Integrated Care in College Health: A Case Study

Abstract

This case study describes 1 international student's treatment experience with an integrated health program on a college campus. This program uses a multidisciplinary, mind-body approach, which incorporates individual counseling, primary care, psychiatric consultation, a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy class, and a meditation group. T oday's college counseling centers are being used by students who have mental health concerns that are increasingly severe and accompanied by symptoms that threaten academic success and retention (Benton, Robertson, Tseng, Newton, & Benton, 2003;Gallagher, 2007). According to the 2007 National Survey of Counseling Center Directors (Gallagher, 2007), 91% of the 272 college counseling center directors who were surveyed reported a growing trend of students experiencing more severe psychological problems (Gallagher, 2007). Directors indicated that 49% of clients are experiencing severe psychological difficulties, with 7.5% confronting symptoms so serious that they either cannot stay in school or can only do so with extensive mental health support (Gallagher, 2007). Furthermore, in one study, 18% of college undergraduates seriously considered a suicide attempt in their lives, with 6% seriously considering an attempt within the past year (Drum, Brownson, Burton, & Smith, 2008). Addressing these concerns is one responsibility of contemporary counseling centers.Meeting the needs of international students using effective, appropriate, and culturally responsive methods is also an important responsibility for counseling centers. Sometimes this important goal requires that staff members reexamine the service delivery models used to meet the needs of international students to increase their access to services (Yi, Lin, & Kishimoto, 2003). For example, one way of responding to such diverse needs is to provide multiple points of entry for mental health services. In an integrated health care system, students can access both health and mental health services in a primary care setting, thus decreasing the possible barrier of stigma present in many cultures that are associated with stand-alone mental health treatment. Furthermore, the respect accorded to the medical profession within some cultures tends to increase the palatability of mental health treatment within the health care context. Cary Tucker, Sarah K. Sloan, and Mary Vance, Counseling and Mental Health Center and University Health Services, and Chris Brownson, Counseling and Mental Health Center, all From an integrated health care perspective, primary care is a crucial environment in which to provide mental health services. As much as 75% of primary care appointments are related to mental health needs (Levant, 2005), and 55% of individuals experiencing mental health disorders are treated in primary care (Wang et al., 2005). In turn, we believe that primary care is an ideal environment for mental health providers to partner with medical teams, not only to provide more responsive and accessible mental health services to patients but also ...

Integrating behavioral health services into a university health center: Patient and provider satisfaction.

“…Moreover, because many mental health issues cause physical symptoms, many students seek evaluation at health clinics first (ACHA, 2010b). The few studies examining IBHC within university health settings have reported numerous benefits, including increased accessibility of mental/behavioral health care, increased referral follow-through, and higher quality patient care (Masters, Stillman, Browning & Davis, 2005; Tucker, Sloan, Vance, & Brownson, 2008; Westheimer & Steinley-Bumgarner, 2008).…”

“…Preliminary studies have begun to examine patient and provider opinions about IBHC within the college health setting. Tucker et al (2008) examined an international student's experience of the Integrated Health Program at the University of Texas at Austin using a case study design and found his overall experience to be positive. Westheimer and Steinley-Bumgarner (2008) examined provider behaviors, opinions, and experiences during the integration process of IBHC within the same university and found PCPs ascribed a high level of value to the collaborative effort integrated BHPs could provide in helping with a diverse number of conditions.…”

A primary mental health care model for advanced practicum training in a university health clinic.

“…Prior journal articles have discussed implementing this type of integrated model within university health centers; however, they have focused on describing the process of creating a training program for clinical psychology doctoral students (e.g., Masters, Stillman, Browning, & Davis, 2005) or have explored patient (Tucker, Sloan, Vance, & Brownson, 2008) or provider (Alschuler, Hoodin, & Byrd, 2008; Cowan & Morewitz, 1995; Westheimer, Steinley-Bumgarner, & Brownson, 2008) perceptions of the integrated care model in a college health care setting. In fact, our initial work (Funderburk, Fielder, DeMartini, & Flynn, 2012) describes how both patients and providers found the integrated health care achieved through the use of practicum students at a university clinic to improve clinical care.…”

Going the Distance: An Interdisciplinary Seminar Series on a University Campus in Support of Training for Recreational Distance Running

“…Student health and wellness initiatives also stand to gain from collaboration across disciplines. For example, Tucker, Sloan, Vance, and Brownson (2008) illustrated the positive collaboration between the college counseling center, health center, and an academic class to aid in the adjustment of an international student. Likewise, Ott, Haertlein, and Craig (2003) described an initiative to reduce high-risk drinking involving a partnership between faculty and student affairs on a university campus.…”