Walk-In Triage Systems in University Counseling Centers

To meet the complex mental health needs of students, some university counseling centers (UCCs) have implemented walk-in triage intake systems, which have not yet been empirically investigated. This study compared client and clinician differences (N = 5564) between a traditional scheduled intake system (Year 1) and a walk-in triage system (Year 2) at a large, southeastern UCC. Results showed a significant increase in clients’ attendance rates and clinicians’ caseloads, a significant decrease in no-show rates, and no change in students’ symptom severity at intake between Years 1 and 2. Clinicians’ number of scheduled appointments were unchanged, indicating that clinicians were already at maximum capacity for appointments in Year 1. Results are discussed in terms of the benefits and challenges that walk-in triage systems present to students, universities, and UCCs.     

Quality Improvement in University Counseling Centers

University Counseling Centers (UCCs) experience high clinical demands and severe client presentations leaving counselors with limited time and resources to evaluate delivery of services. In this article, we present clinician-friendly quality improvement (QI) strategies used at a large Midwestern university and provide recommendations for implementing QI programs at other UCCs even as their resources may vary. With counselor-led efforts examining and evaluating services, UCCs can use QI programs to inform and improve counseling practices as well as advise university administrators about the positive outcomes of the center’s work.     

A Wish List for the Advancement of University and College Counseling Centers

University and college counseling centers continue to meet emerging challenges in higher education. This article addresses three issues: the need for a more unified organizational structure to represent the profession, the potential value for counseling centers in seeking accreditation, and the importance of specialized training for those entering this professional field.     

Doctoral Interns’ Perceptions of Preparedness to Work with Victims and Survivors of Sexual Assault at University Counseling Centers

ABSTRACT

Counselors at university counseling centers (UCCs) should be prepared to provide services to sexual assault victims and survivors, as an estimated 23% of females and 5% of males are assaulted during college, with rates being higher for sexual and gender minority students. We surveyed doctoral interns (N = 49) at UCCs regarding interns’ training and educational experiences during their graduate programs, practicum, and internship placements, as well as the services that the interns and UCCs provide to recent victims. Among our findings, 96% of the sample had expected to work with a recent victim, 82% had already done so, and only 22% perceived themselves as fully prepared to provide such services. In addition, the majority of UCC interns had focused on sexual assault cases during case conferences, didactic trainings, and supervision. These results have implications for graduate programs and internship sites.     

The Center for Collegiate Mental Health: An Example of a Practice-Research Network in University Counseling Centers

This article presents a model of a practice-research network that offers benefits for clinicians working at college and university counseling centers. We briefly describe the basic components of this practice-research network, challenges in developing it, and some of the empirical studies that have resulted from this initiative. We also describe possibilities for future research that not only will foster further collaborations between clinicians and researchers, but also will enhance our ability to understand and improve mental health services for college students.     

College Counseling Today: Contemporary Students and How Counseling Centers Meet Their Needs

There is evidence that today’s college and university students are struggling with emotional and behavioral health problems at higher rates than in past generations. This article explores the various ways, utilizing a range of models, that college and university counseling centers have mobilized to respond to these challenges. We examine literature about the characteristics and concerns of the current student generation along with what counseling centers are doing to respond to the challenge of student needs. We describe a survey (N = 408) of members of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) and American College Counseling Association (ACCA) that elicited the kinds of services, functions, structures, and organizational relationships found in today’s counseling centers. In addition to confirming the core mission of providing counseling and psychotherapy, the survey revealed widespread counseling center collaboration and consultation activities beyond the counseling room. The survey also indicated a variety of administrative and structural arrangements in the way counseling centers are placed on their individual campuses. Finally, we suggest a framework for planning, executing, and evaluating counseling center and campus initiatives.     

Readability of Informed Consent Documents at University Counseling Centers

The extent to which clients understand the nature and anticipated course of therapy is referred to as informed consent. Counseling psychologists often provide informed consent documents to enhance the education of services and for liability purposes. Professionals in numerous health care settings have evaluated the readability of their informed consent documents, but no such peer-reviewed research exists for university counseling centers. This study evaluated the informed consent documents for psychotherapy from university counseling centers using three readability formulas (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease Score, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook [SMOG] Grading). The findings support the authors’ exploratory hypotheses that informed consent documents in university counseling centers are rated as challenging to read for college students. Recommendations and implications for practice are discussed.     

Meeting the Demand for College Student Concerns in College Counseling Centers: Evaluating a Clinical Triage System

University counseling centers, experiencing an imbalance between student demand and available resources, respond in various ways. The current mixed-method study evaluated one university counseling center transitioning from a wait-list system to a triage method of managing demand. Significant reductions in wait time and increase in attendance were found. Clients also reported significantly less distress after triage implementation. No reduction in wait time or increase in symptom severity were found for crisis clients. Qualitative methods assessed staff perceptions of triage, suggesting staff was satisfied with triage because of clinically informed scheduling and increased efficiency.     

Treatment for Sexual Assault Survivors at University Counseling Centers

University Counseling Centers (UCCs) provide important services for sexual assault survivors, yet little research has been conducted on interventions used by clinicians in this unique setting. As a preliminary investigation, UCC professionals were asked about services provided to survivors of sexual assault and staff perceptions of the effectiveness of these interventions. Supportive counseling was perceived to be the most effective relative to other interventions, and many participants indicated that they did not use or were not sure if other evidence-based interventions were effective with student victims. Several recommendations for future research on sexual assault services in UCCs are suggested.     

