University Counselling and Psychological Services: Exploring Current Approaches and Student Perceptions

Peyton, Abigail R. (2019) University Counselling and Psychological Services: Exploring Current Approaches and Student Perceptions. Memorial University of Newfoundland. (Unpublished)

[English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (462kB)

Abstract

Across Canada, university counselling and psychological services have experienced an increase in both student demand for assistance and complexity of presenting issues. The literature suggests that many universities are struggling to meet the needs of their students and are exploring various systems and methods (e.g., triage systems, online services) to address the need. Further, students’ perceptions of the adequacy and availability of these services are not well represented in the literature. The present study: 1) explored the on-campus counselling and psychological services offered at 55 Canadian universities through analysis of their online information; 2) investigated students’ perceptions of counselling and psychological services at Grenfell Campus, MUN, through a sample of 204 participants (159 women, 20 men, and 25 unspecified) with a mean age of 20.79 years (range: 18-42). The results indicated that while the majority of participants were aware of Grenfell’s counselling and psychological services (78.9%), a much smaller percentage (19.6%) used the services. Student perceptions were analyzed across a wide range of domains, including type of service, expectations of service options, barriers to accessing the service, and the adequacy and efficacy of additional mental health resources, in relation to the Canadian university context.

Actions (login required)

View Item