Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

1980

Thesis Director

William T. Roberts

Abstract

In May of 1980, this survey was conducted to determine students’ needs and perceptions of university counseling at Eastern Illinois University. 158 students were surveyed using questionnaires. Three areas were focused on: (1) Students’ perceptions of the university counseling center, (2) Students’ needs for counseling, and (3) Students’ willingness to go to the counseling center for help with these needs. The findings suggested that students were generally unaware of the services offered at the counseling center and perceived the center as appropriate for help with educational and vocational problems, but less appropriate for personal and social problems. Students’ chief concerns were feelings of depression and “making it” in a career. Choice of a major, drugs, and alcohol were of least concern. Students were willing to go to the counseling center to discuss educational and vocational problems, but there was a significant decline in the frequency with which they expressed a willingness to go to the center for help with personal and social problems. The implications are that students’ perceptions of the counseling center primarily reflected their lack of knowledge of information about it rather than the nature of the quality of services actually provided. Further findings indicated that, written information, the counseling center’s primary method of informing students of their services should be accompanied with a counselor presenting information in person in order to correct students’ perceptions. The counseling center uses the term “Counselor” in relationship to its services. Implications are that this term is too generic to ensure that students will get a clear understanding of the counselor’s functions. The counseling center may do well to inform the students that they are counseling psychologists or clinical psychologists when appropriate. Counselors who are not should more effectively inform students that they are legitimate sources of help with personal and social problems. This may increase the likelihood that students will seek help from the center more frequently for assistance with their problems, including personal and social problems.

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