Crisis on the College CampusPeter Thomas, Ph.D.

Goals and ObjectivesTake a look at who is coming to college and universitiesThe increase in acuity on campusHow it impacts your counseling centerWhat can we do about it and what are others doing about it

Not your typical existential crisis anymore

Look Who’s Coming to College

ANXIETY 41% DEPRESSION 37%

RELATIONSHIP ISSUES 35%

Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (2011)http://www.aucccd.org/index.php?page=resources_directorsurveys_nm

PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS

25%

SUICIDAL THOUGHTS

OR BEHAVIORS

16%

PRIOR TREATMENT HISTORIES

13.2%

Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (2011)

The Failure of De-Institutionalization

The Advent of Better Psychotropics

Reasons For The Increase

Better Diagnosis

Decrease in StigmaIncrease in Education

Reasons For The Increase

Impact On Our Counseling Centershttp://ccmh.squarespace.com/data/

Counseling Centers & Colleges typically ill-preparedCenter LimitsNo Case ManagerLimited Resources Outside of CampusLack of Students with InsuranceDisproportion of Staff to Student Ratio

Impact On Our Counseling CentersPROQOL Version 5 (2009)Professional Quality of Life Scale

❶ Compassion Satisfaction❷ Burnout❸ Secondary Traumatic Stress

What Are We Doing About it?•Current Trends:•The Rights and Responsibilities of the Modern

University (1999, Bickel & Lake)•The Era of In Loco Parentis or Legal Insularity (prior to 1960s)

●The Civil Rights Revolutionof the 1960s

What Are We Doing About it?•Current Trends:•The Rights and Responsibilities of the Modern

University (1999, Bickel & Lake)

● The Bystander Era

● The Duty Era

What Are We Doing About it?•Current Trends:

● The Facilitator Era

What Are We Doing About it?•Current Trends:•The Meta View is that University Administration

and Counseling Center Directors have to decide what level of service they feel they

must provide to students to achieve the university and counseling center mission.

What Are We Doing About it?•Current Trends:

❶ The Shift To Triage

❷ Reaching Out

❸ Branching Out

What Are We Doing About it?•Current Trends:

Some Other Creative Ideas to Help

NAMI Clubs on campus

ActiveMindsOnCampus.org

Jed Foundation

Group Scenarios

THANK YOU!

Peter Thomas, Ph.D.The Holiner Psychiatric Group

McKinney, Texaspeter.holiner@medicalcitydallas.com