What They Never Told Me About Being a Counseling Center Director

The author offers his perspectives about the experiences that are associated with being a college or university counseling center director.     

The Relationship of Co-Dependency to Enduring Personality Characteristics

ABSTRACT

This article presents initial data on 358 college student subjects indicating preliminary empirical evidence that the construct of co-dependency is significantly related to self-defeating personality characteristics (as predicted by the authors) as well as borderline characteristics (as predicted by Cermak, 1986) but not to overt narcissistic traits (as predicted by the authors) or to dependent characteristics at the .01 level of significance. Post-hoc analyses found no gender or racial effects on the main variables. This conceptual analysis should help to inform the therapeutic treatment of co-dependency.     

The Use of Family Therapy Within a University Counseling Center

As a counterpoint to the oftentimes adversarial way that parents are viewed when they appear to be overinvolved in the lives of their college-aged students, this article advocates for the use of a family therapy perspective in university counseling centers. Benefits of this perspective include a broadening of the lens through which individual concerns are seen and a more nuanced social justice analysis in which issues of gender, race, and class are highlighted. A review of family therapy literature is intertwined with discussion regarding the relevance of this perspective when working with college students. Vignettes illustrate various applications of college-based family psychotherapy.     

A Multi-Institution Look at College Students Seeking Counseling: Nature and Severity of Concerns

This study provides information about students seeking counseling (N = 3,844) at 9 institutions of higher education. The K-PIRS, an empirically validated measure, was used to assess 7 problem areas (mood difficulties, learning problems, food concerns, interpersonal conflicts, career uncertainties, self-harm indicators, and addiction issues). Forty-two percent of students presented with multiple problems, and most reported that their concerns interfered with their academic (87%) and social (90%) functioning. A majority of students (61%) were in a stage of contemplation when seeking counseling. Only 24% were in a stage of action. There were small differences in problem scores by participants' gender, ethnicity, year in school, type of residence, work status, previous treatment, and use of psychiatric medication. Implications are discussed for counseling practitioners working with college students.     

Integrating Mindfulness Meditation Within a University Counseling Center Setting

Abstract

This paper documents the development of a mindfulness meditation component within a University Counseling Center setting. The specific focus is upon the inclusion of meditation as it pertains to both organizational structure and psychotherapy training. The integration of a meditation practice into any organization is a slow process that poses complex questions. We argue that the benefits provide a counterpoint to the complexities inherent when incorporating such training into an organization's structure and a psychology internship program.     

The Dose-Response Relationship at a College Counseling Center

Abstract

Most college counseling centers have adopted session limits for their psychotherapy clients though little evidence exists to support such cutoff points. In the past eight years, a few studies have been published using survival analysis statistics for investigating the speed of recovery in psychotherapy. The outcome of clients at a university counseling center was studied to assess change across time, on a session-by-session basis. The analysis of these data showed that 14 sessions of psychotherapy were required for 51% of clients to meet criteria for clinically significant change. Results were interpreted as suggesting that limiting psychotherapy at college counseling centers may result in improvements that are not clinically meaningful for the majority of clients receiving services.     

Psychiatry Resident Rotations in University and College Counseling Centers: A Pilot Study of Rotation Types and Challenges

With an increased demand for mental health services, perceived increased severity of students presenting for services, and increased number of students prescribed psychotropic medications, university and college counseling center directors have had to increasingly identify psychiatric service options. Psychiatry residents can potentially help fill these needs. To better understand the role of psychiatry residents in university and college counseling programs, we conducted a web-based survey of United States psychiatry residency program directors. This study describes clinical activities and rotation characteristics of psychiatric residents working in counseling centers. Of the 48 residency programs that responded, 27 provide rotations at university or college counseling centers, and of those with rotations, 100% report that the residents rate these as very good or excellent. Expanding psychiatry residency rotations at college counseling centers may be mutually beneficial both to the centers and to psychiatric residents.     

论高校学生的辅导责任分担

高校学生辅导应该形成“辅导合力”并进行辅导责任分担。高校学生辅导责任分担存在现实、理论与参照依据。根据高校学生辅导责任主客体地位与功能,提出辅导责任分担的概念模型。高校辅导员与教管人员、专任授课教师、校内教辅机构、家庭以及社会媒介分别分担不同的辅导责任。     

浅谈高校咨询辅导体系的建立

建立健全完善的咨询辅导体系是市场经济条件下,促进大学生健康成长为合格社会主义建设者和接班人的必需,是适应我国高等教育由＂精英化＂转变为＂大众化＂趋势,弥补高校教育漏洞的必然选择,同时也是当代大学生自主性、个性化成长发展的必然要求。咨询辅导包括学习、生活、从业和心理辅导四方面内容体系,在此基础上初步构想了咨询辅导实施体系,包括：咨询辅导机构的设置,咨询辅导队伍的建设及一套完善的工作程序。     

The Preparation of Master's‐Level Professional Counselors for Positions in College and University Counseling Centers

This study investigated college and university counseling center directors’ perceptions of the adequacy of the preparation of master's‐level counselors for work in college and university counseling centers. Results indicated that counselors were rated on average as prepared; however, many directors had concerns about counselors’ ability to work with students presenting more severe mental health issues. Findings are discussed, and implications for the training and preparation of college counseling practitioners are presented.