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.     

Small College Counseling Centers:

College counseling centers have experienced continued change and development in roles and functions since their inception in the 1930s. Recent shifts include a focus on personal counseling, the broadening of services, and an increased severity in student problems. Administrative policy, restricted staffing, and limited budgets particularly impact small college counseling centers. This article explore these issues through a case study format and discusses the concurrent philosophical and training implications as challenges for the small college counseling center of the 1990s.     

Cultural Connections: An Ethnocultural Counseling Intervention for Black Women in College

Counseling interventions that support the exploration of ethnocultural concerns are beneficial to the overall well‐being of Black women in college. The authors describe Cultural Connections, a theoretically based and culturally adapted group counseling intervention for Black women in college. Also presented are a case example demonstrating the intervention's utility and recommendations for implementation in college counseling centers.     

Chapter 15 Peer Educators:

Eating disorders are a serious health and mental health problem on college campuses nationwide. This article describes an innovative treatment and prevention program for eating disordered college students. Peer educators are used to provide individual, informational sessions to students with eating disorder concerns and workshops on eating disorders to the campus community. They work with the counseling center by referring more serious eating disordered clients and through consultation with a staff psychologist. The roles and functions of eating disorder peer educators are described, and issues in recruitment, selection, training and ongoing supervison are highlighted. The counseling center's role in the management of eating disorders is also discussed. Specific case examples are presented to clarify the peer educator role in working with eating disordered college students.     

The Influence of a Career Pathways Model and Career Counseling on Students' Career and Academic Self-Efficacy

This qualitative study examines the effects of career pathways programming and targeted career counseling services on 71 high school seniors across seven schools engaged in school reforms funded through South Carolina's Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA). EEDA is a statewide, multipronged effort to improve academic achievement, graduation rates, and students' chances at success in both careers and college. One component of EEDA is the requirement that all students complete an individual graduation plan, and in order to build capacity to execute this new requirement, additional counselors and/or counselor aides were added to every high school in the state. We found that the combination of a career pathways model along with targeted career counseling services enhanced students' sense of career and academic self-efficacy by increasing their motivation to complete school, willingness and interest to take more challenging courses, and sense of preparedness for college and work. We examine these themes through the social cognitive career theory's triadic model of causality (Bandura, 1997) connecting study findings with the central constructs of self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, and personal goal development.     

College Counseling for Self‐Injurious Behavior: A Case Study

This case study describes the counseling experience of a college woman undergoing treatment to address self‐injurious behavior. The article presents and illustrates a counseling approach that is conceptually based on attachment and object relations theory. The approach emphasizes the client‐counselor relationship and the need to establish a supportive interpersonal environment as the main factors contributing to positive change in the client's self‐injuring behavior.     

Integrated Care in College Health: A Case Study

This case study describes 1 international student's treatment experience with an integrated health program on a college campus. This program uses a multidisciplinary, mind‐body approach, which incorporates individual counseling, primary care, psychiatric consultation, a mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy class, and a meditation group.     

Women's Liberation—A New Challenge to Counselors

Abstract

Findings from longitudinal research conducted at a private junior college for women document the claim that the benefits of the women's liberation movement extend beyond those of equalization of employment opportunities. Notably perceptible changes have occurred in the contemporary female, especially the married woman, along a number of key personality traits over the past six years. She is more achievement and politically oriented; her aspiration level today is much higher than a decade ago. She seeks change, is less deterred by failures, and is significantly more self-assertive.

Implications of these changes for a school's counseling and guidance staff are also discussed.     

A Collaborative Process Model for Promoting Successful Referrals in College Counseling

The need to refer students to off‐campus mental health providers is common in college counseling. Such referrals can be challenging for college counselors who strive to meet students' counseling needs while adhering to ethical and center policy guidelines. In this article, the authors explore the nature and challenges of referral in college counseling settings and introduce a collaborative process model to enhance the likelihood of successful referrals. A case study is provided to illustrate the model.     

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.     

