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Informational needs of college student clients
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the informational needs of incoming clients at college counseling centers. Two primary questions were asked: first, what areas of information do students identify as important in deciding whether or not to enter counseling; and second, what knowledge from other sources do students bring to this process. Subjects were 297 student clients at three college counseling centers. An optional questionnaire was administered at intake which asked students to rate the importance of nine areas of information about counseling. The questionnaire also examined the student's expectations about the duration of counseling and knowledge about confidentiality policy and the benefits and risks of counseling. Content areas addressed in the questionnaire were drawn from the literature on informed consent and client informational materials. Results suggest that, overall, students are interested in a wide range of information about counseling and that knowledge they bring with them is often incomplete. Data analysis included subgroup comparisons according to gender, prior experience with counseling or psychotherapy, SES, age, and year in school. Women and students with prior experience in counseling tend to be more interested in receiving information about confidentiality policy, theoretical orientation, format of counseling or psychotherapy, and duration of counseling. Also, women are more interested in information about success rates. Client knowledge of benefits and risks of counseling or psychotherapy, although incomplete, appears accurate with respect to current literature in these areas. The desirability of increased use of informed consent procedures and client informational materials is discussed.
Subject Area
School counseling|Clinical psychology
Recommended Citation
Green, Denise Ann, "Informational needs of college student clients" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9219437.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9219437