Adjustment differences between counseled and noncounseled students at a university counseling center.

Investigated whether college students who seek counseling differ in their psychological adjustment from those who do not seek counseling. The Social and Emotional Adjustment scales of the Opinion, Attitude, and Interest Survey were administered to 1,368 freshmen, 341 of whom elected counseling within a 5-yr period. Students seeking counseling for help with personal problems differed significantly on the Social and Emotional Adjustment scales from those who did not seek counseling. However, no differences were found for students who wished to resolve educational or vocational problems and students who did not seek counseling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A group counseling emphasis at a university counseling center.

Describes a service delivery system with a group personal counseling emphasis, based on the authors' 2 yrs of experience at a university counseling center. The local background and rationale for this system are discussed, and the practical logistics, the operational policies, and the group ground rules are presented. Utilization data are summarized: 36% of all clients and 88% of clients with 8 or more sessions were group members; groups typically grew to 9 clients and had 60% attendance. Results for a self-report outcome survey of 128 students are exemplified by the 95.1% who reported some level of improvement and the 92.2% who rated their psychologist "very" to "exceptionally effective." (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Waiting list dropouts in a university counseling center.

Surveyed 59 clients at a university counseling center who had been placed on a waiting list and subsequently decided not to renew their request for counseling. Ss were asked why they did not renew their request and whether they were still interested in counseling. Responses were analyzed in terms of type of problem, time on the waiting list, and degree of urgency. Most Ss did not report negative reactions or effects from their placement on the waiting list, although Ss in the highest urgency category tended to report that the wait was too long. 30 Ss stated that the intake interview was enough or that the problem had been resolved, while 23 were still interested in counseling. It is suggested that (1) high-urgency clients should be given priority at university counseling centers, (2) directive crisis-intervention approaches can be used to resolve issues at intake sessions, (3) assessment should identify clients whose motivation for counseling is related to developmental issues that need to be dealt with immediately, and (4) alternative treatments such as groups or workshops should be made available to waiting-list clients. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Premature termination at a university counseling center.

Predicted that 3 sets of variables would discriminate between clients who returned for scheduled appointments following intake and clients who did not: (a) client perception of the intake counselor as expert, attractive, and trustworthy; (b) agreement of client and counselor on the presenting problem; and (c) client satisfaction with the intake interview. To test this prediction, 134 university students (mean age 22.9 yrs) completed the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, a counselor rating form, and a client problem identification questionnaire after an intake interview. 30 of these Ss dropped out of counseling and 104 continued. It was found that client satisfaction and perceptions of trustworthiness and expertness were related to Ss' returning for scheduled appointments. No differences between continuers and dropouts were found with respect to client perceptions of counselor attractiveness or client–counselor agreement on problem identification. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Students' evaluations of a university counseling center and their intentions to use its programs.

Two representative samples of 801 university students were telephoned in 1977 and asked to evaluate a university counseling service and to indicate how likely they would be to participate in a variety of developmental workshops. Results indicate that both groups of Ss used the service with more regularity and with greater satisfaction than did students in the 1960s. Ss were most inclined to participate in workshops that assisted them in career planning, negotiating the university system, and coping with financial and academic concerns. Ss most receptive to specific services tended to be younger and undergraduate, to have lower GPAs, to live in a residence hall, and to be Black. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment and treatment of suicidal clients in a university counseling center.

Two studies addressed assessment and treatment issues pertaining to suicidal student-clients. In Study 1, the theoretical construction and psychometric properties of the Suicide Status Form (SSF) were described. Results suggest that SSF items have good convergent validity, strong criterion-prediction validity, and moderate test-retest reliability. In Study 2, the SSF was applied to a sample of suicidal student-clients. Results suggest differences between client and clinician pretreatment SSF ratings. Client (not clinician) pretreatment SSF ratings could be used to correctly classify clients into acute resolver and chronic nonresolver treatment-outcome groups. Whereas all suicidal student-clients globally improved with treatment, chronic nonresolvers remained suicidally preoccupied throughout the academic year. These findings are discussed with regard to training, clinical practice, and future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood abuse and current psychological functioning in a university counseling center population.

