A survey of university counselling in the united kingdom and some observations on evaluation

Universities were surveyed about their counselling services during 1987 using a postal questionnaire. Information is presented from 44 universities and includes the extent of counselling provision in relation to the number of students, the staffing and accountability of the services, the needs of the clients and how they are met, and some theoretical and professional concerns mentioned by the counsellors. Finally, some observations are made on the need for more systematic evaluation of the services.     

A follow-up study on students attending a university counselling service in Northern Italy

The aims of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of a university counselling service in Northern Italy, to assess the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of students who used counselling service, and to assess the psychological conditions of the students who ended the counselling after a 4 month follow-up period. The study involved 100 students, who filled out the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Brief COPE Inventory, and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). The results showed that who received counselling were positively affected by this experience. The areas of benefit were psychological well-being, coping behaviours, ability to positively reframe problems and less sense of guilt. Additional studies are needed to identify which factors influence the outcomes of university counselling services in Italy. These studies would be important to evaluate the services rendered, upgrade the skills of counsellors and visualise priority areas of need.     

Online counselling in secondary schools: would students seek help by this medium?

Students in secondary schools experience problems that can impact on their well-being and educational outcomes. Although face-to-face counselling is available in most Australian secondary schools, many students, particularly boys, do not seek appropriate help. Research suggests that online counselling can be effective and increase engagement. This study of 215 secondary school students sought to assess students' intention to use online counselling if it was made available in schools. The results found no gender difference in the likely intentions to seek online help though year level was significant and students experiencing psychological distress had a preference for online counselling. If students did use online counselling it was more likely they would discuss sensitive topics rather than for career issues. Implications for school counselling are discussed.     

University Counselling Services in Australia and New Zealand: Activities,Changes, and Challenges

The high prevalence of stress and psychological distress in university students highlights the need for adequate support services to enable students to achieve their goals. This study aimed to describe counselling services available to university students in Australia and New Zealand and to benchmark them against international services. Participants were five Australian and three New Zealand Counselling Services. Results showed that counselling services are using a variety of formats and e‐technologies to deliver services to students, but are hampered by limited resources compared with their international counterparts. These include very high counsellor student ratios, lower average number of consultations per student, and lower mental health qualifications of counsellors. This has even greater implications in the context of higher education reform in Australia that may further widen the gap between needs of students and available counselling services. Inadequate counselling support can negatively impact on students, universities, and the community through lost potential.     

Career assessment supervision: Could what we don't know hurt us?

In this brief comment, one marked discrepancy in the career assessment field is identified: many students receive career assessment supervision, and many counselling and counselling psychology programs seemingly place much value on such supemision, but theoretical, empirical, and practical attention has yet to be advanced toward explicating the career assessment supervision process itself Concern over this lack of attention as expressed, and the need to make a more direct, concerted attack on explicating the career assessment supervision process is called for.     

‘Until that magical day…no campus is safe’: reflections on how transgender students experience gender and stigma on campus

Based on interview data garnered from two transgender university students (transman and transwoman) and a reflexive narrative analysis, this research found that some transgender students experience overt forms of gender discrimination, violence, and stigma on campus spaces. Particularly troubling are the inadequate athletic facilities, social organizations, and counselling resources available to trans students. There is a need to have more readily available staff members educated on trans needs and human rights. That said, some narratives emphasize the activist and resilient roles some trans students undertake to make campuses a safer and more gender-inclusive space for trans and cisgender communities. Given the small sample size, the goal of this paper is to raise larger awareness toward the social issues present amongst transgender students, and emphasize the need for further research on gender diversity, marginalization, stigma, and best practices within campus spaces.     

Characteristics of students receiving counselling services at the University of Cape Town, South Africa

The aim of the study was to document the correlates of receiving counselling services at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. The 932 students who received counselling over a 3-year period were compared with the other 23,158 students registered at the university. Data were obtained from the university computerised record system. Women, Black people and 20-24-year-olds were significantly more likely to receive counselling services. When adjusting for these demographic variables, non-English speakers, humanities students, undergraduates, first-year students, students who were eligible to receive financial assistance, and students from outside Cape Town were significantly more likely to receive counselling. New research is required to determine the reasons for these findings.     

The ‘tyranny of time’: getting to the heart of the impact of educational cuts on the provision of guidance counselling in Ireland

The Irish Education Act (Government of Ireland 1998) stipulates that each young person in secondary school in Ireland is entitled to access ‘appropriate’ guidance. It has been argued that this very right has been eroded since Budget 2012, where resource re-allocations in guidance counselling are obstructing the requirement for schools to implement this section of the Act. This qualitative study explored the effects of ‘educational cutbacks’ from the perspective of guidance counsellors. Findings from interviews with guidance counsellors, suggest that the effects of such cutbacks in guidance counselling are far-reaching and ultimately students are the one’s losing out. The paper proposes that there is a need to reinstate guidance counselling hours to allow guidance counsellors provide a comprehensive service to young people – which they are entitled to.     

