The Effectiveness of Short-Term Counseling and Referral Services at The Ohio State University
Loading...
Date
2024-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
Four in ten college students experience some form of mental health problem, and diagnoses continue to rise across the nation. However, research suggests that many college counseling centers struggle to keep up with the demand for services, leading to shorter session times, longer waitlists, and increased referrals to off-campus providers that students may be challenged to reach. The purpose of this study was to understand students’ experiences with the short-term counseling and referral services on the Columbus campus of The Ohio State University (OSU) through a mixed-methods online survey. Specifically, this study sought to determine i) if students at OSU feel that their mental health needs are being met by the short-term counseling services, ii) if the referral process is helpful in connecting students to community mental health agencies, and iii) what advantages and barriers affect how students access community mental health agencies. Participants were recruited through flyers that were posted across OSU’s Columbus campus and sent out through email to individual OSU colleges. A total of 56 participants completed the survey. Their responses showed that participants reported a lower amount of distress after some amount of counseling sessions with the CCS, but participants overall cited a need for longer-form counseling and reported barriers with accessing off-campus resources. These results suggest that participants could benefit from additional counseling sessions to further lower distress levels and point to the need for more research into how students might benefit from longer-form counseling.
Description
2nd place, OSU College of Social Work Honors Showcase
Keywords
Mental Health, College Counseling, College Students, Referrals