Brief Therapy at a University Counseling Center: Working Alliance, Readiness to Change, and Symptom Severity

Mahon, Megan; Laux, John M.; Wise, Stephanie; Ritchie, Martin H.; Piazza, Nick J.; Tiamiyu, Mojisola F.

doi:10.1002/jocc.12017

Cited by 13 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…There were only 15 participants in the complete-data sample. Although such client loss is consistent with prior research (e.g., Draper et al, 2002;Ghetie, 2007;Lucas, 2012;Mahon et al, 2015), it was none-the-less discouraging. The four-year data collection has stopped due to several reasons, including the UCC moving to a new location and some key staff turnover, but general lack of client response was the primary issue.…”

Section: Study Limitationssupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Such research supports having the resources available in a UCC to avoid "time limited" treatment (Ghetie, 2007). Many college students successfully engage in short-term treatment (Mahon et al, 2015). However, knowing that additional sessions can lead to further benefits in terms of reduced mental health concerns and increased counseling help belief should help to justify a UCC having the resources in place, such as adequate staffing, to avoid having a fixed number or cap of sessions with non-urgent college students (AUCCD, 2016;CCMH, 2017;Lucas, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Mahon et al (2015) found a significant decrease in counselor-reported client symptom severity. Blau et al (2016) found that the means of social connectedness and life satisfaction significantly increased over time for 28 non-urgent undergraduates, with a median of four counseling sessions (after initial triage assessment).…”

Section: Generally Brief Nature Of College Counselingmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…In another review, Ghetie (2007) noted a median of 4-5 counseling sessions and a mode between 1 and 2 sessions. Mahon et al (2015) found that 37/124 (30%) of undergraduate clients completed a minimum of three counseling sessions, with the remaining 87 either never returning for a second session or dropping out after two sessions. The 2016 CCMH report (CCMH, 2017) noted a mode of 1 for the number of appointments and an average of 5.84 sessions, while the 2016 Association for University and College Counseling Directors or AUCCD report (AUCCD, 2016) reported an average of 5.53 sessions/client.…”

Section: Generally Brief Nature Of College Counselingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Counseling over Time as a Correlate of Non-Urgent Undergraduate Institutional Commitment

Blau¹,

DiMino²,

Abreu³

et al. 2017

JEDP

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The general purpose of this study was to examine counseling services as a correlate of institutional commitment and related variables over time on a sample of non-urgent undergraduates. Data for non-urgent clients at a University Counseling Center (UCC) were collected using on-line surveys over four time-periods. Within-time correlations generally showed that mental health concerns was negatively related to institutional commitment, while counseling help belief was positively related. Institutional commitment is defined as a student feeling that he or she selected the right institution to attend Using a smaller sample, i.e., n = 15, of complete-data clients matched-over-time, overall level of mental health concerns significantly declined, while institutional commitment significantly increased. Counseling help belief decreased from Time 1 to Time 2 but then increased over time. Scientifically demonstrating to higher-level University administration that counseling over time can positively influence undergraduates' institutional commitment can help the UCC to increase its allocation of university-based resources to keep pace with non-urgent client demands.

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Section: Study Limitationssupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Generally Brief Nature Of College Counselingmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Generally Brief Nature Of College Counselingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Counseling over Time as a Correlate of Non-Urgent Undergraduate Institutional Commitment

Blau¹,

DiMino²,

Abreu³

et al. 2017

JEDP

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In another review, Ghetie (2007, p. 51) noted a median (midpoint of a frequency distribution) of 4-5 counseling sessions and a mode (most frequent number) between 1 and 2 sessions. Mahon et al (2015) found that 37/124 (30%) of undergraduate clients completed a minimum of three counseling sessions, with the remaining 87 either never returning for a second session or dropping out after two sessions. While it can be very challenging to build a longer-term sample of undergraduates receiving counseling services, prior research suggests that even a short-term intervention can increase important undergraduate outcomes.…”

Section: Brief Nature Of College Counselingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing the Impact of Counseling over Time on Non-Urgent Undergraduate Life Satisfaction

Blau¹,

DiMino²,

Abreu³

et al. 2017

JEDP

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Data for non-urgent undergraduate clients at a University Counseling Center (UCC) were collected using on-line surveys over three time-periods. Despite the expected diminishing number of participants over time, within-time correlations generally showed that level of mental distress and mental health concerns were negatively related to life satisfaction, while self-esteem was positively related. Using a smaller sample of matched-over-three time-periods clients, levels of mental distress and mental health concerns significantly declined, while life satisfaction significantly increased. The strongest changes for this complete data sample were found from Time 1 to Time 3 for reduced mental health concerns and increased life satisfaction. These findings reinforce that additional counseling sessions for undergraduates may be beneficial, and that spreading these sessions out may also be useful. Scientifically demonstrating to higher-level University administration that a UCC can help undergraduates in distress should ideally help the UCC to increase its allocation of university-based resources.

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The alliance in adult psychotherapy: A meta-analytic synthesis.

Flückiger

Wampold³

et al. 2018

Psychotherapy

1,203

1,099

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The alliance continues to be one of the most investigated variables related to success in psychotherapy irrespective of theoretical orientation. We define and illustrate the alliance (also conceptualized as therapeutic alliance, helping alliance, or working alliance) and then present a meta-analysis of 295 independent studies that covered more than 30,000 patients (published between 1978 and 2017) for face-to-face and Internet-based psychotherapy. The relation of the alliance and treatment outcome was investigated using a three-level meta-analysis with random-effects restricted maximum-likelihood estimators. The overall alliance-outcome association for face-to-face psychotherapy was r = .278 (95% confidence intervals [.256, .299], p < .0001; equivalent of d = .579). There was heterogeneity among the effect sizes, and 2% of the 295 effect sizes indicated negative correlations. The correlation for Internet-based psychotherapy was approximately the same (viz., r = .275, k = 23). These results confirm the robustness of the positive relation between the alliance and outcome. This relation remains consistent across assessor perspectives, alliance and outcome measures, treatment approaches, patient characteristics, and countries. The article concludes with causality considerations, research limitations, diversity considerations, and therapeutic practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

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Brief Therapy at a University Counseling Center: Working Alliance, Readiness to Change, and Symptom Severity

Cited by 13 publications

References 31 publications

Counseling over Time as a Correlate of Non-Urgent Undergraduate Institutional Commitment

Counseling over Time as a Correlate of Non-Urgent Undergraduate Institutional Commitment

Testing the Impact of Counseling over Time on Non-Urgent Undergraduate Life Satisfaction

The alliance in adult psychotherapy: A meta-analytic synthesis.

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