University counseling center

Last updated

A university counseling center (UCC) provides mental health and other services within a university or college environment. The need for these services is on the rise. Counseling center directors and other student affairs personnel have reported an increase in the mental health needs of college students, with issues like eating disorders, alcohol and drug abuse/dependence, severe depression/anxiety, suicidality, and sexual assault becoming more prevalent in this environment. [1] Among Big Ten Conference universities, directors report a 42% increase in the number of students seen at their counseling centers. [2] In a summary of recent survey data, Duenwald also reports that the use of psychiatric medication has increased almost 10% among college students since the year 2000. [3] May (2003) finds that a UCC will typically work with 15-20% of students at colleges and 8-12% at a university. [4] Given these numbers, May recommends 1 counselor per 600 students in colleges and a 1:1000 ratio in universities with an average of 5 to 6 sessions per student. [4]

Contents

UCCs generally offer a variety of services including individual and group counseling, psychodiagnostic testing, alcohol and other drug counseling/evaluation, crisis assistance, campus outreach programs, consultation services, and graduate student training. Though services primarily target mental health problems (i.e., anxiety, depression), students also utilize counseling services to enhance areas of their life, including relationships, career/vocational choices, academic and athletic performance, and exploring psychological strengths. Lehigh University Counseling and Psychological Services (UCPS) is an example of a university counseling center.

Another example of a university counseling center is the University of California, Irvine Counseling Center. In addition to the services mentioned above, the center also offers Peer Programs. Peer Programs offered by the UCI Counseling Center include C.O.A.C.H, The Peer Educator Program, and the LGBTQ Mentorship Program. In these programs, students receive services not from licensed health professionals, but from other students at UCI who have assumed these helping roles. This is a different approach to counseling for students who find more comfort in speaking with fellow peers who they can more easily relate with. Each program has a different focus, whether it be group-based, individual-based, or special needs-based; but all have the same goal—to promote student mental health and well-being in all aspects of life.

in 2021, a study was released where campus counseling was found to not be as effective for students with disabilities and psychiatric disabilities. [5]

History

Early to mid 1940s: University counseling centers began formal operations, responding to the increasing educational and vocational needs of returning veterans of World War II. [6]

1950: The Association of College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) was established in 1950 by a group of mid-western college and university counseling directors. Dr. Ralph Birdie, director of the Student Counseling Bureau at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis hosted the first conference on the UM campus. Annual meetings were hosted throughout the 1950s by several universities including the University of Illinois, Michigan State, The Ohio State University, State University of Iowa, University of Missouri, and the University of Minnesota. In the early days, the organization was referred to as the Annual Conference of college and University Counseling Directors. Conference attendance was based on invitation from participants and grew over time as directors around the country developed collegial relationships with each other. Initially membership was primarily drawn from mid-western institutions, but eventually the annual conference became a national affiliation of directors.

Following World War II, counseling centers were established in response to the educational and vocational needs of returning veterans. Directors were pioneering the development of organized counseling units and recognized their need to "talk shop" - to exchange information with each other and to develop a practical knowledge base on how to best to serve students. They gathered to discuss organizational issues, to share experience about how to work effectively with campus administration, and to discuss the nature of the work with students. An integral part of the annual meeting was the opportunity to develop and nourish collegial friendships through work and recreation in a restful setting.

Directors valued the opportunity to discuss confidential matters with their colleagues and trusted one another with sensitive details that they could not process with fellow administrators on their own campus. Directors were challenged with issues such as managing relations with campus administration and faculty who could be skeptical of the value of counseling students as well as issues related to the management of their staff. Conference attendance was restricted to directors with staffs of at least three full-time equivalents (FTE) in order to create a confidential environment for consultation.

The annual conference provided the opportunity for both formal and ad hoc presentations, roundtable discussions, and individual consultation. The group was loosely organized as a "non-organization" with a minimum of bureaucracy, and the pivotal activity was the annual meeting. A steering committee was elected annually to manage routine business, and a conference host was chosen from among competing institutions during the conference business meeting.

