Evaluating the effectiveness of counselling intervention with final year undergraduates

Psychiatric supervision of student university counsellors: a specialist registrar's perspective

“…Andrews et al (2006) revealed that of previously symptom-free students, 9% had become depressed and 20% had become anxious at a clinically significant level. On the other hand, Rickinson (1997) demonstrated a significant reduction in levels of psychological distress in students who used a counselling service in contrast with a parallel control sample of equally distressed students who did not and showed no significant change in distress levels. In their report into the mental health of UK students, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (2003) reported that the students present more mental health symptoms than age-matched control groups and hence an adequately resourced university counselling service was encouraged.…”

The Pastoral Pool: an evaluation of a new system of pastoral care provision

“…The PP system requires the student to be insightful in identifying their problem and motivated in seeking out support. Students may regard seeking help as a sign of weakness 37 and there is evidence that those students in most need of help do not seek it 30 . It has been suggested that medical schools may need to do more to foster faculty–student relations, rather than simply leaving students to find their own mentors 27 .…”

The Effectiveness of Counselling

“…Keilson, Dworkin & Gelso (1983) found that open-ended and time-limited counselling (eight sessions) were both more effective than a control condition for students seeking help for personal and social difficulties. In a study carried out at a UK university, Rickinson (1997) found that 79 % of undergraduate student clients reported symptom levels consistent with psychiatric 'caseness' at intake. Following counselling, clients recorded substantial improvement on a range of mental health dimensions.…”