Setting the standards: Implications for higher education of the introduction of occupational standards for advice, guidance and counselling

Current developments in the delivery of advice, guidance and counselling to students in higher education are outlined. A range of possible consequences for higher education of the introduction of occupational standards in the advice, guidance and counselling field is identified. Issues that higher education institutions and awarding bodies will need to address are explored.     

The student counsellor as a team member

Describing the future roles and services of British counsellors in higher and further education must not be done in professional isolation. We need to consider how the future roles of professional counsellors will positively affect the counselling done by academic staff Furthermore, rather than making generalisations about counselling needs, it may be better for working parties or task forces to develop counselling models which are appropriate to particular institutions. Such task forces should address some of the pressing issues confronting academic institutions: for example, (1) the revitalisation of the curriculum; (2) the improvement of the out-of-classroom relationships between academic staff and students; and (3) the development and maintenance of effective systems of academic government. If counsellors are to develop services which will help to resolve some of the problems associated with these issues, they will have to be increasingly clear about their own values.     

Student mental health. Part 2: the main study and reflection of significant issues

The difficulties faced by students and the contributory stressors include developmental issues. A number of factors appear to be the precipitators of stress but despite various suggestions from researchers in other countries there is little evidence in the UK of a comprehensive plan to ameliorate student mental health. It was the aim of this study to identify the factors perceived as stressors by students, find the extzent to which the stressors affect the students and identify a possible remedial strategy. The samples involved students from a wide variety of disciplines and included 40 students in a pilot study and a further 210 students in the main study. The pilot study led to a comprehensive list of potential stressors being drawn up for the main study. Most of these were assessed in a Problem Questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire and the Glasgow Symptom Checklist. Emotional liability was significant and this was often accompanied by self-destructive thoughts. Student services appeared to be underused even when students felt suicidal. Students need more specialized and prolonged help both in the form of increased counselling facilities which include a Mental Health Service and also mentoring schemes.     

Creative restorations: Holding a mirror to the self in brief dynamic therapy

The author outlines the conceptual framework that underpins psychoanalytic self-psychology, describing the function of the selfobject in meeting the need of the child and later the adult for mirroring, idealisation and essential alikeness, and thereby sustaining the coherence of the self within a structure that takes the form of a tension arc. Drawing from more recent elaborations of the need for optimal responsiveness by the selfobject in mirroring the expansiveness of the self, the author proceeds to compare this conceptual framework with that of Winnicott and Wright, who posited the role of mirroring in the development and realisation of the self. The contribution of mirroring to the facilitation of creativity as well as the relationship between the arts and the realisation of the self are explored in the particular context of the counselling of students in the field of the performing arts. The implications of these concepts are further explored in relation to short-term counselling and this is illustrated with a case example.     

Pragmatic evaluation of the viability of CCBT self‐help for depression in higher education

This study explores the potential of a computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (CCBT) self‐help programme for depression within the context of a Higher Education Counselling Service. It seems timely to consider the place of evidence‐based alternatives to the face‐to‐face counselling traditionally provided in higher education with user choice in mind. There is also a need to cater for increasing numbers of students experiencing a wide range and severity of emotional difficulties, sometimes resulting in long waiting periods for help. In the study twelve depressed students used the CCBT programme ‘Beating the Blues’?. Ten (83.3%) participants completed the programme. Initial credibility of and expectancy‐for‐improvement from the intervention was high. Significant reductions in depression scores were found following completion, whilst anxiety scores changes were not significant. Feedback on the programme was largely positive. CCBT was clearly preferred to face‐to‐face counselling by some participants, supporting the need for a choice of interventions for students. These results suggest that CCBT may be an acceptable and effective intervention for a number of depressed students. It is argued that CCBT may be a viable addition to current provision in Higher Education Counselling Services and that further studies are required to investigate this further.     

