Destigmatizing College Counseling for First-Year Students: A Psychodrama Approach

College counseling centers nationwide have focused on increasing the utilization rate of counseling services because of the beneficial effects of counseling on student adjustment, retention, and academic success (Bray, Braxton, & Sullivan, 1999; Gerdes & Mallinckrodt, 1994). According to Illovsky (1997), it is widely understood that psychological counseling services positively impact retention and grades on college campuses. Turner and Berry (2000) found that students who received counseling in the course of their college careers had a retention rate of 85% compared to 74% for the general student body. Gerdes and Mallinckrodt indicated the importance of learning effective coping strategies through counseling for the healthy adjustment of first-year students. Early intervention offers the most promising strategy for addressing adjustment and increases the likelihood of success for students who struggle with these issues and other mental health concerns.

Given that the primary purpose of counseling services on campus is to provide individual counseling interventions to students whose personal issues interfere with their ability to succeed in an academic environment (Vermeersch et al., 2004; Whipple et al., 2003), it follows that college counseling centers should disseminate information about adjustment, emotional well-being, and social concerns and how to address these. Although some of these students may already have familiarity with counseling, other students may not have interfaced with counseling and need information about the counseling process. Furthermore, students who were previously successful in high school may have difficulty identifying the effects of adjustment issues on their academic and emotional well-being. Because of the negative stigma associated with counseling, this program endeavors, through creative means, to debunk the myths of counseling and to provide practical information about the processes and procedures in order to decrease anxiety or other barriers to scheduling an initial appointment.

Many students arrive at college counseling centers without a clear understanding of what will take place. Students who experience distress know they need help but do not know how to make the most of the counseling relationship. Hatchett (2004) noted two important factors in reducing premature terminations in college counseling: (a) preparing students for therapy and (b) developing shared expectations between the client and counselor about the content, tasks, and goals of therapy. This furthers the notion that clients should be given a thorough orientation to psychotherapy, including explicit information about what to expect and how to make the most of the experience. Outreach programs are one of the many strategies employed to disseminate such information and encourage students to attend counseling. Because the first year of college is often the most difficult due to adjustment issues, this innovative program targets first-year students.

Overview of Outreach Program

This model uses psychodrama to address current cultural misconceptions of counseling as indicative of severe psychopathology and, therefore, not appropriate for adjustment or developmental issues. The goals of this outreach effort focus on several themes: (a) increasing awareness of the role of college counseling in student adjustment and development, (b) differentiating high school guidance counseling from mental health counseling, (c) desensitizing students to the process of counseling from intake through the first session, (d) helping to identify and refer students through early intervention, (e) familiarizing students with the professional staff, and (f ) research about increasing retention through utilization of counseling services. The following interactive outreach program offers a nonthreatening way to increase the likelihood that students will use counseling services early in their college career with the purpose of utilization, retention, adjustment, and success.

The presentation consists of the following sections: "Who am I?" Activity, Mock Counseling Session, Student Testimonial, Frequently Asked Questions, and Assessment/Feedback. Each of the sections will be described in greater detail below.

"Who Am I?" Activity

As a means of illustrating staff diversity, each staff member submits an unusual fact relating to his or her background, interests, or experiences. The facts are compiled and written on an oversized presentation board, hidden from public view, until the initial introductions are finished. One staff member introduces the activity. Each statement is read aloud, and...