University Counseling & Consulting Services (UCCS) A Health and Wellbeing Program, Office for Student Affairs Annual Report 2013-2014 Academic Year Prepared by: Glenn Hirsch, Ph.D., Director All photographs in this annual report are taken from the University of Minnesota Photo Library and contain general images of U of Minnesota students 1
From the Director "For students to be able to learn at their peak capacity, they need to be physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually well," This quote by my wonderful Ohio State University colleague Dr. Louise Douce speaks to the complex factors that influence student success. Difficulty in one or more areas of a student s life can significantly impact academic performance. UCCS services are built on an integrated service model that addresses a number of these factors including personal concerns, academic skill ability and career focus and development. What is most encouraging to us is the feedback from students that our efforts are helping them succeed. Seventy five percent of respondents to a UCCS client opinion survey noted that counseling had a positive impact on life as a student and 60% noted positive impact on academic work. Thirty seven percent, 131 students, reported counseling having a lot or some positive impact on plans to continue enrollment at the U. Retaining these students strengthens the U s intellectual engine, increases graduation rates, and from a practical, economic perspective, keeps over $1 million in tuition coming in to support the U s academic mission. Because no one program or organization can address all the factors influencing students, our model also incorporates referrals to many of our campus partners such as Boynton Health Service, Disability Resource Center, Student Unions and Activities and the Recwell Center. Like any organization, UCCS faces challenges ahead including yearly increases in service demand and meeting the needs of a diverse student body including such groups as non-traditional, first generation and veteran students. To address these challenges UCCS finished the 2013-14 academic year by embarking on its own strategic planning process. The result was a new service delivery model including offering same-day intake counseling appointments and expanding our group counseling options to increase service capacity. UCCS is also working on a number of exciting collaborations with campus partners, and off-campus partners such as the Veterans Administration to explore new service venues such as tele-counseling, peer programs, and online support for emotional health. These developments will make for very exciting 2014-15 academic year. Stay tuned. 2
SERVICE DELIVERY METRICS AND ORGANIZATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS Individual and Group Counseling Provided personal, academic skill improvement and career counseling to 1600 students across 7756 sessions. Offered same-day crisis counseling to 297 students Continued off-site counseling and consultation services for Housing & Residential Life and the Law School Served 199 students in 41 groups and workshops covering topics including Understanding Self and Others, Assertiveness, Pursuing Happiness, Grief, Let s Do This (anti-procrastination) and Dissertation/Thesis Support Group Served a diverse group of students (31% identifying as other than European American) representing 20 University colleges and academic program affiliations 92% of students surveyed reported achieving some or all of their counseling goals, 94% reported having a very favorable or favorable appraisal of UCCS and 60% reported counseling having a positive impact on academic work 70% of students surveyed reported counseling was Helpful for Very Helpful in achieving the University s Student Development Outcomes Group was a safe space for me to share my thoughts and feelings without feeling judged in any way. Opening up to everyone was scary but very validating. I came in with some very specific challenges to work through. My counselor helped me set specific goals to overcome these challenges. I feel much better than I did before coming in. 3
Student Academic Success Services Served 330 students in academic skills improvement classes Provided individualized learning skills coaching/assistance to 143 students across 204 sessions On a scale of 1.0 (Strongly Disagree) to 6.0 (Strongly Agree) Mean class participant ratings were 5.9 for instructor well prepared, 5.8 for gained deeper understanding of the subject and 5.5 for increased interest in the subject. I learned lots of skills for success in college such as time management, dealing with anxiety, study skills for different subjects. Our [instructor] was immensely helpful by simply being approachable and friendly. She could help explain the causes for our probation and the solutions to it without sounding judgmental or having a scolding tone. Outreach & Consultation Provided 425 hours of consultation and presentations across 354 separate meetings to the University community including involvement on the Behavioral Consultation Team (BCT), facilitation of the University Community Response Team (UCRT), and presentations to groups of students, faculty and staff, parents, and visiting scholars Served 3325 students faculty and staff through outreach and consultation programs Partnered with other units for service collaboration: o Aurora Center (survivors support group) o Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence (Academic Success Group) o Office for Student Conduct and Academic Integrity (consultation on disciplinary and Behavioral Consultation Team (consultation) o Law School (on site counseling) o Housing and Residential Life (on site counseling) o Boynton Health Service Cross-referral and coordination of services including tye BASICS alcohol harm reduction program o Student Conflict Resolution Center-joint program development on academic civility and graduate advising Supported Active Minds student group in a number of programs including Mental Health Day as part of Mental Health Awareness Week Provided resource for 2322 anonymous online mental health screenings "Hearing the opinions of the guys in the house about a topic we don't' usually talk about was great." "The discussion portion was fantastic and eye-opening." 4
