College Mental Health – Counseling Center Review (for discussion in class on Friday 2/12;

with written reflection due on Thursday 2/18)

1. Review a) the Connecticut College Student Counseling Services (SCS) website and b) one
other college/university counseling services website that you select for review and
comparison. Pick a comparison school of interest to you (for any reason) – a larger school, a
school where you know someone, a school in another part of the country, a more diverse
school, a state school, a NESCAC peer school, etc.
a. In your review – focus on this guiding question: What can you learn about these
college’s mental health services and their approach to framing and promoting
college student mental health from their counseling services website? See
questions below for possible areas to explore - you do not need to cover all of this –
use these questions to guide your exploration and focus on what is interesting to you.

2. Take notes and come to class prepared to describe (in small groups) your impressions of our
Student Counseling website and how it compared to the other website you studied,
highlighting the points of comparison from the list below that you focused on. Pay attention
to key reactions you had during your investigation (e.g., something you wanted to see but
didn’t; something you saw but you don’t think students know about; something you thought
was really great; etc.). Were there any unmet campus mental health needs that you identified
in your SCS website search/comparison – or from your own experiences? If so, what were
they? Finally, what questions do you still have about our campus mental health services after
completing this exercise? In preparation for your small group discussions, pay attention to
how you are feeling about discussing counseling services and mental health with peers in our
class. Typically, students in this class have a wide range of experiences talking with peers
about mental health – with some not doing this very often, and others doing it very
frequently. How can you engage in peer discussion about mental health in a way that feels
safe to you, supportive of others, and deepens your understanding of student perspectives on
mental health and mental health services at Connecticut College?

Here are some topics to consider in your website analyses – you may not be able to find
answers to all of these questions (and you don’t have to). Some of these areas may be more
or less interesting to you (which is totally fine) - please use this simply as a guide.
• Services: What specific services are described? What styles and types of therapy do they
offer? Do they offer groups? What type? Where are they?
• Providers: How many counselors do they have? What degrees do they have? Is there
diversity in the counseling staff? Do they have a psychiatrist? How are providers
introduced on the website and what do these introductions convey to potential student
clients?
• Policies: Do they explain how to make an appointment? Session limits? Cost? How hard
is to find information about mental health services on their website? Do they talk about
mental health leaves? Crisis policies?
 • Language/Framing: What language do they use to talk about their services, and who
uses them? Do they have a deficit focus? A strengths focus? Do they focus on
illness/disorder or wellness and resilience?
• Prevention: Do they offer any prevention-oriented services (e.g., stress management;
mindful eating)? Do they offer screenings?
• Mental Health Education: Is the site informative? Do they offer resources? Do they
offer advice about how to help a friend?
• Accessibility and Stigma Reduction: Do they do anything to reduce fear of the
unknown, reduce stigma, reach out to specific groups of students or address specific
concerns about help-seeking? How hard is it to find counseling services on the college
website – does it seem prominent or hidden? Do they share utilization rates (i.e., what
percentage of students use counseling services)?
• Identity Affirming Services/Cultural Competence: Does the website make it seem that
counseling services will be affirming and welcoming to students with a range of different
social identities? How is this communicated? Are there specific resources for specific
student groups (e.g. first generation college students, students of color, international
students, etc.)? Is counselor expertise listed in a way that would allow a student to select
a therapist who seemed experienced with issues that matter to them (e.g., LGBTQ mental
health; Latinx mental health; masculinity and mental health, etc.) Does the website
address different forms of stigma or barriers to treatment seeking that might be relevant
for specific groups of students?
3. In your 2-3 page reflection (double-spaced) describe your impressions of our Student
Counseling website and how it compared to the other website you studied, highlighting the
points of comparison from the list above that you focused on. Include key reactions you had
during your investigation (e.g., something you wanted to see but didn’t; something you saw
but you don’t think students know about; something you thought was really great; etc.). Also,
reflect on your conversation with your breakout group. What did other people focus on or
notice that you didn’t notice? What were other people’s impressions of messaging about
identity-affirming and culturally competent in Conn’s SCS website, or in others they
reviewed? If people in the breakout group had different impressions of this – how did you
understand this? If you are not someone who thinks or talks with others much about mental
health, what was this exercise like for you? If you are someone who thinks and talks often
about mental health, how did you deepen your past engagement through this exercise? Were
there any unmet campus mental health needs that you identified in your SCS website
search/comparison, your conversation with a friend or through your own personal
experiences? If so, what were they? Finally, what questions do you still have about our
campus mental health services after completing this exercise?

Your 2-3 page reflection is due to Thursday 2/18 by 10pm to Moodle.