2023 2nd International Conference for Innovation in Technology (INOCON)
Bangalore, India. Mar 3-5, 2023
Transforming College Counseling: An In-House
Solution for Student Mental Wellness
Ashwini Dalvi
K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering
Mumbai, India
2023 2nd International Conference for Innovation in Technology (INOCON) | 979-8-3503-2092-3/23/$31.00 ©2023 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/INOCON57975.2023.10101364
ashwinidalvi@somaiya.edu
Rujuta Ashtekar Alekhya Gorugantu
K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering
Mumbai, India Mumbai, India
rujuta.a@somaiya.edu alekhya.g@somaiya.edu
Abstract—Mental health is critical in achieving success in
college and beyond. Unfortunately, many college students lack
access to counseling services. Having easily accessible college
counseling will increase the number of college students seeking
help for their mental health concerns. Traditional college
counseling services may not be easily accessible or convenient
for students, as they may have limited hours or long wait times
to see a counselor.
The proposed application "Moodschool" intends to bridge
this gap by offering free, convenient, and accessible in-house
mental health services to college students. In addition, the
application will provide essential counseling resources such as
online therapy sessions, self-assessment tools, and psychosocial
support groups. This innovative solution aims to improve
college students' mental well-being by giving them access to
professional help when they need it most.
Keywords— Academic, Student Counseling, Mental Health,
We application, Mobile application
I. INTRODUCTION
College students often face a lot of stress and pressure,
both academically and personally. Unfortunately, this can
lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression,
negatively impacting their academic performance and overall
welfare. Unfortunately, many college students may not seek
help for their mental health concerns due to the stigma
surrounding mental health, which can prevent them from
getting the help they need. In addition, traditional college
counseling services may not be easily accessible or
convenient for students, as they may have limited hours or
long wait times to see a counselor.
With students facing various challenges in and out of the
classroom, it is essential to provide them with the necessary
resources to ensure their mental health. As a result, research
on college student mental health has been a growing field in
recent years.
One area of research has focused on the prevalence and
risk factors of mental health conditions among college
students. Studies have found that many college students
experience symptoms of mental health conditions such as
depression, anxiety, and stress. Risk factors associated with
these conditions include a history of mental health problems,
adverse life events, and poor coping strategies.
Another area of research has been on the effectiveness of
interventions for college students' mental health. These
979-8-3503-2092-3/23/$31.00 ©2023 IEEE
Authorized licensed use limited to: INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KHARAGPUR. Downloaded on January 20,2024 at 10:33:32 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
Paarth Kapur
K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering
Mumbai, India
paarth.kapur@somaiya.edu
Irfan Siddavatam
Somaiya School of Design
Mumbai, India
irfansiddavatam@somaiya.edu
interventions include web-based programs, counseling
services, and peer support groups. Studies have found that
these interventions can effectively reduce symptoms of
mental health conditions and improve overall well-being.
Research has also been done on barriers preventing
college students from seeking help for their mental health
issues. Some barriers identified include stigma, lack of
awareness about available services, and logistical barriers
such as lack of time and transportation.
Overall, research on college student mental health is
essential as it helps identify the factors contributing to poor
mental health among college students and how to address
them.
The authors proposed the "Moodschool" application for
the following reasons:
x Having accessible college counseling increases the
number of college students seeking help for their
mental health concerns.
x Dispelling the stigma around mental health through
the web and mobile application platforms leads to
normalizing the idea of college counseling
x The web and mobile application will help reduce
mental health issues and symptoms among college
students by providing them with the necessary
resources.
The following paper includes related work, a proposed
solution, and a conclusion.
II. RELATED WORK
Research on college student mental health has become
increasingly important in recent years. The researchers
reviewed the literature on college student mental health in a
systematic manner [1]. As a result, they concluded that
online interventions effectively reduced the symptoms of
mental health concerns in college students, such as
depression and anxiety. However, the researchers also noted
that more research is needed to understand these
interventions' impact fully.
The presented related work is organized to comprehend
the use of web-based and mobile app-based interventions to
improve college students' mental health.
1
 One of the studies examined whether a web-based
program could be effective and acceptable in addressing
mental health concerns among college students [2].
According to the study, the program was well received by
participants. Therefore, according to the researchers, web-
based interventions may help address college students'
mental health concerns.