Professional Psychology Training Program Trained 3 Practicum, 5 Advanced Practicum students and 4 pre-doctoral interns Training Program; trainees provided 3246 hours of direct service This was an excellent experience. I feel great about the training I received, and was grateful for the warm and respectful culture at UCCS. I am a better clinician and person for this experience. Thank you! This has been a tremendous learning experience for me and I am thankful to have had this opportunity. I have been impressed by UCCS s commitment to training and professional growth. 5
PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS AND CLIENT SATISFACTION METRICS Individual and Group Counseling Behavioral Health Monitor Outcome Data Students receiving personal counseling filled out the Behavioral Health Monitor (BHM) at the beginning of each session to give the student and counselor a metric of how the student is functioning relative to the previous visit, and counseling effectiveness across all counseling sessions. The table below summarizes the results for 869 students taking the BHM between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014. Table 1 BHM Counseling Outcome Data Across Problem Categories Problem Category Percent of Students Percent of Students Reporting Improvement Reporting Total Recovery and/or Total Recovery Global Mental Health 57 34 Anxiety 55 35 Depression 58 31 Suicidal Feelings 66 50 Alcohol/Drug Use 66 51 Distress Symptoms 60 51 These results are similar to or higher than typical counseling outcome data found in the research literature. 6
Student Evaluation of Service Individual and Group Counseling Students responding to questions on an online, anonymous Client Opinion Survey expressed a high degree of client satisfaction with UCCS services and positive effects of counseling on student life: Table 2 Client Opinion Survey Results Individual Counseling Survey Item Percent of Students Responding Very favorable or favorable appraisal of UCCS 94% Achieved some or all of my counseling goals 92% Relations with others improved a lot or some 78% Grades improved a lot or some 42% Positive impact on confidence or self-esteem 84% Positive impact on life as a student 75% Positive impact on academic work 60% Positive impact on plans to continue enrollment at 37% the U Working exceptionally well or very well with their 84% counselors Table 3 Participant Evaluation Ratings Across All 2013-2014 UCCS Groups Five-point scale ranging from 1, Strongly Disagree to 5 Strongly Agree Item Mode Mean Participating in this group Has been a worthwhile experience 5 4.5 Contributed to my greater comfort at the University 5 4.4 Directly or indirectly helped me to be more Successful as a student 5 4.3 Enabled me to cope better with stressful situations 5 4.5. 7
Impact of Counseling on Supporting the Office for Student Affairs Student Development Outcomes Students reported that their experience in counseling supported many of the Office for Student Affairs Student Learning Objectives. Table 4 Percent of surveyed students responding with Helpful or Very Helpful to the question Please tell us how much your counseling experience has helped you to Item Percent Responding Learn to be more intentional in the choices you make 75% Recognize the results of my decisions 70% More inclined to seek help from others 79% Set and strive to achieve personal goals 74% Have more self-confidence 71% Recover from disappointment and continue working towards goals 78% Appreciate different cultures, backgrounds and perspectives 25% Help you cope with complications and uncertainties of life 81% 8
Student Academic Success Services Student Evaluation of Teaching Table 5 Student Mean Ratings of Teaching Across All SASS Classes* Instructor well prepared Subject matter presented clearly Feedback was offered for improved performance Respect/ Concern for students Gained deeper under - standing of subject Increased interest in the subject Fall 2013 5.9 5.9 5.9 6.0 5.7 5.4 Spring 5.9 5.9 5.8 5.9 5.8 5.6 2014 *Ratings are based on a scale of 1.0 (Strongly Disagree) to 6.0 (Strongly Agree) 9
Outreach & Consultation Table 6 Outreach Program Participant Satisfaction Data Summary 2013-2014 The program met the objectives outlined 4.79 The presenter was well prepared 4.74 The presenter communicated effectively 4.75 Involved the audience 4.76 Handouts/Materials were helpful 4.32 I have a better understanding of the topic 4.28 Be able to set, and achieve personal goals 4.22 Better identify and solve problems. 4.17 Note: N = 70 1= Strongly Disagree; 5 = Strongly Agree Professional Psychology Training Program Table 7 Evaluation of Pre-Doctoral Intern Experience Area Mean Rating Mean response across all items for all interns at year end 2.5 Mean response for questions about the internship 2.7 enhancing skill development Mean response for questions about internship supporting 2.8 professional development Mean response for questions about intern satisfaction with UCCS 3.0 Staff and systems Pre-Doctoral Interns were asked to use a 3-point scale (3=Strongly Agree 2=Agree and 1=Disagree ) to rate 26 positive statements about their internship experience (Example: My personal counseling skills were enhanced.) 10
Annual reports for each UCCS program including complete program-specific service delivery and satisfaction metrics are available by contacting UCCS at 612-624-3323 or uccs@umn.edu 11