Effective Counseling for Racial/Ethnic Minority Clients: Examining Changes Using a Practice Research Network

Be True to Our Schools-Models of Care in College Mental Health

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To review and synthesize the previous, current, and proposed models of care in college mental health in order to identify best practices that will address the mental health needs of today's students. To highlight data that supports existing or proposed models and describe areas where more data is needed.

RECENT FINDINGS

Despite the potentially appealing attributes of integrated care, empirical evidence supporting these systems and structures in campus settings is mixed. Recent surveys show less than half of campuses have an integrated mental health care model. Overall, there is only partial consensus on optimal models of campus mental health care. Mental health needs in college student populations are greater and more complex than ever. While the resources available are vast and varied, there is limited evidence to support which models and programs can best meet students' needs.

Counseling services for Asian, Latino/a, and White American students: Initial severity, session attendance, and outcome

OBJECTIVE

The current study examined racial/ethnic differences in initial severity, session attendance, and counseling outcomes in a large and diverse sample of Asian American, Latino/a, and White student clients who utilized university counseling services between 2008 and 2012.

METHOD

We used archival data of 5,472 clients (62% female; M age = 23.1, SD = 4.3) who self-identified their race/ethnicity as being Asian American (38.9%), Latino/a (14.9%), or White (46.2%). Treatment engagement was measured by the number of counseling sessions attended; initial severity and treatment outcome were measured using the Outcome Questionnaire-45.

RESULTS

Asian American clients, particularly Chinese, Filipino/a, Korean, and Vietnamese Americans, had greater initial severity compared with White clients. Asian Indian, Korean, and Vietnamese American clients used significantly fewer sessions of counseling than White clients after controlling for initial severity. All racial/ethnic minority groups continued to have clinically significant distress in certain areas (e.g., social role functioning) at counseling termination.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings highlight the need to devote greater attention to the counseling experiences of racial/ethnic minority clients, especially certain Asian American groups. Further research directions are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record

Development and Cross-Cultural Validation of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms–Thai Version

This study examined the applicability of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS), a psychological assessment instrument that is widely used with college students in the United States, to the college student population in Thailand. Following the procedures of translation and back-translation, the Thai version of the CCAPS (CCAPS-Thai) was developed. A total sample of 1,259 college students recruited from seven colleges and universities in four different regions of Thailand completed the CCAPS-Thai along with several carefully selected scales. Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a six-factor model. Findings also provided preliminary evidence for adequate internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and convergent validity of the CCAPS-Thai. Implications are discussed based on the mental health issues and cultural context of college students in Thailand.