Addressing the mental health needs of students continues to be a challenge for
counseling center directors as crisis situations and complex client problems
continue to increase. Directors reported that nearly half of their clients have
severe psychological problems and 70.6% of directors said the number of crisis
issues has increased over the last five years.
This data was gathered through the National Survey of Counseling Center
Directors, which has been conducted since 1981. The survey is a joint endeavor
of the University of Pittsburgh, the American College Counseling Association,
and the International Association of Counseling Services. Aiming to help
counseling center directors stay abreast of current issues in the field and to
present them with the opinions and strategies of their colleagues, the 2009
survey includes data from the administrative heads of 302 campus counseling
centers across the United States and Canada.
The increasingly complex caseload faced by many directors has impacted
counseling center operations. Over 75% of the directors said that the increase
of students with severe psychiatric problems has created new administrative
issues. Approximately half of the directors have tried to address these issues
by expanding their referral networks and/or providing additional training for
staff. Sixty percent of the directors have worked to train faculty and others
on how to respond to students in trouble and make appropriate referrals.
Centers are also working to make themselves accessible to students through the
web, with nearly all centers included in the survey having a home page, and
almost half including psycho-educational information for students.
Approximately two-thirds of the directors said that they were being asked to
provide more services without an adequate increase in resources. To manage
growing caseloads directors have taken a variety of steps. Approximately one
third of the directors reported that they no longer saw students the same time
each week and rather scheduled students based on the counselor’s availability.
Schools made greater use of automated assessment systems and counseling groups,
either in lieu of individual counseling or until an individual appointment was
available. Some directors, especially at larger schools, have needed to start
assigning a certain number of new clients to counselors each week regardless of
their current caseload.
While directors are trying to meet the demand there is still unmet needs on
campus. Survey participants reported 103 student suicides last year. Eighty-one
percent of these students had never been clients of the counseling center. This
highlights the need for further outreach so students know where to turn if they
are struggling. The directors surveyed said they make sure to introduce their
center to new students, with 87% of centers contributing to freshmen
orientation programs. Most directors said they also collaborated with student
affairs staff throughout the year on various committees, outreach activities,
and consultation.
This year’s National Survey of Counseling Center Directors has highlighted how
counseling centers have been impacted as greater numbers of students with
serious psychological problems are able to attend college. Greater awareness,
early intervention, and better treatment options for mental health problems has
opened the door of college opportunity to these students but counseling center
staff play an important role in helping them succeed. It is important to
support the work of the counseling center as it is vital to maintaining a
campus community that is safe for all as well as helping colleges achieve their
mission of providing education and opportunity to their students. The full
report of the survey is available
here.