The study examined web-based interventions to treat
mental health issues among college students [3]. The study
mentioned that students who may not seek help through
traditional channels might benefit from web-based
interventions since they are particularly effective at
addressing mental health concerns.
A randomized controlled trial was conducted to
determine whether a particular web-based mental health
program for college students would be effective [4]. In the
study, participants reported reduced symptoms of depression
and anxiety following participation in the program.
A study examined the effectiveness of web-based mental
health interventions for college students using the results of
multiple studies [5]. Researchers determined that web-based
interventions reduced symptoms of mental health concerns
among college students.
Research suggests that college students can successfully
address mental health concerns through web-based
interventions.
Also, there has been research on using mobile
applications (commonly referred to as "apps") among college
students to address mental health concerns.
A feasibility and acceptability study design was used to
evaluate a mobile app for self-management of depression
symptoms among college students [6]. Participants received
positive feedback regarding the app's ease of use, well-
reception, and retention rate.
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are a powerful tool
for measuring the effectiveness of mobile app-based
interventions for student mental health. Several researchers
used randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in research studies
to investigate the effectiveness of mobile app-based
interventions for addressing mental health concerns among
college students.
RCT studies randomly assign participants to either an
intervention group (receiving the mobile app) or a control
group (not receiving the mobile app). This allows researchers
to compare the outcomes of the two groups and determine if
the mobile app effectively reduced mental health concerns
and symptoms.
In a randomized controlled trial, researchers evaluated
the effectiveness of a mobile app for the self-management of
anxiety symptoms among college students [7]. As a result,
participants found the app engaging, easy to use, and reduced
anxiety symptoms.
An application designed to deliver cognitive-behavioral
therapy interventions to college students suffering from
anxiety was evaluated using a randomized controlled trial
design [8]. Participants found the app easy to use and
effectively reduced anxiety symptoms.
It was examined whether a mobile app can assist college
students in self-managing stress and anxiety symptoms using
2
Authorized licensed use limited to: INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KHARAGPUR. Downloaded on January 20,2024 at 10:33:32 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
a randomized controlled trial design [9]. In addition to
reducing stress and anxiety symptoms, participants found the
app easy to use.
An intervention based on a mobile app was evaluated in a
randomized controlled trial to see if it was effective in
reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety among college
students [10]. The app's results demonstrated an effective
reduction of depression and anxiety symptoms.
The research employed a randomized controlled trial
design to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile app for
reducing stress and anxiety symptoms among college
students [11]. Another study aimed to evaluate the
effectiveness of a mobile app for self-management of
depression symptoms among college students using a
randomized controlled trial design [12].
Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of a mobile app
for reducing anxiety and depression symptoms among
college students using a randomized controlled trial [13]. The
study focused on reducing symptoms of stress and anxiety
among college students through an evidence-based
intervention delivered through a web and mobile platform
[14]. Research has shown that mobile app-based
interventions can effectively address college students' mental
health concerns.
Research papers have proposed using mobile apps and
web-based interventions to address mental health concerns
among college students.
The study proposed a hybrid intervention for college
students to address mental health concerns while utilizing a
web-based program and a mobile application [15].
The researcher reports on a trial using a mobile well-
being app and counseling for students with
anxiety/depression [16]. The result showed positive
outcomes, suggesting the app could help improve student
mental health with university counseling services.
The researchers discussed student perspectives on
university mental health support services [17]. The study
found a need for more accessible and tailored services. The
researchers stressed the importance of incorporating student
perspectives in enhancing mental health support.
Overall, research indicates that universities can better
support their student's mental health needs with these web
and mobile applications.
The following section covers the design of the proposed
"Moodschool" application.
III. PROPOSED SOLUTION
The proposed "Moodschool" application aims to improve
the mental health of college students by making college
counseling easily accessible, working to dispel the stigma
around mental health, and normalizing the idea of college
counseling.
K.J. Somaiya College of Engineering offers the facility of
counseling sessions to students. However, there is a lack of
mention of college counseling from a student's whole
curriculum. The information about counseling offered is
found on the deep pages of the college's official website.
A survey was conducted among students on
'Understanding the Approach to Counselling in College' to
 determine the degree of awareness among students regarding
the college's free counseling services. The result of the
survey is coved in Appendix I.
The questionnaire was circulated electronically to our
peers, and the results were drawn from 102 respondents. The
age bracket of the people who filled out the survey ranged
from 19 to 24 years of age.