84 university counseling center clients (61 women and 23 men) self-reporting childhood physical, sexual, or emotional abuse (n?=?30) or no childhood abuse (n?=?54) completed 3 measures of psychological functioning. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that clients reporting abuse were more depressed (with the mean Beck Depression Inventory score in the borderline clinical depression range), had more symptomatology (with the mean Global Severity Index of the Brief Symptom Inventory at about the average level of a psychiatric outpatient population), and scored higher on the Borderline Personality scale of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (with the mean base-rate score near the cutoff score for presence of borderline personality features). 19 clients reporting emotional abuse only did not differ on any measure from 11 clients reporting sexual or multiple forms of abuse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reported childhood sexual abuse in university counseling center clients.

Estimated rates of childhood sexual abuse vary depending on the population studied, the definition used, and the researchers' methodology. A major issue concerns whether it is necessary to query persons, such as therapy clients, regarding prior sexual abuse or whether disclosure of such information will occur spontaneously in therapy. The present research focused on reported rates of childhood sexual abuse in 300 clients seeking help at a university counseling center, obtained through direct interview questioning, pencil-and-paper questioning, and client records. The results indicated significant differences in prevalence rates between clients who were directly queried and clients from whom information was expected to arise during the course of treatment. No differences were shown between interview questioning and questioning through a written measure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal evaluation of service demand at a university peer counseling center.

Examined changes in user service demand at a college-based peer counseling center. Data from 8,469 contacts that occurred over a 7-yr (1970–1977) period revealed that following an initial 2-yr period of dramatic growth, service demand peaked in 1972–1973 and declined by nearly 25% in each of the following 4 yrs. More detailed analyses describe changes in both absolute and relative frequency of demand for services, mode of access to services, and types of problems presented by males and females. The question of whether this type of service continues to best meet existing needs of the target population is raised. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselor intake judgments about White and Black clients in a university counseling center.

Compared counselor intake judgments about White and Black clients at a university counseling center. 1,078 White and 42 Black clients were randomly assigned to 1 of 13 counselors (11 Whites, 2 Blacks), who rated the clients on 11 variables. Counselors reported significantly higher ratings only on the judged potential for change in Black clients when compared with that in White clients. Ratings in the type and severity of presenting problem, client anxiety level, ease of expression, motivation, realism of goals, and physical appearance were not significantly different. Counselors' feelings about clients and the predicted number of counseling sessions were also similar for Black and White clients. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Troubled Spirits: Prevalence and predictors of religious and spiritual concerns among university students and counseling center clients.

The authors conducted a study of 5,472 university students to identify the prevalence and predictors of religious and spiritual concerns. Approximately 25% of the sample reported considerable distress related to such concerns. Logistic regression analyses revealed that students with considerable distress related to religious or spiritual concerns also tended to be distressed about the loss of a relationship, sexual assault, confusion about values, homesickness, and suicidal ideation. These students were especially likely to seek psychological help when they also had problematic relationships with peers. Among all students who sought help, considerable distress about religious or spiritual concerns was predicted by confusion about values, problematic relationships with peers, sexual concerns, and thoughts of being punished for one's sins. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of disclosure of comprehensive pretherapy information on clients at a university counseling center.

This experimental study examined the effects of comprehensive versus partial written pretherapy disclosure on the behavior and perceptions of university counseling center clients. Although all clients received information on services provided, confidentiality, length of sessions, and right to terminate therapy, only the treatment group received additional information that included personalized data on therapists, what to expect in therapy, and risks and alternatives to therapy. The one statistically significant difference between clients who received partial versus comprehensive disclosure favored the comprehensive disclosure group. The results support previous research, which also concluded that there is no evidence that pretherapy disclosure adversely affects therapy, and add substantially to this conclusion because of several methodological improvements and additions in the current research design compared with prior research designs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preliminary evidence on the effectiveness of psychological treatments delivered at a university counseling center.

