Crisis on the College Campus Peter Thomas, Ph.D.

Goals and Objectives Take a look at who is coming to college and universities The increase in acuity on campus How it impacts your counseling center What 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)

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 Stigma Increase in Education Reasons For The Increase

Impact On Our Counseling Centers Counseling Centers & Colleges typically ill-prepared Center Limits No Case Manager Limited Resources Outside of Campus Lack of Students with Insurance Disproportion of Staff to Student Ratio

Impact On Our Counseling Centers PROQOL Version 5 (2009) Professional Quality of Life Scale ❶ Compassion Satisfaction ❷ Burnout ❸ 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 Revolution of 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, Texas