On analyzing the students' responses, the observation was
that 44.1% had a frequently stressed lifestyle. 25.5% always
felt anxious and overwhelmed. These statistics prove that
most students (69.6%) struggle to cope with the challenges
and pressures in this age bracket.
Around 54% of students believed that their stress was not
only restricted to academics and careers but was also because
of other personal factors. 71.6% believed that students could
seek help if they wished to, despite stable grades and overall
social life.
This shows that there is a common misconception that a
student with visibly low performance is 'eligible' to seek
counseling, but that is not the case. Any student can seek
help if they wish to, despite having an ostensibly normal
student lifestyle.
Mental health is still a sensitive topic among students;
around 39.2% of the surveyed students deny that they need
help or refuse to seek it because of the stigma associated with
it. This iterates the need to destigmatize mental health in
schools and colleges and to make the subject a part of
everyday life.
The survey also showed that 58.8% of the students were
unaware of the counseling offered on college campuses. This
indicates that counseling might be treated merely as a
formality and a covert practice only for academically poor
students. Inaccessible college counseling potentially sends a
misguided message that deepens the stigma around mental
health.
Among the surveyed students, 70.6% agreed that an
accessible counseling tool would normalize taking help in
college, and 56.3% of students were willing to seek
counseling if the process is readily-accessible through an
application.
The survey's findings demonstrated the need for a
platform where college students could interact with one
another, share ideas, and seek guidance from people who are
best suited to help them. For example, students can
communicate with their college counselors. In addition, the
student can set up visits following their degree of comfort
and the counselor's available times.
The 'moodschool' is a proposed application that aims to
improve the lifestyle of college students by providing
accessible therapy/counseling sessions free of cost. Seeking
help in college can be a daunting step for students, and this
application aims to make it an easy and normal process for
them.
It is to be noted that the proposed application does not
aim to make counseling sessions available on an online
platform, as it might create a gap between the therapist and
the student. Instead, the application aids in 'scheduling' an
offline therapy session for the students.
Features of the proposed application
3
Authorized licensed use limited to: INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KHARAGPUR. Downloaded on January 20,2024 at 10:33:32 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
The user has to log in/sign up to moodschool to access all
the application features.
1. Booking a Counselling Session: The registered
student user can select a therapist from the provided
list of verified college counselors. When choosing
the therapist, the student can pick the desired date
and time from the available slots. The selected
therapist is informed of the scheduled therapy
session and the student's information upon
confirmation.
2. Share Stories: It allows the registered students to
write about mental health-related themes, share their
own stories, and give advice to other students by
submitting their stories in the form provided in this
tab. The students have a choice to submit their
stories anonymously.
3. Read Stories: It displays the reviewed and selected
stories shared by the students for other users and
counselors to read.
4. Podcasts: This tab lists the featured podcasts on
topics related to adolescent lifestyle, mental health
stories, and other related topics aligned with
improving student lifestyles.
5. Tips: This feature allows registered therapists to
provide general tips and exercises to tackle daily
symptoms of stress, anxiety, and panic, which the
users can read and scroll.
Appendix II covers the proposed application's selected
web and mobile user interface screens.
IV. CONCLUSION
The present study examines the prevalence and
challenges related to mental health among college students.
Mental health encompasses various aspects, such as
emotional, psychological, physical, and social well-being.
Unfortunately, the negative social stigma associated with
mental health disorders, including depression and therapy,
often leads to these issues going undetected among college
students. This paper aims to identify potential solutions that
can help normalize therapy and improve the overall lifestyle
of college students by recognizing the vital role that
educational institutions, such as universities and colleges,
can play in addressing mental health concerns.
REFERENCES
[1] Montagni, I., Tzourio, C., Cousin, T., Sagara, J. A., Bada-Alonzi, J.,
& Horgan, A. (2020). Mental health-related digital use by university
students: a systematic review. Telemedicine and e-Health, 26(2), 131-
146.
[2] El Morr, C., Ritvo, P., Ahmad, F., Moineddin, R., & MVC Team.
(2020). Effectiveness of an 8-week web-based mindfulness virtual
community intervention for university students on symptoms of
stress, anxiety, and depression: randomized controlled trial. JMIR
Mental Health, 7(7), e18595.
[3] S., Backhaus, I., Mohbin, N., Ngo, H. T., & Khoo, S. (2022).
Effectiveness of digital mental health interventions for university
students: an umbrella review. PeerJ, 10, e13111.
