHPs were viewed as trusted emotional support. Women viewed provision of DTC STI screening as a natural fit with the role of MHPs. Discussion MHPs may be an underutilized resource to provide information about STI screening, particularly novel DTC methods, to college women. Incorporating MHPs into the system of sexual healthcare may increase adoption rates of innovative screening methods and reduce the negative impacts of STIs. Conclusion These results provide preliminary data that MHPs may be an underutilized resource to provide information about STI screening, particularly novel DTC screening. Future studies should evaluate the perspectives of MHPs regarding discussion of and recommendation for DTC STI screening to patients.

The work of college counseling centers in the early 21st century.

For many years, the mental health of college students has been a major concern in higher education. Through a review of the research literature, this article will illuminate the reasons why at this time in history the mental health of college students is a top priority, the value of investing in campus counseling centers, and how college student mental health care must continue to evolve in order to meet the needs of increasingly diverse campuses. This article will provide an understanding of how college and university counseling centers past and present have always centered their work in the context of the socioecological environment of the times. Special attention will be paid to how societal and institutional forces have shaped both expectations for and delivery of care in the first quarter of the current century. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

College students’ experiences of sexual violence and reasons for seeking care in campus health and counseling centers

Objective Examine associations between care seeking reasons in college health and counseling centers and sexual violence (SV). Participants College students (n = 2,084 baseline, n = 1,170 one-year follow up) participating in a cluster randomized controlled trial of an SV reduction intervention on 28 campuses. Methods Computer-based survey data gathered during students’ clinic visit and one-year follow up. Results Despite high prevalence of SV, students almost never sought care specifically for SV (0.5% of reported visits). Gender differences emerged for reasons students sought care generally, but were not associated with differences in care seeking among those who experienced SV. At baseline and one-year, students who reported SV were more likely to state mental or sexual and reproductive health as their reason for care seeking. Conclusion Many students seeking care have experienced SV yet present with other health needs. Providers need to recognize this and have a low threshold for providing SV resources routinely. Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2022.2057189

LGBTQ and Straight Sexual Assault Survivors’ Interactions with Counseling in a Campus Counseling Center and Women’s Center

Experiencing college sexual assault is detrimental for students’ mental health. Counseling options exist in every type of college/university, but many survivors do not use these resources and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) survivors may have additional unmet mental healthcare needs. Using 40 qualitative interviews, we examined LGBTQ and (cis)straight survivors’ actual and anticipated interactions with counseling in a counseling center and women’s center. More survivors used the counseling center than the women’s center. Students anticipated and experienced positive treatment from both centers, but believed the women’s center would have more experience working with survivors. Ciswomen (straight and queer) and survivors with marginalized gender identities (e.g., trans, genderqueer) were most likely to anticipate and experience negative treatment. However, the women’s center may be less accessible for cismen and gender minorities, as there were concerns that this resource may only be for cisgender women.

Examining the effectiveness of campus counseling for college students with disabilities.

Purpose: Campus counseling centers, which oversee the provision of mental health services, can play a vital role in supporting positive outcomes among college students in general; however, little remains known about the effectiveness of campus-based counseling for reducing academic and psychological distress among college students with disabilities. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of individual campus-based counseling for students with disabilities and to determine whether the effectiveness of counseling varied by student disability status. Method: Data for the present study were gathered by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health from the 2016-2019 academic years. Participants consisted of help-seeking students with only psychiatric disabilities (n = 643), students with disabilities other than only psychiatric disabilities (n = 3,833), and students without a disability (n = 54,576). Results: Results indicated that students with disabilities demonstrated significantly fewer reductions in levels of psychological and academic distress than their nondisabled peers, and analyses further revealed variation by disability type. Conclusions: These findings advance our understanding of the effectiveness of campus counseling services for improving pertinent outcomes among help-seeking college students with disabilities. Implications for clinical practice, theory, and future research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Embedded Therapists: Who Do They Serve? How are They Funded? And Where are They Housed? A Foundational Survey of Emerging Models

ABSTRACT With the rise in demand for mental health services on college and university campuses, counseling centers have engaged in numerous creative methods to expand services to meet these increasing demands. One approach within campus counseling centers, with promise, is embedded therapists. Despite the increasing application of embedded therapists, there is a paucity of research to inform the development and implementation of this innovative service method on college and university campuses. This study serves as a foundational survey of college and university counseling centers’ embedded therapists to establish foundational data on defining features of emerging embedded models. Data for this study consisted of 39 college and university counseling center directors who provided information on 105 embedded therapists via a Qaultrics survey. Embedded therapists differed regarding who they served, where they were housed, source of funding, and various other system-level factors. The results of this study are discussed regarding commonalities and differences across emerging models of embedded programs.