Treatment data from a university counseling center (UCC) that utilized the Outcome Questionnaire–45.2 (OQ-45; M. J. Lambert et al., 2004), a self-report general clinical symptom measure, was compared against treatment efficacy benchmarks from clinical trials of adult major depression that utilized similar measures. Statistical analyses suggested that the treatment effect size estimate obtained at this counseling center with clients whose level of psychological distress was above the OQ-45 clinical cutoff score was similar to treatment efficacy observed in clinical trials. Analyses on OQ-45 items suggested that clients elevated on 3 items indicating problematic substance use resulted in poorer treatment outcomes. In addition, clients who reported their relational status as separated or divorced had poorer outcomes than did those who reported being partnered or married, and clients reporting intimacy issues resulted in greater numbers of sessions. Although differential treatment effect due to training level was found where interns and other trainees had better pre–post outcome than did staff, interpretation of this result requires great caution because clients perceived to have complicated issues are actively reassigned to staff. More effectiveness investigations at UCCs are warranted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group counseling expectations among Asian American students: The role of culture-specific factors.

The present study investigated the influence of loss of face and acculturation on the group psychotherapy expectations of Asian American students (N?=?134) with the Positive Attitudes subscale from Y. S. Slocum's (1987) Group Therapy Survey. Results showed that loss of face was not a significant predictor of positive attitudes toward group counseling, whereas acculturation was. U. Kim's (1988) measure of acculturation was based on J. W. Berry's (1980) model, which posits four acculturation statuses: assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization. Of the 4 scales, only the integrationist status significantly predicted positive attitudes toward group counseling. Counseling and research implications of the results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselor intake judgments, client characteristics, and number of sessions at a university counseling center.

Conducted a study to investigate the variables used by intake counselors at a university counseling center in estimating the number of interviews a client will attend and to assess the accuracy of those estimates. Data collected from 448 cases indicate that counselors relied most heavily on their judgment of the severity of personal problems in estimating the number of interviews clients would attend. The variables investigated accounted for a relatively small amount of the total variance found in the actual number of counseling sessions held. An unexpected finding was that the judged severity of vocational problem was negatively correlated to both the estimated and actual number of interviews. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability and severity of presenting problems at a university counseling center: A 6-year analysis.

Professional psychologists on college campuses and independent practitioners in university communities have expressed concerns that the problems of university students who seek counseling have worsened in recent years. Initial client intake data gathered from 2,326 students during 1989 to 1995 at a large Midwestern university counseling center were analyzed using P. P. Heppner et al's (1994) multivariate classification scheme. Patterns of serious client concerns were evident over the 6 years analyzed. Findings suggest that professional training for psychologists who will work with university populations should include training on suicidality, psychopathology, and crisis intervention as well as working within a team or community-based orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of counseling outcomes at a university counseling center: The impact of clinically significant change on problem resolution and academic functioning.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate how receiving personal counseling at a university counseling center helps students deal with their personal problems and facilitates academic functioning. To that end, this study used both clinical and academic outcome measures that are relevant to the practice of counseling provided at a counseling center and its unique function in an institution of higher education. In addition, this study used the clinical significance methodology (N. S. Jacobson & P. Truax, 1991) that takes into account clients' differences in making clinically reliable and significant change. Pre-intake and post-termination surveys, including the Outcome Questionnaire (M. J. Lambert, K. Lunnen, V. Umphress, N. Hansen, & G. Burlingame, 1994), were completed by 78 clients, and the responses were analyzed using clinical significance methodology. The results revealed that those who made clinically reliable and significant change (i.e., the recovered group) reported the highest level of improvement in academic commitment to their educational goals and problem resolution, compared with those who did not make clinically significant change. The implications of the findings on practice for counseling at university counseling centers and for administrators in higher education institutions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of three counseling center referral sources in terms of their rating of the appropriateness of potential helpers.

Random samples of residence hall personnel, faculty, and students were compared on their ratings of 7 potential campus helpers on 7 typical student problems. Properly completed questionnaires were returned from 68 students, 43 faculty, and 36 student residence hall personnel. Discriminant analyses and within-group orthogonal t tests for the student sample indicated that (a) these 3 groups differentiate potential helpers in terms of the problem presented, (b) these groups have significantly different opinions as to the appropriateness of various helpers for a problem or groups of problems, and (c) the student does not see a "friend" as the best helper for all problem situations. Further research was suggested to determine the basis these groups have for evaluating the appropriateness of various helpers. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)