[4] Hensel, J. M., Shaw, J., Ivers, N. M., Desveaux, L., Vigod, S. N.,
Cohen, A., ... & Bhatia, R. S. (2019). A web-based mental health
platform for individuals seeking specialized mental health care
services: multicenter pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Journal
of Medical Internet Research, 21(6), e10838.
[5] Gordon, D., Hensel, J., Bouck, Z., Desveaux, L., Soobiah, C.,
Saragosa, M., ... & Shaw, J. (2021). Developing an explanatory
 theoretical model for engagement with a web-based mental health
platform: results of a mixed methods study. BMC psychiatry, 21(1),
417.
[6] Na, H., Jo, M., Lee, C., & Kim, D. (2022, September). Development
and Evaluation: A Behavioral Activation Mobile Application for Self-
Management of Stress for College Students. In Healthcare (Vol. 10,
No. 10, p. 1880). MDPI.
[7] Ponzo, S., Morelli, D., Kawadler, J. M., Hemmings, N. R., Bird, G.,
& Plans, D. (2020). Efficacy of the digital therapeutic mobile app
BioBase to reduce stress and improve mental well-being among
university students: randomized controlled trial. JMIR mHealth and
uHealth, 8(4), e17767.
[8] Purkayastha, S., Addepally, S. A., & Bucher, S. (2020). Engagement
and usability of a cognitive behavioral therapy mobile app compared
with web-based cognitive behavioral therapy among college students:
randomized heuristic trial. JMIR human factors, 7(1), e14146.
[9] Bruhns, A., Lüdtke, T., Moritz, S., & Bücker, L. (2021). A mobile-
based intervention to increase self-esteem in students with depressive
symptoms: Randomized controlled trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth,
9(7), e26498.
[10] McCloud, T., Jones, R., Lewis, G., Bell, V., & Tsakanikos, E. (2020).
Effectiveness of a mobile app intervention for anxiety and depression
symptoms in university students: randomized controlled trial. JMIR
mHealth and uHealth, 8(7), e15418.
[11] Harrer, M., Adam, S. H., Fleischmann, R. J., Baumeister, H.,
Auerbach, R., Bruffaerts, R., ... & Ebert, D. D. (2018). Effectiveness
of an internet-and app-based intervention for college students with
elevated stress: randomized controlled trial. Journal of medical
Internet research, 20(4), e136.
Appendix I
Fig. 1. Survey Results
4
Authorized licensed use limited to: INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KHARAGPUR. Downloaded on January 20,2024 at 10:33:32 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
[12] Bruhns, A., Baumeister, A., Demeroutis, G., Jahn, H., Willenborg, B.,
Shaffy, A., ... & Bücker, L. (2022). A mobile-based aftercare
intervention to increase self-esteem in inpatients diagnosed with
depression: A randomized controlled trial. Psychotherapy Research,
1-20.
[13] Christoforou, M., Sáez Fonseca, J. A., & Tsakanikos, E. (2017). Two
novel cognitive behavioral therapy–based mobile apps for
agoraphobia: randomized controlled trial. Journal of medical Internet
research, 19(11), e398.
[14] Lattie, E. G., Cohen, K. A., Hersch, E., Williams, K. D., Kruzan, K.
P., MacIver, C., ... & Mohr, D. C. (2022). Uptake and effectiveness of
a self-guided mobile app platform for college student mental health.
Internet Interventions, 27, 100493.
[15] Harrer, M., Apolinário-Hagen, J., Fritsche, L., Salewski, C.,
Zarski, A. C., Lehr, D., ... & Ebert, D. D. (2021). Effect of an
internet-and app-based stress intervention compared to online
psychoeducation in university students with depressive
symptoms: Results of a randomized controlled trial. Internet
interventions, 24, 100374.
[16] Broglia, E., Millings, A., & Barkham, M. (2019). Counseling
with guided use of a mobile well-being app for students
experiencing anxiety or depression: clinical outcomes of a
feasibility trial embedded in a student counseling service.
JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 7(8), e14318.
[17] Priestley, M., Broglia, E., Hughes, G., & Spanner, L. (2022). Student
perspectives on improving mental health support services at
university. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 22(1).
 Appendix II

Fig. 2. Selected Web and Mobile Screens of the proposed application

5
Authorized licensed use limited to: INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KHARAGPUR. Downloaded on January 20,2024 at 10:33:32 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.