School Counseling Center Research Paper

Challenges of School Counseling Center
The overall psychological well-being of college students significantly decreases compared to the previous decades. College campus strive to provide a supportive environment for students to grow up and develop. However, School counseling centers meet the increasing needs of service without increasing sources and staffing, so they have to shorten service time and change service type, leading to overlooking students’ mental health growth. Moreover, students’ lack of related knowledge of school counseling greatly influences the usage of counseling services. More innovative and attractive services are needed to help students and to advertise the other services provide by the school counseling centers. There

Studies has shown that there more students seeking psychological care than in previous decades. “In a national survey of directors of campus psychological counseling centers, 95 percent of directors reported a significant increase in severe psychological problems among their students. Because of this increase in demand, 64 percent of director also reported staff burnout and shortages during periods of peak utilization” (Watkins 320). Many counseling centers have limited resources, with not enough time or staff available for the number of students who want to be seen. Many administrators of school counseling center report that the burden on mental health professionals makes it difficult to meet demands during peak times. “College counseling center staff members reported that time spent in individual counselling sessions has actually decreased in recent decades, relative to the percentage of time spent writing reports, completing paperwork, and consulting with referral sources” (Stewart 333). Administrators talks about their institutions struggle to provide enough service for students, but since they need to meet the increasing demand for service with limited staff, they have to cut time spent in per student. They cannot have enough time to do better long-term care. They may end up students’ cases too early and they may decide not to provide services with students who have fewer problems. College counseling centers also have problem of limited physical space. “Although the topic of space emerged as a major challenge for administrators, there was consistency in their responses: they virtually had no control over a request for space at their respective institutions” (Watkins 331). School counseling centers not only lack physical space inside their institutions to provide services, but