Student Perceptions of Mental Health Services at Dominican
Start Date
April 2020
End Date
April 2020
Major Field of Study
Global Public Health
Student Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor(s)
Michaela George, MPH, PhD
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
College aged individuals are at the prime age to first experience mental illness. Studies have shown that upwards of 50% of those attending university in the U.S have either been diagnosed or received treatment for at least one mental disorder in the last year (American College Health Association, 2018). Dominican’s counseling is highly impacted, last semester it was completely booked so some students were turned away. It is not easy to admit you need help and this could make someone seeking it feel discouraged.
According Dominican’s on campus nurse when the counseling first started there were only two counselors on staff now they have grown to about six or seven. There are already barriers in place for students to access counseling services like social stigma, self efficacy, and socioeconomic status. It is crucial for Dominican to meet the growing demand for mental health services on campus and ensure the services provided are adequate. Gathering student perceptions of the efficacy of on campus mental health services could be extremely beneficial to improve outreach and quality of care. I designed a survey which asks all students at Dominican their experience with the services provided. For those who have utilized counseling at Dominican they have an option to opt into a one on one interview to go more into depth on their perception and experience. I would also like to hear from the students who have not accessed services if they knew about them and felt confident they could if need be.
Student Perceptions of Mental Health Services at Dominican
College aged individuals are at the prime age to first experience mental illness. Studies have shown that upwards of 50% of those attending university in the U.S have either been diagnosed or received treatment for at least one mental disorder in the last year (American College Health Association, 2018). Dominican’s counseling is highly impacted, last semester it was completely booked so some students were turned away. It is not easy to admit you need help and this could make someone seeking it feel discouraged.
According Dominican’s on campus nurse when the counseling first started there were only two counselors on staff now they have grown to about six or seven. There are already barriers in place for students to access counseling services like social stigma, self efficacy, and socioeconomic status. It is crucial for Dominican to meet the growing demand for mental health services on campus and ensure the services provided are adequate. Gathering student perceptions of the efficacy of on campus mental health services could be extremely beneficial to improve outreach and quality of care. I designed a survey which asks all students at Dominican their experience with the services provided. For those who have utilized counseling at Dominican they have an option to opt into a one on one interview to go more into depth on their perception and experience. I would also like to hear from the students who have not accessed services if they knew about them and felt confident they could if need be.
Comments
This presentation was accepted for the Scholarly and Creative Works Conference at Dominican University of California. The Conference was canceled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic