Matthew R. Draper

Counseling utilization by ethnic minority college students.

Although multicultural awareness in counseling has risen substantially in the last decade, little research has examined counseling utilization and outcomes for ethnic minorities on university campuses. A sample of 1,166 African American, Asian American, Caucasian, and Latino help-seeking university students from over 40 universities nationwide filled out the Outcome Questionnaire 45 (OQ45) at the first and last therapy sessions. Caucasian students attended significantly more sessions than all other groups. Greatest distress was found at intake in Asian American students, followed by Latino, African American, and Caucasian students. All groups appeared to benefit from therapy, as noted by a decrease in symptomatology, but none of the groups met the criteria for clinically significant change for the OQ45. Implications for therapists working with minority clients are discussed.

Nature and Severity of College Students' Psychological Concerns: A Comparison of Clinical and Nonclinical National Samples

University counseling center staff members have expressed a growing concern about the perceived increasing severity of college students’ presenting problems. The main goal of this study was to explore the nature and severity of college students’ presenting problems by establishing a baseline measure. The research summarized here was derived from 3 large-scale studies involving 1 nonclinical and 2 clinical samples surveyed by counseling centers that were members of the Consortium of Counseling Psychological Services in Higher Education. The results of this study provided some evidence for the claim that the severity and chronicity of college students’ presenting problems has been increasing over time. The results of the study were discussed in light of the existing literature and conclusions were drawn. Suggestions for university counseling centers were provided.