Counseling center outreach: A guide to simple, inexpensive programming

Abstract

Specific strategies for psychological, health, and academic outreach at a university counseling center are presented. Primary and secondary preventative programs targeting three identified groups -students, faculty/staff and resident assistants -are discussed. All strategies presented require a minimum of staff and financial resources. Effectiveness as measured by percentage of target population reached is presented. It is suggested that the communication of effective outreach strategies may encourage other student service agencies to adopt and expand upon the programming.

Outreach by College Counselors: Increasing Student Attendance at Presentations

“…The current outreach series is a traditional type of primary prevention program; however, there are many other effective and creative ways that counseling centers may reach out to the campus community, such as sponsoring wellness fairs or events focusing on specific issues (Cronin, 1991). Counseling centers might collaborate with existing peer education programs on their campuses by either working together in developing programs or coordinating and clarifying presentation efforts, schedules, and topics given by each group or office.…”

Identifying predictors of social functioning in college students : a meta-analysis.

“…There is evidence to suggest that outreach efforts such as participating in orientation, and providing information through presentations to student groups or residence halls can be assistive in decreasing the stigma associated with receiving mental health treatment (Cronin, 1991) thus making the university counseling center more accessible as another resource students can use if they are struggling in their social functioning in college.…”

Psychoeducational programming: Creating a context of mental health for people who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual.

“…Finally, cost-effectiveness must be considered (Cronin, 1991 ). A cost-benefit ratio can be constructed by looking at (a) the costs of alternative approaches, (b) the benefits of such approaches, (c) the contrast between time spent and the number of participants reached, and (d) the growth in business as a result of services delivered (Pisapia, 1994).…”