OATdb Archive

2009 - 2010

Counseling Services

Goal
CC-Training
Contribute to the training of developing professionals in the field of psychology.

Objective
CC-Graduate Training Program
Provide training opportunities to graduate students in the mental health professions that will contribute to their ability to further learn and apply psychological principles with clients from the SHSU student population.

Indicator
CC-Training Effectiveness
Formal evaluation of clinical services provided by trainees, in addition to evaluation of training program effectiveness by said trainees.

Criterion
CC-Trainee Evaluation
Clinical supervisors will rate trainees as moderately effective or higher in the application of psychological principles with clients.

Finding
CC - Graduate Student Evaluation Results
With the exception of one practicum student, all trainees achieved the desired scores.

Action
Remediation
The trainee who acheived sub-standard scores on the evaluation was allowed to complete a second semester of training. Emphasis was on the areas that were sub-standard. As a result of this extra training, the trainee in question achieved the required scores.

Objective
CC-Post Doctoral Training Program
Provide training opportunities for new mental health professionals that will contribute to their ability to apply psychological theory and researched based interventions to clients from the SHSU student population.

Indicator
CC-Training Effectiveness, Post Doctoral
Formal evaluation of clinical services provided by trainees, in addition to evaluation of training program effectiveness by said trainees.

Criterion
CC-Trainee Evaluation, Post Doctoral
Clinical supervisors will rate trainees as moderately effective or higher in the application of psychological principles with clients.

Finding
Post Doctoral Trainee Evaluation Results
All post-doctoral trainees acheived the desired ratings on evaluations.

Action
Self-Survey
Training staff will begin investigating the development of a self-report instrument which will allow the post-doctoral residents to critique/rate their growth as well. This instrument will allow for more effective implentation of learning outcomes into the evaluation process.

Goal
CC-Multicultural Awareness
Use values of diversity and inclusiveness to guide delivery of services to the student population.

Objective
CC-Diversity/Inclusiveness
The population of students served will reflect the diversity of the SHSU student body to demonstrate the inclusiveness of the agency, as well as to communicate to the university the value of an inclusive posture.

Indicator
CC-Racial/Ethnic Demographics
Data reflecting racial/ethnic demographics to be compared with the general student population.

Criterion
CC-Racial/Ethnic Representation
Racial/ethnic demographics of students receiving clinical services will be comparable to those of the broader campus population.

Finding
Racial/Ethnic Representation Results
For FY10, the percentage of African American, Asian American, and Hispanic students utilizing the Counseling Center closely matched the percentages of these students in the broader student body. In all cases the difference between the Counseling Center's client population and the campus population was less than one percenage point.

Action
New Strategies For Underserved Populations
In order to maintain the gains in service utilization by underserved populations, the Counseling Center will add programs focused on diversity or targeted at a specific population to its services (e.g. a therapy group for women of color). These programs will then be assessed to determine their utility.

Goal
CC-Service Provision
Attend to the mental health needs of the SHSU student population through counseling and psychoeducational outreach.

Objective
CC-Brief Therapy
Provide time limited counseling and psychological services to the SHSU student population, which meet the mental health needs of those students.

Indicator
CC-Clinical Effectiveness
Results from client satisfaction survey, and CCAPS-62.

Criterion
CC-Client Satisfaction
 A satisfaction rate of 80% for those receiving clinical services.

Finding
CC - Client Satisfaction Survey Results
On questions related to the evaluation of services, over 85% of clients surveyed acknowlededged being satisfied at either the "Agree" or "Strongly Agree" levels. This was also the case for questions related to impressions of counselor, and personal change. The one exception to this trend was the question addressing counseling's impact on academic performance. 72% of clients surveyed acknowlededged being satisfied at either the "Agree" or "Strongly Agree" levels, with 25% endorisng the "Neutral" level.

Action
Placeholder 3
Results suggest that clients are satisfied with the counseling center's services and the interactions with their counselors. In addition, clients self-reported a significant amount of personal change based on their use of counseling center services. In order to better determine the specific impact of services on functioning, a revised survey will be administered during FY11 which will incorporate clearer learning outcomes. This survey will also include more items looking at impact on academic performance, in order to make more sense of the relationship between service utilization and academic performance.


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

Plan for continuous improvement The Sam Houston State University Counseling Center exists to support the academic success and personal growth of students by providing effective therapeutic support. We embrace a student-oriented philosophy that is respectful of diversity and is committed to the development of the student as a whole person. We believe that prevention focused initiatives are just as important as response based interventions. Furthermore, we see the opportunity to instill these values in future clinicians through meaningful training experiences as an important part of our mission.

In order to provide effective therapeutic support, the Counseling Center offers a variety of therapeutic treatment modalities; including individual therapy, couples therapy, and group therapy. All performance indicators associated with client satisfaction have been met consistently throughout the year, and plans are in place to implement learning indicators for the coming fiscal year to make this data more meaningful. Information gathered from measures of client distress indicates significant drops in severity for the majority of our clients from the first session to the last. This further demonstrates that both student success and personal growth are enhanced by participation in counseling.

One of SHSU's greatest strengths is the diverse nature of its student body, staff, and faculty. The varied perspectives provided by such diversity create a desirable environment not only for academic growth but also for personal enrichment. Data support the belief that students from ethnic minority backgrounds view the Counseling Center as a viable support service, and utilize these services at rates higer than their non-university attending peers. As a result of this data, programming tailored to the needs of these individuals is being developed. For example, a support group for women of color will be run in the fall of 2011, while outreach programs will be adapted as appropriate to involve more information that is important and/or relevant to thes populations.
 
An important opportunity for collaboration and support of SHSU's academic programs comes in the form of the Counseling Center's graduate training program, while our post-doctoral training program provides the chance to instill the values of SHSU into new professionals. Evaluations of trainees suggest that both training programs are doing an effective job of developing the necessary skills for the independent practice of psychology. The results of one trainee's evaluation allowed for an opportunity to re-visit our remediation process, ensuring the continued effectiveness of the training program's gate-keeping function.