Seeking Help in a Foreign Land: International Students' Use Patterns for a U.S. University Counseling Center

This archival study examined the use of a university counseling center's services by international students during a 5‐year period. Variables analyzed included clients' presenting concerns, students' demographic characteristics, number of counseling sessions attended, and reasons for termination. Implications for counselor training, outreach activities, and counseling services on college campuses are discussed.     

Process Groups

ABSTRACT

This study examined the use of long-term process oriented counseling groups at 74 colleges and universities. Colleges with fewer total staff and fewer trained group counselors were less likely to offer group counseling than were institutions with large staffs and more counselors trained to do group work. Qualitative feedback from small college respondents cites resource limitations and staff attitudes as reasons for lesser frequencies of group counseling at their respective institutions. Several staff attitudes are identified and challenged.     

The Impact of Prior Counseling on Predictors of College Counseling Center Use

Path analyses revealed that one's tendency to conceal distressing information, social support, psychological distress, and attitudes toward seeking help predicted intended use of counseling services for college students who had and had not previously been in counseling. Prospective analyses revealed that attitudes toward seeking help predicted actual use of the campus counseling center. These findings have implications for campus outreach programs and in‐session work with clients.     

Editorial

Abstract

Based on a recently completed alumni study of 522 graduates at a private college in the northeastern Unites States, this paper presents a model for designing alumni research to assess higher education's effectiveness in preparing graduates for work and life. Results revealed substantial variation in alumni evaluation of their education. While alumni reported a high level of satisfaction with the academic programme and career preparation, their feedback suggests they seek more from their college experience. Results reveal that students who feel a sense of community are more satisfied with their overall college experience and those who are satisfied with their social life are more likely to recommend the college to prospective students.     

The Prevalence and Comorbidity of Specific Phobias in College Students and Their Interest in Receiving Treatment

While the prevalence of specific phobias and social phobias is believed to be high in the general adult population, little data exists regarding the prevalence of these fears among college students. This paper describes an epidemiological study that surveyed 813 college students regarding the severity of fears experienced toward 12 objects and situations. In addition, this study assessed for students' interest in seeking therapy for these fears at their university's counseling or mental health center. The data suggest that fears of spiders (34% of the total sample), public speaking (31%), snakes (22%), heights (18%), and injections (16%) are quite common among college students, and 18% of students are interested in receiving treatment for their fears. The paper concludes with some recommendations on how exposure-based treatments could be conducted through college counseling or mental health centers to address these potentially academic- and socially impairing problems.     

Chapter 7: Fostering Development

Summary

This chapter reports a case of college student psychotherapy involving short 1doses” of counseling over the course of a student's four-year college career. During treatment, the student addressed and increasingly came to terms with issues involving relationships with his family, friends, and love interests. By his own report, he gained considerably from this experience.     

Implications of Financial Aid: What College Counselors Should Know

Counselors who work in a college environment are aware that financial aid is available to help students with college costs, but they may not be aware of all the financial pressures on students that may influence a student's psychological well-being. This article gives an overview of financial aid programs and financial factors affecting students, and explores practical ways that counseling centers and financial aid offices may interact.     

Collecting Multidimensional Client Data Using Repeated Measures: Experiences of Clients and Counselors Using the CCAPS‐34

Many college counseling centers do not collect client data at each session because of perceived burdens. This study explored 55 clients’ and 16 doctoral counselor trainees’ experiences collecting and using data on client distress at each session over the course of counseling at a large public university's counseling center. Results indicated that the majority of both clients and counselors found the process convenient and clinically useful. Findings, clinical implications, and future directions are discussed.     

Dating Violence Among College Students: Key Issues for College Counselors

The authors present a review of literature examining dating violence among college students. They describe 6 key issues related to dating violence among college students that affect college counselors' work. These key issues relate to the incidence and prevalence of physical, sexual, and psychological violence in college students' dating relationships, risk factors and relationship dynamics associated with dating violence, and counseling issues—including related psychological symptoms and college students' reporting of dating violence to professionals.