Perceptions of client needs and counseling center staff roles and functions.

Used a national sample of 205 university and college counseling center staff members to obtain ratings of Ss' perceptions of changes in client presenting problems, changes in agency expectations with regard to 9 service-related tasks, and their comfort and skill in performing these tasks. Ratings were obtained from past and present time perspectives to aid in assessing perceived changes in these areas. Results indicate that Ss perceived client problems to be changing from more informational/educational to more serious emotional/behavioral problem areas. At the same time, staff members across all experience levels reported an increased pressure to perform in 7 of the 9 tasks listed. Staff members generally rated themselves as able to meet current service demands. Implications for counseling training programs indicate that an emphasis on acquiring traditional therapy and assessment skills may become increasingly important and that opportunities for specialty training should be expanded. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)