There has been a continuous increase in the demand for counseling services at the University of Idaho, according to the Counseling and Testing Center 2011-2012 annual report released Oct. 8.The number of students seen in 2011-2012 increased eight percent compared to last year’s reports. Over the past three years, there has been a 30 percent increase in student requests for individual counseling.
This includes rapid growth in referrals at the UI as part of increased efforts to influence retention. Also, due to the Benoit–Bustamante shooting that took place at the beginning of last year, there has been increased attention to safety issues, according to the report.
The increase in students seeking help has caused a need to increase the number of staff needed to provide those services. The report said staffing levels influence the amount of interview hours that the counseling center is able to provide for students.
This year, the counseling center provides two graduate counseling assistants, while during previous years there was only one counseling assistantship. This has resulted in a 7 percent growth in the number of interview hours that the counseling center is able to provide for students.
Staff numbers are also important to provide for students with more severe mental health issues that might require more sessions, according to the report.
The number of students who required the minimal one to five sessions increased from 71 percent in 2010-2011 to 74 percent in 2011-2012. Students who attended 20 or more sessions increased from 1 percent in 2010-2011 to 2 percent in 2011-2012. Another factor is the wait time for initial appointments.
This year, 81 percent of appointments had a wait time of less than one week, a 10 percent increase from the previous year. Also, the wait time of greater than two weeks decreased to 1 percent from 7 percent last year. The CTC provides crisis appointments handled on the same day for drastic circumstances.
The CTC works closely with the university and local hospital for after-hours services as well, according to the report. There has been an 83 percent increase in the number of students recorded by the Office of the Dean of Students to have exhibited suicidal behavior.
CTC Director Joan Pulakos wrote that the reason for this statistic is unknown, but might reflect increased awareness and concern for safety issues. The report said this year the majority of students learned about the CTC from friends and acquaintances.
An analysis of the past five years provides a source for referrals to the CTC. Outreach services and activities are coordinated by CTC psychologist Dr. Sharon Fritz.
“I’ve been here since 1996, so I’ve seen over the last couple three or four years a steady increase in students asking for our services,” Fritz said.
Fritz said this is not just unique to the UI. Data shows that nationwide, counseling centers are seeing an increase.
“We’re seeing an increase nationwide with demands, less stigmatization with people becoming more comfortable seeking counseling and we’re seeing people are more educated about the symptoms and problems they might have,” Fritz said.
Aaron Wolfe can be reached at [email protected]