Many have observed the increasing severity of mental distress among college students over the past several decades. Very little, however, has been said about what has contributed to this increase. The purpose of this opinion piece is to highlight a trend that the author has witnessed as director of a university counseling center and social justice…

The purpose of this study was to examine academic distress over the course of a semester for both a clinical and nonclinical sample of college students by administering the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS-62 and CCAPS-34) to students at a single university. Results revealed that students who were in counseling showed…

Due to increased demands placed on university counseling centers (UCCs) in recent years, there is a need for these centers to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their psychological services. Regularly monitoring client progress is one approach to increase the likelihood of positive clinical outcomes. This article describes the use of the…

Performance anxiety among musicians and music students has been widely addressed, but far less attention has been given to examining the rates and characteristics of broader mental distress in this population. This study examined depression and anxiety in music students at one university. A considerable number of students reported symptoms…

In this article, the author makes an unpopular argument that involves the necessity for college counselors and psychologists to work harder with a high-risk group of students. He argues that an ideal, successful, well-functioning college counseling center must serve a wide range of clients. He wants to push back on the latest trend in the…

This article identifies what student mental health professionals need to know about legal issues of relevance to threat assessment and management. The article summarizes the common law duties and the common law and statutory standards of care that are likely to apply to the work of college and university threat assessment and management teams. The…

In this study, we examined the relationship between various indices of socioeconomic status (SES) and counseling outcomes among clients at a university counseling center. We also explored links between SES and three factors that are generally regarded as facilitative of client change in counseling: motivation, treatment expectancy and social…

This article reviews important trends in college counseling work over the past 30 years revealed through an annual survey of college counseling center directors. The article also focuses on questions raised in the survey that generated important professional discussions and on other contributions the survey has made to the counseling profession.…

College career centers provide a valuable resource to students faced with choosing a major, learning about different career fields, and securing internships and jobs. Career centers must provide an increasingly sophisticated array of one-on-one and virtual services in order to meet the needs of students and recruiters. Collaborations between the…

Many college counseling centers do not collect client data at each session because of perceived burdens. This study explored 55 clients' and 16 doctoral counselor trainees' experiences collecting and using data on client distress at each session over the course of counseling at a large public university's counseling center. Results indicated that…

Over the past few years, there has been a proliferation of theoretical discussions and empirical research on the use of acceptance and mindfulness-based therapies to treat anxiety disorders. Because these treatment approaches are in their infancy, many clinicians may still be uncertain about how to apply such treatments in their work with clients.…

These two studies investigated the university student clients' perspective on factors that hinder the counseling alliance. In Study 1, twelve university students identified alliance-hindering factors while watching a videotape of their third or fourth counseling session. In total, 74 factors (in the form of participant statements) were elicited…

Two related studies addressed college students' persistence and progress in psychotherapy. In Study 1, using emotional health variables assessed at intake, students who persisted in counseling and demonstrated clinical improvement were compared with those who either did not return for their first session or who did return but stopped before…

Ideally, students requesting services should be seen quickly at their university counseling center to increase the likelihood of a successful treatment outcome. However, in these times of ever-increasing demand for university counseling services and the challenges of securing resources to keep up with that demand, the reality of prompt…

Many institutions of higher education have provisions for allowing academic latitude when serious mental health problems get in the way of learning. This article reviews a hierarchy of academic remedies that may be utilized and the role of the college counseling center with respect to their use. The discussion centers around counseling center…