Colleges and Universities

Click on each individual area of strategic intervention to learn more:

Although the counseling center is central to providing treatment to students with mental health problems, students "from cultures that do not understand or acknowledge mental illness, or that discourage revelations of personal problems, are not likely to seek services, so colleges need to develop creative approaches to respond to those students in ways that they will find helpful and nonthreatening” (Silverman, 2008). These students may seek help at health services or from a tribal elder, cultural healer, clergy, academic advisor, or staff member in international services or student culture centers.

Although many campuses express the need to hire additional counseling staff, simply adding more therapists is not the only solution to meeting the demand for services. Approaches campuses can employ to meet service demand while using existing staff and resources more efficiently and improving the quality of service delivery include:

• Instituting brief, same-day appointments by phone or in person for quick assessment and referral to either campus or community providers based on established criteria.
• Offering four-session psycho-educational groups -- sometimes called “feel better fast” -- for students who may not need more-intensive therapy.
• Ensuring that mental health clinicians are adequately trained to:
  • Accurately diagnose students and provide appropriate treatment or referral.
  • Use goal-oriented, time-limited treatment modalities.
  • Assess and manage suicide risk.
  • Follow laws and professional guidelines that govern student privacy and confidentiality.
• Partnering with wellness/health promotion staff who can assume outreach duties.
• Complementing campus resources with longer-term treatment services available in the community.