Private work in public places: Confidentiality and role tensions in a university counselling service

This paper aims to explore issues of confidentiality relating to working with undergraduate and postgraduate students in a university counselling service. The context of a counselling service within our institute of higher education has to be understood in its relationship to academic, administrative and managerial staff, to medical and psychiatric services personnel and to the wide range of other student support and welfare services in the organization whether run by university staff or the students' union. Some reflection will be given to the need for clarity in the range of roles counsellors have to play within the different functions of the university. The client-counselling relationship cannot be seen as a dyad but as a triad or an even more complex constellation of relationships when regarded in an institutional context. The central premise is based on understanding the conscious and unconscious dynamics in the institution and how these impinge on the relationship between client and counsellor in challenging or assuming the confidentiality held by the service. Such boundary issues are identified in consultation and referral, breaking confidentiality, referral of disruptive students, calls for help and holding confidentiality. The case material drawn on to illustrate these five areas is also described in terms of anxieties raised and how these are projected, introjected and contained.

Within the service client and counsellor contract to work together. It is made clear that counselling is a professional relationship with agreed boundaries and a commitment to confidentiality. This is crucial to the working relationship and is a means of providing the client with both safety and privacy. Any limitation on the degree of confidentiality offered may reduce the usefulness of counselling. Bound by his or her professional code of ethics the counsellor will reach an agreement with the client at the outset about the extent of confidentiality they are offering, take care not to disclose information given in confidence and, when possible, be able to negotiate any change in agreement with the client.

Exceptional circumstances which may occur and give rise to the counsellor's decision to break the confidentiality formerly agreed between him or herself and the client are those which give grounds for believing the client will cause serious harm to others or themselves or have harm caused to them. Reference will be made to the role of consultant supervision in such situations and how any breaking of confidentiality can best be minimized. Attention will be given to the relevant ethical codes to which counsellors adhere and the issues of confidentiality within the legal process as well as whether the requirements of providing counselling services for students in higher education impel us, logically and practically, towards certain policies in regard to boundaries.     

Critical incidents for psychology students in a refugee camp: Implications for counselling

Malawi is host to over one million refugees from the Mozambican war. Although there are no recognized positions for professional counsellors in Malawi, the need for counselling war affected refugees has been recognized. The experience of two psychology students who worked with war affected children is investigated, using the technique of Critical Incidents Analysis. Key characteristics of this work are identified as a means to creating a training curriculum to prepare students for future placement in refugee camps.     

‘The third person in the room’: Recording the counselling interview for the purpose of counsellor training – barrier to relationship building or effective tool for professional development?

Objective: Audio and videotape interview recording for training and supervision in counsellor education is commonplace within New Zealand, yet researchers have paid little attention to its value perceived by students. This study explores counselling students’ perceptions of the effects of recording counselling interviews on themselves, their clients and on the counselling process. Design: Counselling students from five tertiary educational settings in New Zealand participated in individual or focus group interviews to discuss their experiences of recording counselling interviews. Findings: All interviewees indicated that recording initially curtailed their ability to be completely present in the counselling interview. Some thought this may have negatively influenced their clients’ ability to use the counselling session effectively. Most noted their own increased confidence over time. Almost all considered recording to be extremely beneficial to the development of effective counselling skills. Conclusion: Most students considered the benefits of recording to outweigh the drawbacks. Implications for continuing the practice of recording and playing back interviews in counsellor‐education programmes are considered.     

At the border: reflections on psychoanalytically oriented counselling in an Italian university setting

This paper analyses the ‘border’ position of counselling services in Italian universities. The concept of ‘border’ has great relevance in the work of psychoanalytically oriented university students’ counsellors. Counselling is part of a continuum of interventions, from befriending to psychotherapy. This closeness encompasses the need for identifying specificities and differences among interventions. Moreover, a university counselling service occupies a ‘marginal’ position, continuously confronted with the risks of rejection and/or assimilation. The concept of ‘border’ is also useful to define the developmental phase of university students, crossing the border between late adolescence and young adulthood, as represented by Conrad's novel The shadow line (1917/1999), recently analysed by Green (2008) as the metaphoric demarcation line between youth and adulthood. Finally, most of the students referring to our counselling service come from families that for the first time crossed the border of university education.     

Cognitive counselling intervention: treatment effectiveness in an Italian university centre

Offering counselling to students is increasingly considered as a key academic service. However, the reduction of resources allocated to Italian universities emphasises the need to assess the quality of interventions. This paper presents data reporting the effectiveness of a university counselling service. A sample of 45 undergraduate students completed a cognitive-relational intervention at a counselling service in a University in the North of Italy. The project focused on the development of reappraisal skills and problem-solving strategies to manage difficult situations. The results showed a significant pre and post-intervention reduction in self-reported psychopathological symptoms (measured with Symptoms Check List 90-Revised) as well as in general levels of distress (measured with Clinical Outcome in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure). A significant increase in reappraisal levels, measured with the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, was observed, which is a focal element of the counselling intervention. There were no detectable changes in the level of suppression.