This article describes the design and implementation of a dog therapy outreach program through the counseling center at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. Two main goals were identified for this program: (a) provide stress relief and comfort to students across campus, and (b) increase potential access to counseling services and improve…

Administrative writing is a crucial skill needed for the counseling center professional to be able to transmit knowledge and values for the rest of the campus community. This article highlights both conceptual and technical aspects of effective writing.

This article reports on a study evaluating the clinical utility of three clinical assessment measures commonly used in university counseling centers: the Outcome Questionnaire-45 (OQ-45), the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms, and the College Adjustment Scales. Results found subscales assessing depression and anxiety were…

University and college counseling centers struggle with rising service demands without a corresponding increase in resources. Consequently, counseling centers must seek creative ways to not only maintain the status quo, but expand capacity while preserving effectiveness. In other countries, therapist-assisted, Internet-delivered treatment has been…

Counseling centers need to be engaged and connected on their campuses, both to individuals and to multiple systems of students, faculty, and staff. Building a campus-wide "community of caring" or "web of caring" is essential to a strong, healthy, and vibrant counseling center. This article describes one university counseling…

This article introduces Yii-nii Lin, Professor in the Center for Teacher Education at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, and prior director of the university's counseling center for a 3 year term. She has worked as a university counselling psychologist for more than 15 years when she participated in an online interview that…

This article reports on the integration of psychotherapy in a comprehensive dropout prevention program developed at the Dean of Students' office of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. The program's psychologists conducted psychotherapy with a subset of dropout prevention program participants who had reacted with emotional…

Investigators compared counseling outcomes among nonpaid graduate-level trainees and professional staff at a college counseling center. Counseling outcomes for 331 college student participants were measured using the Outcome Questionnaire 45.2 (OQ45.2), employing a pretest--posttest design. The two groups of service providers did not differ…

Campus police officers are often among the initial contacts for behavioral incidents involving people with mental illness. Their training and access to resources influence decisions to direct the individual to support services and/or through campus disciplinary processes and/or the criminal justice system. Over the past decade, there has been an…

Creative-arts therapy groups offer university students powerful ways to address intrapersonal and interpersonal concerns. These groups combine the strengths of a traditional process group with the benefits of participation in the expressive arts. The creative process draws students in, invites insight and introspection, and facilitates outward…

Specific phobias are highly prevalent among college students and can be quite debilitating. However, students often do not present for treatment for phobias and, when they do, often do not receive effective treatment. This article will present a case study of the effective treatment of specific phobia using cognitive-behavioral therapy with an…

University counseling centers are faced with the challenge of effectively treating bipolar students while also utilizing brief treatment frameworks and managing high patient volumes. Potential destabilization, particularly within the elevated mood phase, poses significant behavioral management issues for university clinicians and administrators,…

Concept mapping was used to illuminate counselors' positive experiences of providing counseling/psychotherapy to students in higher education. Counseling professionals (N = 65) in 23 colleges and universities responded to the question "What are the positive aspects that motivate you to provide counseling/psychotherapy to students?" From these…

While the prevalence of specific phobias and social phobias is believed to be high in the general adult population, little data exists regarding the prevalence of these fears among college students. This paper describes an epidemiological study that surveyed 813 college students regarding the severity of fears experienced toward 12 objects and…

Mandatory counseling is a widespread and commonly accepted practice on college campuses throughout the nation. This practice bestirs heated controversy and ethical challenges when college administrators require students to undergo counseling in instances of misconduct that pose little danger to self or others. Apparently many counselors actively…