Mental Health Needs Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

PurposeThe abrupt closure of universities across the U.S. in March 2020 may have sent some lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) college students home to unsafe or unaccepting families and environments. The objective of this study was to examine the mental health needs of LGBT college students in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsWe fielded a rapid-response online survey in the spring of 2020. We recruited 477 LGBT-identifying college students aged 18–25 years by contacting LGBT-serving organizations on 254 college campuses and through targeted social media advertising. ResultsNearly half (45.7%) of LGBT college students have immediate families that do not support or know their LGBT identity. Approximately 60% of sampled LGBT college students were experiencing psychological distress, anxiety, and depression during the pandemic. ConclusionsHealth-care providers, college and university administrators, and campus counseling centers should take swift action to ensure that LGBT students receive mental health support during the pandemic.

Provider perspectives on implementing a student health and counseling center intervention for sexual violence

Objective To describe provider experiences with implementation of the GIFTSS (Giving Information for Trauma Support and Safety) intervention. Participants: Health and counseling center staff from participating campuses attended trainings between August 2015 and August 2016. Interviews were conducted between May and August 2017. Methods: Providers (n = 230) completed surveys prior to and six months following a 3-hour training on the intervention. Structured phone interviews were conducted with a purposively selected subset of 14 providers. Results: Overall, staff found the intervention acceptable. Implementation barriers noted were time and competing patient priorities. Providers noted variation based on patient and visit characteristics. Clinic commitment, particularly in adopting strategies for universal dissemination of the GIFTSS card, was seen as helpful. Conclusion: Implementation of a brief trauma-informed intervention in campus health and counseling centers was feasible and acceptable to most providers. Opportunities to change organizational culture regarding ensuring adequate time and safety for patients are discussed.

Effect of nostalgia as a motivational force for depressed students to seek professional psychological help

In times of distress, people show a tendency to remember the ‘good old days,’ a bittersweet emotion called Nostalgia. This study explores how experimentally-induced nostalgia improves attitude toward counseling center and behavioral intentions to contact the counseling center on a college campus. Students living with depression (N = 148) were randomly assigned to view a public service announcement (PSA) for the campus counseling center that was designed with or without a nostalgia-inducing narrative and imagery. Participants exposed to the nostalgic PSA expressed significantly higher positive emotions compared to the control condition, after controlling for the effects of stigma, past counseling experience, levels of depression, and friends or family with mental illness. Mediation analyses showed that the higher positive emotions participants felt, the more positive was their attitude toward the campus counseling center, which in turn increased behavioral intention to seek help. The study suggests nostalgia-themed messages to promote help-seeking intentions among students experiencing depression.

Campus Counseling Centers: The Time Has Come to Talk of a New Thing

ABSTRACTThe future of campus counseling centers may be influenced by how well the national professional organizations are able to represent the best interests of such units. The current fragmentation among the existing professional organizations is problematic in reaching that goal. Efforts to influence the decisions of campus decision makers about mental health services would be enhanced by an organization that could promote the various missions of campus counseling centers, sponsor media advocacy campaigns, and help form a broad based community of professional personnel who work in such settings.

Helping Those Who Help Themselves: Does Counseling Enhance Retention?

This study examined how academic distress changed over the course of counseling and predicted retention. The sample comprised students receiving services at the campus counseling center (n = 404), students from a psychology department subject pool (n = 311), and students from the general campus population (n = 75,748). The analyses performed included t test, analysis of covariance, chi‐square test, and logistical regression. The results suggested that students whose academic distress did not decrease had lower retention rates than both clients whose academic distress improved and the general student body.

Counseling Center Clinicians Experience Providing Assessments of Risk to Self versus Risk to Others

ABSTRACTAs part of collecting information for the purpose of threat assessment and management regarding a person of concern within an institution of higher education, a threat assessment and management team or another institutional official may request that a campus counseling center conduct a risk assessment of dangerousness-to-others. This study measured counseling center clinicians’ training and experience in conducting risk assessments of dangerousness-to-others. Survey data from mental health providers practicing in counseling centers within institutions of higher education revealed that these practitioners had significantly less training and experience in assessing dangerousness-to-others as compared to the training and experience they have in assessing dangerousness-to-self. This lack of training and experience brings into question the appropriateness of counseling center mental health providers conducting these assessments.

Addressing the Crisis in Campus Counseling Centers: An Organizational Perspective

Addressing the Crisis in Campus Counseling Centers: An Organizational Perspective

Text Mining Mental Health Reports for Issues Impacting Today's College Students: Qualitative Study.