The formal structure of AUCCCD as we now know it developed slowly through the 1980s with the decision to revise the organization's By-laws and to incorporate as a non-profit organization. Throughout the 1990s several initiatives have been undertaken to develop a formal organizational structure to advance the business of AUCCCD as a national professional organization, and to put significant emphasis on advocating on behalf of counseling and psychological issues in higher education. Conference membership increased considerably after the 3 FTE restriction was lifted in the 1990s.

Membership in AUCCCD is institutional, with one director being selected to represent the member college or university. The group has experienced significant growth, with a current membership of 836 universities and colleges throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe and Asia. [6]

1960s: As outpatient psychiatric clinics and services became more accessible to the general public, university counseling centers also began to provide standard psychological services to college students, including individual, couples, and group psychotherapy; vocational and personality assessment; consultative services to college administration, faculty, parents, and students; and crisis management among other services to the campus community. [7]

1968: The Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) began formally coordinating pre-doctoral and post doctoral internships and jobs. Currently, there are 444 pre-doctoral internships listed through APPIC. [8]

1978: The Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies (ACCTA) was established to coordinate the training objectives of university counseling centers, including creation and maintenance of pre-doctoral internship and practicum programs. [9]

Notes

  1. ↑ Kitzrow, M. A. (2003). The mental health needs of today’s college students: Challenges and recommendations. The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Journal, 41, 167-181.
  2. ↑ Voelker, R. (2003). Mounting student depression taxing campus mental health services. Journal of the American Medical Association, 289, 2055-2056.
  3. ↑ Duenwald, M. (October 2004). "The dorms may be great, but how's the counseling?". The New York Times .
  4. 1 2 May, R. (2003). How much is enough?: Reflections on the Report of the Harvard provost's committee on student mental health services. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 17, 3-10.
  5. ↑ O'Shea, Amber; Kilcullen, J. Ryan; Hayes, Jeffrey; Scofield, Brett (August 2021). "Examining the effectiveness of campus counseling for college students with disabilities". Rehabilitation Psychology. 66 (3): 300–310. doi:10.1037/rep0000349. ISSN   1939-1544. PMID   34472927.
  6. 1 2 "About AUCCCD". www.aucccd.org. 2005.
  7. ↑ "History of the UCC". The George Washington University Counseling Center. 2008.
  8. ↑ "APPIC - Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers". www.appic.org.
  9. ↑ Heppner, P. P., Casas, J. M., Carter, J., & Stone, G. L. (2000). The maturation of counseling psychology: Multifaceted perspectives, 1978-1998. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Handbook of counseling psychology (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Psychological Association</span> Scientific and professional organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C.

The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 146,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It has 54 divisions—interest groups for different subspecialties of psychology or topical areas. The APA has an annual budget of around $125 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psychologist</span> Professional who evaluates, diagnoses, treats and studies behavior and mental processes

A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how individuals relate to each other and to their environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School psychology</span> Branch of psychology

School psychology is a field that applies principles from educational psychology, developmental psychology, clinical psychology, community psychology, and behavior analysis to meet the learning and behavioral health needs of children and adolescents. It is an area of applied psychology practiced by a school psychologist. They often collaborate with educators, families, school leaders, community members, and other professionals to create safe and supportive school environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor of Psychology</span> Doctoral degree

The Doctor of Psychology is a professional doctoral degree intended to prepare graduates for careers that apply scientific knowledge of psychology and deliver empirically based service to individuals, groups and organizations. Earning the degree was originally completed through one of two established training models for clinical psychology. However, Psy.D. programs are no longer limited to Clinical Psychology as several universities and professional schools have begun to award professional doctorates in Business Psychology, Organizational Development, Forensic Psychology, Counseling Psychology, and School Psychology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albizu University</span> Private, non-profit Puerto Rican university

Albizu University is a private university with its main campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a branch campus in Miami, Florida, and an additional instructional location in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. It focuses on psychology, health, education, and human services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Student affairs</span> Department of services for student success at institutions of higher education

Student affairs, student support, or student services is the department or division of services and support for student success at institutions of higher education to enhance student growth and development. People who work in this field are known as student affairs educators, student affairs practitioners, or student affairs professionals. These student affairs practitioners work to provide services and support for students and drive student learning outside of the classroom at institutions of higher education.

