A Framework for College Counseling Responses to Large Scale Traumatic Incidents

Abstract

Although most psychotherapists have limited experience dealing with large scale catastrophic incidents, college and university counseling centers today need to be prepared for crisis events such as terrorist attacks, war, and local catastrophes. This article presents a conceptual model for designing counseling center responses to large scale traumatic incidents. Familiar college mental health constructs are applied to the relatively unfamiliar territory of responding to traumatic incidents. First, DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria are used to define three levels of student need based on different types of stressful or traumatic events and expected reactions. Next, a corresponding three-part response plan is discussed, including preventive, intermediate, and advanced counseling and psychotherapy interventions. Finally, the college counseling roles of crisis intervention and student development consultation are discussed in relation to the aftermath of large scale traumas. The influence of staff attitudes and values, and other limitations of the model, also are described.     

Metaphors for Change

Abstract

A metaphor is the symbolic representation of an idea or a concept in communication. In the counseling context, the use of metaphors provides an alternative intervention strategy when direct communication is ineffective or undesirable. Four critical aspects of the counseling process-communicating understanding, increasing motivation, overcoming resistance, and facilitating solutions-can be enhanced through the use of metaphors. Case examples demonstrating the efficacy and integration of therapeutic metaphors in a college counseling setting are provided.     

Student Counseling Needs

Abstract

Three hundred forty-three students at a small urban northeastern college rated their needs for counseling assistance on fifty-three personal, learning and career issues. Strongest areas of concern included financial stresses, academic perfonriance, career development, relationship skills, bereavement and the fear of getting AIDS. Gender and racial groups are compared and implications for counseling center service delivery are discussed.     

A Composite Nomograph for Predicting Achievement in College

Abstract

This article illustrates the construction and use of a computing diagram for quick determination of the range of probabilities that a student with a given combination of scores on several predictor variables will obtain a certain freshman grade. It is noted that such diagrams are useful in counseling both high school and college students and should be provided by colleges employing multiple regression procedures in selection.     

Developing an Eating Disorder Peer Advocate Program on Campus: A Report on the Eating Disorder Awareness and Advocacy Program (EDAAP)

ABSTRACT

This article describes the development and implementation of a peer advocate program for eating disorders and body image outreach on a college campus. Empirical and conceptual literature on the use of peer educators and peer advocates in college student mental health is reviewed. Peer advocate program mission, history, implementation, and training components are described. Learning outcome assessment findings of peer advocate learning are discussed. A counseling center perspective on benefits, challenges, and limitations of facilitating this peer advocate program is shared.     

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.     

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.     

A SYSTEMS MODEL FOR CURRICULUM DECISION MAKING

Abstract

Two types of community colleges are described, one serving as a miniuniversity and the other as an opportunity center. The academic progress of 750 students from four community colleges, two classified as miniuniversities and two as opportunity centers, was compared in terms of (a) persistence, and (b) success after transferring to a senior institution. Institutions classified as opportunity centers were found to graduate a greater proportion of their students than did the miniuniversities. Academic performance after transferring to a senior institution was equivalent for students graduating from either type of institution. It is concluded that large numbers of community college students are unnecessarily discouraged and thereby deterred from higher education by community colleges that operate as miniuniversities and that the needs of most community college students are better served by the opportunity center.     

Anxiety,Depression and the 4.0

ABSTRACT

Nontraditional women are a growing presence on college campuses. This study identifies a cohort group of nontraditional women who were high achievers academically, yet sought counseling for depression, anxiety, and interpersonal problems. While these clients initially sought only symptom relief, the counselors saw underlying problems they felt needed to be addressed. A short-term counseling model was utilized that offered symptom relief and laid the foundation for longer-term counseling upon referral. Results of the ex post facto study indicate significant gains for the women in self-esteem and satisfaction with family life, as well as symptom relief for depression and anxiety. Data show this model offers symptom relief while beginning to address associated underlying issues.     

An Analysis of Reported Counseling Services in Selected Public Community Colleges in the Southeastern United States

Abstract

87% of the small, public coeducational community/junior colleges in the United States, having total student enrollments of 5,000 or fewer students, reported that they provided student counseling services. The median ratio was 1 counselor per 338 students; education counseling was reported to be the primary service rendered, while job-placement counseling was seen as the least important function of the counseling center. Of the institutions responding, 77% provide counseling services to nonstudents, and 37% indicated that vocational counseling was the area in which they most needed to improve services for students.     

Addressing Sexual Assault on College Campuses: Guidelines for a Prevention/Awareness Week

The authors discuss concepts that are related to providing education and training regarding sexual assault, as outlined by the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990, as amended in 1992. Because college counseling center staff members often initiate and plan campus outreach prevention programs, an outline is provided of a prevention/awareness week intervention that is designed to address sexual assault on university and college campuses.     