BackgroundA growing number of college students are experiencing personal circumstances or encountering situations that feel overwhelming and negatively affect their academic studies and other aspects of life on campus. To meet this growing demand for counseling services, US colleges and universities are offering a growing variety of mental health services that provide support and services to students in distress.ObjectiveIn this study, we explore mental health issues impacting college students using a corpus of news articles, foundation reports, and media stories. Mental health concerns within this population have been on the rise. Uncovering the most salient themes articulated in current news and literature reports can better enable higher education institutions to provide health services to its students.MethodsWe used SAS Text Miner to analyze 165 references that were published from 2010 to 2015 and focused on mental health among college students. Key clusters were identified to reveal the themes that were most significant to the topic.ResultsThe final cluster analysis yielded six themes in students’ mental health experiences in higher education (ie, age, race, crime, student services, aftermath, victim). Two themes, increasing demand for student services provided by campus counseling centers (113/165, 68.5%) and the increased mental health risks faced by racial and ethnic minorities (30/165, 18.2%), dominated the discourse.ConclusionsHigher education institutions are actively engaged in extending mental health services and offering targeted outreach to students of color. Cluster analysis identified that institutions are devoting more and innovative resources in response to the growing number students who experience mental health concerns. However, there is a need to focus on proactive approaches to mitigate the causes of mental health and the aftermath of a negative experience, particularly violence and sexual assault. Such strategies can potentially influence how students navigate their health information seeking and how information and communication technologies, including mobile apps, can partially address the needs of college students.

A case for routine involvement of threat assessment and management teams with college students at risk for suicide

ABSTRACTInstitutions of higher education and their counseling centers are under intense pressure to prevent student suicide. This article proposes that routinely using threat assessment and management teams in working with suicidal students would add value to existing suicide prevention efforts. The unique features of threat assessment and management provide several advantages over traditional clinical intervention. First and foremost, the majority of students who die of suicide do not seek services from campus counseling centers. These students may, nonetheless, come to the attention of campus constituents in a number of ways and may readily be referred to a threat assessment and management team. For students who are clients of the counseling center, a campus should still activate a threat assessment and management process. In this way, threat assessment and management may be useful for students who refuse to seek help as well as in providing assistance when students are engaged in treatment. Nonetheless, higher education in general and counseling centers in particular have not engaged in a standard practice of involving threat assessment and management teams with students who present at risk for suicide. Limitations to clinical approaches for suicide prevention are reviewed in contrast with the complementary advantages of threat assessment and management as applied to suicidal students. Regularly including threat assessment and management in working with suicidal students in higher education may provide synergy in improving the likelihood of desirable outcomes in preventing suicides.

International Students’ Transition Experiences in Rural Texas: A Phenomenological Study

Due to the growth in the number of international students attending universities in Texas and the need to provide appropriate counseling services to them, nine international students were interviewed about their experiences of transitioning from their home country to college in rural Texas. The authors employed the transcendental phenomenological approach to qualitative research (Moustakas, 1994) which allowed for the following seven emergent themes were identified that described the participants’ experiences: American TV; Knowing Someone; Like a Movie; Everybody Saying Hi; Transportation is Inconvenient; I Miss Noodles; and Being Optimistic. The emergent themes provided the basis for implications and recommendations for counseling services with the international student populations. Implications and recommendations for counselors on college campuses include, but are not limited to: actively collaborating with international student services, participating in new international student orientation services, and developing preemptive approaches to assisting international student during their transitions The authors make recommendations for further qualitative research and focus groups inquiries should be conducted by college counselors to better inform outreach services, for campus counseling and career service center, directed at assisting international students during their numerous transitions (Lértora et al., 2017).

Veterans' Mental Health in Higher Education Settings: Services and Clinician Education Needs.

Utilization of the GI Bill and attendance at higher education institutions among student veterans have significantly increased since passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Campus counseling centers should be prepared to meet the mental health needs of student veterans. This study identified the mental health resources and services that colleges provide student veterans and the education needs of clinical staff on how to serve student veterans. Directors of mental health services from 80 California colleges completed a semistructured phone interview. Few schools track the number, demographic characteristics, or presenting needs of student veterans who utilize campus mental health services or offer priority access or special mental health services for veterans. Directors wanted centers to receive education for an average of 5.8 veteran-related mental health topics and preferred workshops and lectures to handouts and online training. Significant training needs exist among clinical staff of campus mental health services to meet the needs of student veterans.

Anxiety is the leading cause of students seeking counseling

The top reason college students seek counseling at campus counseling centers is anxiety, according to a survey conducted by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors. The annual survey, which measured responses from students at public and private two‐ and four‐year institutions, found that students across the country are relatively consistent in the types of conditions that they seek treatment for.