The California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) was founded in 1969 by the California Psychological Association. It is part of the for-profit Alliant International University where each campus's Clinical Psychology Psy.D. and Ph.D. program is individually accredited by the American Psychological Association. The school has trained approximately half of the licensed psychologists in California.

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) is the major national professional organization for school psychologists in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rehabilitation counseling</span>

Rehabilitation counseling is focused on helping people who have disabilities achieve their personal, career, and independent living goals through a counseling process.

The Institute for the Psychological Sciences (IPS) is a graduate school of psychology and an integral part of Divine Mercy University (DMU) in Sterling, Virginia. The institute was founded in 1999 with the mission of basing the scientific study of psychology on a Catholic understanding of the person, marriage, and the family, as well as being an international center for scholarship and professional training. It seeks to educate new generations of psychologists and mental health professionals, as well as open new areas of research for psychological theories that explore the relationship between psychology and the Catholic-Christian understanding of the human person.

Palo Alto University (PAU) is a private university in Palo Alto, California that focuses on psychology and counseling. It was founded in 1975 as the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology and became Palo Alto University in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nova Southeastern University College of Psychology</span> College at Nova Southeastern University

The College of Psychology at Nova Southeastern University was organized in 1967 and is located in the Maxwell Maltz Building on NSU's main campus in Davie, Florida. It serves to provide education to current and future psychologists and counseling professionals through training that provides individuals with an understanding of psychological research and the proper delivery of mental health care. Prior to a 2015 university-wide reorganization, the college was known as the Center for Psychological Studies. The reorganization brought in several undergraduate and graduate programs that were previously part of the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences.

Adler University is a private university, with two campuses in North America. The university's flagship campus is in Chicago, Illinois, and its satellite campus is located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The university also offers online classes and degree programs online for both masters and doctoral students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William James College</span> Private school of psychology in Newton, Massachusetts

William James College, formerly Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP), is a private college of psychology in Newton, Massachusetts. With more than 750 students, William James College offers graduate academic degree and certificate programs across four departments: Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Organizational and Leadership Psychology, and School Psychology, as well as a Bachelor of Science completion program in Psychology and Human Services.

Rodney L. Lowman is an American psychologist, academic administrator and entrepreneur whose major contributions have been in the areas of career assessment and counseling, ethical issues in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the integration of clinical psychology and I-O psychology and helping to develop the field of consulting psychology. In a study of the most prolific contributors to the Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, Lowman was rated the second highest contributor for articles for the period 1992–2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Istanbul Kültür University</span> Turkish private university located in İstanbul

İstanbul Kültür University (İKÜ) is one of the many private universities located in Istanbul, Turkey. It has a total of four campuses all in close proximity to each other in the western part of Istanbul. The three campuses are located in Şirinevler, İncirli, Basın Ekspres and Ataköy This non-profit University was founded in 1997; its Industrial Engineering started in the 1997–98 academic year. The university has five schools and two vocational schools. In 2009, Global Political Trends Center, a policy oriented research institution, was founded under the auspices of the university.

The Smith College School for Social Work is a professional school within Smith College that provides graduate social work education to students around the world. In its history, the school has educated approximately 7000 clinical social workers, including Bertha Capen Reynolds, Florence Hollis, and Lydia Rapoport, The school is ranked 16th in the U.S. News & World Report ranking of graduate programs in social work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sakineh (Simin) M. Redjali</span> Iranian–American psychologist and author

Sakineh Simin M. Redjali (Persian: سکینه سیمین رجالی; born 1934 is an Iranian–American psychologist and author. Simin Redjali was the first female professor of National University of Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Divine Mercy University</span>

Divine Mercy University (DMU) is a private Catholic graduate university of psychology and counseling located in Sterling, Virginia in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Ancis</span> American psychologist

Julie Ancis currently is a Distinguished Professor of Informatics at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She served as the interim chair of the Department of Informatics and was also a Professor of Psychology and the inaugural Director of Cyberpsychology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She was previously a professor at Georgia State University for 15 years and Associate Vice President of Diversity at Georgia Institute of Technology. Ancis is an expert in the areas of cyberpsychology, multicultural competence and diversity. She has authored 4 books and over 80 scholarly publications.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.