Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Thomas D. Hadley

Abstract

Mental health is a challenge that affects higher education. The problem for this study was that students at My Town College (a pseudonym) with psychological distress use the on-campus counseling center at a lower percentage than the national average for comparable colleges. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate why My Town College students use their on-campus counseling center at a lower percentage than other comparable institutions and to learn where students seek help for psychological distress. Chickering’s 7 vectors of development served as the theoretical foundation for this study. A random sample of 1,500 students, over 18 years old, enrolled for the Fall 2019 semester were e-mailed a unique survey link. One hundred and sixty-five (11%) students completed the survey online. Data were analyzed using descriptive statsitics and Chi Square test. Descriptive analysis showed what resources students use and what considerations students find most important when deciding where to seek help. A chi-square test of independence was conducted to examine if there are associations between the given student characteristics and counseling center usage. The findings indicated that students are using various sources on and off-campus for many reasons. The findings also showed no association between gender, race/ethnicity, being a first-generation college student, or being an emerging adult and counseling center usage. The findings indicated that the counseling center is not attracting students, and different approaches may increase students’ usage of existing resources. This study may have positive social change implications by describing how students seek help for psychological distress, which could be used to improve services for students.

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