The Therapeutic Goals Set by University Students in an Anonymous Web-Based Therapy and Support Setting

Abstract

The interest in student mental health and wellbeing has increased in recent years. Additionally, there is a rising volume of students seeking support. Numerous online resources have been developed to meet this need, including anonymous web-based therapy. To date, there has been little focus upon how students may utilise such a service, and this study examines routine evaluation data (solicited from a Goal-based Outcome Measure) from a United Kingdom based service provider. Over the course of one academic year (2018–2019), 211 students articulated therapeutic goals within Kooth Student, a web-based therapy and support service for individuals in higher education. These goals were examined for key trends. The students identified a total of 625 goals to work on in therapy, with individuals setting an average of three goals each. The most common goals focused upon obtaining additional support within the service and exploring their emotions. The results suggested that female students were more likely to move towards achieving their goals, with goals that did move shifting an average of 7.74 on a 10-point scale. Practical goals that focused upon getting more help, both inside and outside the service, were most likely to be achieved. In contrast, self-help/self-care goals were less likely to be achieved. These results provide a helpful insight into how students made use of therapy and highlight the importance of the interaction that web-based services have with other provision (web-based and in-person). They also demonstrate the challenge of capturing meaningful outcome data in anonymous services.

Experiences of Remote Provision across a Voluntary Sector Organisation Providing Mental Health and Wellbeing Services for Young People

“…Although YIACS were traditionally delivered face-to-face, a number of youth mental health services, delivering counselling and support via online chat or videocall, operated before the global pandemic. Over recent years, there has been an increase in web-based therapies and support services [8]. Examples include text-based asynchronous communication (email), synchronous communication (instant messaging), and videoconferencing support [9].…”

The use of goal‐based outcome measures in digital therapy with adults: What goals are set, and are they achieved?

“…The developers of the GBO suggest that the tool, and associated ideas, can be applied to adult clients (Law & Jacob, 2015). Studies looking at therapy goals have extended to work with young adults in higher education settings (Hanley et al, 2022), but targeted research that considers general adult populations is currently absent. It is therefore important that the use of the GBO in a wider range of contexts, populations and age groups is documented.…”

“…In this study, we examine the goals set by adults using the GBO within the adult‐specific digital therapeutic service QWELL (hereafter referred to as “the service”). Several studies have investigated the use of goal setting in equivalent CYP and student‐focussed platforms (Hanley et al, 2017, 2022; Jacob et al, 2020), but any potential benefits for adults have not been reliably established. The GBO is already embedded within Kooth, which is a similar platform for CYP run by the same organisation as QWELL.…”

Goal Setting, Movement Behaviors, and Perceived Health during an Online Health Coaching Intervention

“…Methods for improving perceptions of GH and EW in college students is relatively sparse. However, goal setting is one approach that can be used to improve both GH and EW in young people (Hanley et al, 2022). The process of goal setting involves the identification of specific behaviors that require adjustment and facilitate healthy habits (Schweitzer et al, 2016).…”