Association for
University and College Counseling Center Directors
(AUCCCD) Statement on State Governors Task Forces
The last several
years have brought an increased national focus on
college mental health issues as evidenced by
internal reports of increased need for clinical
services, high profile law suits, numerous
articles in the national media, and the tragic
shootings at Virginia Tech. All of these events
have triggered a variety of responses, but the
Virginia Tech shootings, with the subsequent
reports and panels at the federal and state
levels, have generated the greatest response. At
one level, this attention has been much needed and
brought focus to an important issue; however, some
of the attention has included statements and
information that presents only part of a much more
complex picture. The purpose of this statement
from the Association for University and College
Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) is to provide
balance to that picture.
College and
university students have been characterized in
various stories and reports as a young and
vulnerable population. As mental health
professionals working with this population, we
would be the first to acknowledge the
developmental issues confronted by these students;
however, 18-24 year olds who are not in college or
who serve in the military share many of the same
developmental issues. In many respects college
students are no different from their peers in the
issues that they face and actually have a suicide
rate that is half that of their peers who do not
attend college. AUCCCD affirms that the college
students we work with are legally adults and that
they are entitled to the same confidentiality that
protects all adults who seek counseling from a
mental health professional. This is codified in
state mental health law and psychology, social
work, and counseling licensure laws. These laws
acknowledge that confidentiality in treatment does
save lives. Some writers and reports have
recommended that colleges and universities notify
parents when their student appears troubled. This
procedure often makes sense for faculty, residence
life staff, and other student affairs
professionals, and it is allowed under the Federal
Education Right to Privacy Act (FERPA) if there
are serious concerns about student behavior.
Counseling staff, too, often involve parents or
others with the student’s consent in the
treatment process if doing so would aid in the
treatment of the troubled student. However,
suggestions that counseling staff routinely
involve parents in the treatment process
against a student’s will are ill-considered.
This abrogation of the student’s rights should
only be used when state law allows, when it is a
treatment team decision, and when it is a last
resort in cases where other options for safety
have been explored and discarded. It should also
be acknowledged that a requirement to involve
parents is not always an effective treatment
intervention and in some situations can actually
make a difficult situation worse.
Another issue that
has received considerable attention is related to
a recommendation that college and university
administrators mandate ongoing counseling for
troubled college students. Mental health services
at their heart respect the ethical principle of
autonomy for clients or patients. Accrediting
standards of the International Association of
Counseling Services (IACS) have long prohibited
mandating counseling for students at any
accredited counseling service. AUCCCD supports
this stance. While AUCCCD is opposed to ongoing
mandated treatment, we recognize the value of
mandated assessment when it is precipitated by
clear problematic behavior and violation of
college and university conduct codes.
Administrative
models and the counseling center’s relationship
with the campus health service have also been the
focus of media attention. In particular, a recent
article in the New England Journal of Medicine has
suggested that college and university counseling
services could provide more effective services if
the “stature and visibility” of the person in
charge of mental health services was raised.
AUCCCD strongly supports efforts to raise the
stature and visibility of all directors of
counseling services, but we believe that effective
leadership of a mental health service is more
about the leadership qualities of the individual
as well as experience working with college
students, and less about the professional
affiliation of the person holding the position of
director. AUCCCD affirms that there are many
different models of providing counseling services
on college and university campuses. Effective
directors may hold the professional title of
counselor, social worker, psychologist or, of
course, physician. Our position on this issue is
reflective of the amazing diversity of college
campuses across the globe which our 758 members
represent. AUCCCD also affirms that it is the
responsibility of both college and university
counseling services and health services to work
together in a collegial and cooperative manner in
service to the same students. We acknowledge that
there is no one, single administrative structure
to accomplish this task best. A recent article
has quoted data from AUCCCD’s most recent 2006
survey which found that 65% of counseling services
were not administratively integrated with health
services. This statistic does not mean that those
services do not have strong and effective
professional relationships. Quite the contrary!
Many counseling and health centers operate within
the same division and/or under the purview of the
same Vice President. Our study does not
support the conclusion that merging campus
counseling and health services is the most
effective nor sole administrative structure that
would serve our students well. A merged
counseling and health center is simply one of many
effective models for provision of services.
A final complexity
that is often overlooked is that college and
university counseling services for decades have
been leaders in the provision of counseling
service to our students. We have pioneered
student outreach, worked effectively to lower
barriers to students seeking services, routinely
considered the role that culture might play in
services provided, designed and implemented mental
health triage systems (including crisis hotlines),
structured policies and procedures for health and
mental health leaves from campus, as well as other
issues addressed by these articles, lawsuits, and
task forces. AUCCCD continues to recommend that
administrators and state governments seek input
from the professionals who have a wealth of
experience and information to share—the counseling
center director at the local campus. We
respectfully request that these individuals listen
to the directors and their staffs at the various
institutions when forming policy to address these
very important issues.
Maggie Gartner,
Ph.D., President
Greg Eells, Ph.D.,
President-elect
The Association for
University and College Counseling Center Directors
September 18, 2007