An investigation of the college and career counseling needs of economically disadvantaged,minority gifted students

This study is an investigation of the college and career counseling needs of economically disadvantaged, academically gifted minority students. Two groups of students were studied and compared ‐ one group of 50 low‐income students, predominantly minority, who were chosen for a special college counseling program, and a second group of 42 middle to high income students, predominantly Asian and Caucasian, who were participating in a summer academic program. Students were compared on college plans and preparations, aspirations and expectations about higher education, support from others, motivation, values, and career interests and maturity. Results showed that the gifted disadvantaged students had lower educational aspirations, felt somewhat less prepared for college and less confident about being admitted, had unrealistic ideas about how to finance college, and perceived that college life would be more frightening and lonely compared to nondisadvantaged students. Student groups were similar in motivation to attend college, support from significant others and values. Disadvantaged students had better skills related to selecting a career but expressed less confidence in making a career decision. The results suggest a need for differentiated college counseling programs for disadvantaged minority students.     

Sixteen Things I've Learned to Know for Now in Twenty-Five Years of College Counseling

Abstract

The author reflects on his twenty-five years as a college counselor. Cornerstones of the counseling relationship and process are considered-listening and speaking; technique and intuition; the languages of silence and of the body. Contemporary and timeless issues are discussed including: Grief; Confidentiality; Vision and Supervision; Psychiatry, Psychoses and Psyche; Spirits and Spirit; Bouquets of Self-esteem; Politics and the Political; Culture and Multiculture; The Body and the Invisible; God, the Good and the Ungodly; and Counseling for a Lifetime. Issues are considered within the context of the author's college counseling center experience, as well as his work as a poet and traveler in Ecuador.     

Role of the University in Community College In-Service Education

Abstract

Of concern to many educators is in-service education of community college faculty. Some two-year colleges have looked to themselves for in-service programs and activities; many have turned to the university for this. A study was conducted among community college leaders and university professors involved in community college education to determine the current status of in-service education in the community college. Opinions related to this topic as well as the role of the university in in-service education of community college faculty were also sampled.     

Padua University Psychiatric Student Counseling Service

Abstract

Although the literature reports a high prevalence of psychological distress among the university student population, still very few intervention schemes have been proposed to manage the problem. The authors describe the main sources of inspiration for the psychiatric counseling service established at Padua University (Italy) and how it operates. Emphasis is laid on counseling quality, operator professionalism, research activities, ethical aspects and resource allocation. The implications for adequate counseling are discussed. Preliminary data suggest that university-based psychiatric counseling centres provide a useful service.     

Editorial Introduction: Guns on Campus

ABSTRACT

Most college counseling centers do not utilize telehealth despite evidence of positive outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the telehealth experience of students in a college counseling center. Participants were health professional students who utilized at least one telehealth visit between November 2015 and April 2017 (N = 67). Methods: In June 2017, the authors administered a telehealth survey that assessed access, experience, effectiveness, and impact on therapeutic alliance. Of 67 students, 36 (53.7%) responded. The majority reported telehealth was convenient (34, 94.4%), time-saving (34, 94.4%), and helped them to feel better (30, 83.3%). Over half used telehealth because of distance (20, 55.5%). Eighty-one percent reported telehealth as being as good, nearly as good, or no different than meeting in person. Conclusion: Telehealth is a viable option for college counseling centers and is experienced as convenient, time-saving, and effective with little negative impact on therapeutic alliance.     

Moral Judgment Intervention Studies Using the Defining Issues Test

Abstract

Fourteen moral judgment intervention studies were reviewed and evaluated. All used Rest's (1974) Defining Issues Test as an index of moral judgment development. Results showed that significant changes on the Defining Issues Test were related to duration and type of intervention and degree of experimental control over treatment variables. The studies provided independent support for the ability of the instrument to index upward movement after intervention programmes designed to influence development. Half the studies produced significant developmental change.     

Employing Noncognitive Variables in Admitting and Advising Community College Students

ABSTRACT

As community colleges have more applicants, more programs have turned to selective admissions. Additionally, good postmatriculation advising requires more useful assessments than have been possible employing such measures as prior grade-point average (GPA). A variety of problems have been identified in relying on GPA. A series of noncognitive variables, as measured by the Noncognitive Questionnaire (NCQ), were included in a study of 263 community college students in health sciences programs at a western community college. NCQ scores were related to college grades using Pearson correlation and multiple regression. Results showed modest but statistically significant relationships with community college grades. The NCQ scales of Community, Leadership and Strong Support Person contributed most to multiple-regression Equations predicting college grades. NCQ scales tended to correlate highest with early and late community college grades. While students in the study had mean NCQ scores similar to normative samples, they tended to be lowest on Community, which was most predictive of their performance. It is recommended that a predicted GPA generated from NCQ scores be added to the admissions criteria for health programs at the college, and that pre and postmatriculation advising programs include use of noncognitive variables.     

Reality Therapy and Personalized Instruction: A Success Story

Abstract

A longitudinal pilot study investigating the cumulative effects of reality therapy counseling and individualized instruction on the control expectancy and success rates of high-risk community college students was conducted. Findings support the tentative hypotheses that control expectancy, achievement, and holding power can be modified by instruction and counseling. The study was conducted over a three-year period at a community college in southeastern North Carolina.