UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA COUNSELING CENTER
®
ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018
contents 5 6 8 10 20 22
HISTORY
DIRECTOR’S WELCOME
VISION, MISSION & VALUES
CLINICAL SERVICES
GROUP COUNSELING
PREVENTION PROGRAMMING & CONSULTATION
23
TRAINING & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
28
EXTERNAL ROTATION/SUMMER SPECIALIZATION PROJECTS
30
SOCIAL JUSTICE & DIVERSITY INITIATIVES
32
LOOKING AHEAD
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University of South Florida | ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 3 ®
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History Initially known as the Developmental Center, the USF Counseling Center (USFCC) opened along with the University in 1960. The Center’s mandate was to facilitate student adjustment to college life through enhancing students’ mental health, career planning, and academic functioning. Since its inception, the Center has evolved significantly in regard to the breadth and quality of services offered and the credentials of the professional staff. In the early 1970s, the Center was accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS) and has maintained its accreditation since that time. The early ’70s marked the beginning of a period of expansion in which new programs and services were added, including the University Police consultation program, the Office of Veterans Services program, reading credit courses, and the practicum-training and pre-doctoral training programs (accredited by APA in 1983). A formal outreach program was established in 1981 to serve the needs of a rapidly growing student population, and an expansion in the 1990s led to the
addition of several new programs including the Employee Assistance Program, the Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse, and the Learning Disabilities Program. In the 2000s, as a result of a series of administrative, operational, and fiscal changes, as well as the increasing demand for clinical services, many programs were transferred out of the Center and established as independent programs. USFCC currently provides clinical, training, and outreach services to the diverse USF Tampa community and is a part of USF’s Student Affairs and Student Success Wellness Unit. When fully staffed, the Center employs 28 full-time and five part-time mental health professionals, including psychologists, social workers, and mental health clinicians. USFCC also provides training to four postdoctoral fellows, three doctoral interns, and a varying number of graduate student clinicians annually.
University of South Florida | ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 5 ®
Director’s Welcome
Scott Strader, PhD Director, Counseling Services
We are proud to serve the USF community by providing comprehensive mental health prevention, consultation and treatment services. In collaboration with other Wellness USF departments, the Counseling Center meets the emotional and psychological needs of students by offering high quality individual, couples, and group psychotherapy, open-access “drop in” groups, consultation with faculty, staff, and student organizations, and prevention activities designed to increase awareness of, and alleviate, emotional concerns. Through evidenced-based, short-term individual treatment, a robust offering of group modalities, timely, responsive, and valued consultation and primary prevention programming, the Counseling Center has built a reputation for empathic, effective, expert care and support. We take seriously this public trust, and strive to continuously improve in ways that enhance the emotional well-being of the community. Meeting the needs of the diverse USF student body is challenging, and we work diligently to be responsive to concerns. The Counseling Center is grateful for collaborative relationships with the Center for Student Well-Being, Success & Wellness Coaching, Student Outreach & Support/Student of Concern & Assessment Team, Student Health Services, and the Center for Victim Advocacy that help us achieve our goals. As part of this interconnected Wellness team, we are able to provide holistic care for our students
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and we are gratified by the results we have produced: improvements in overall client functioning, decreases in symptoms and enhanced well-being, high client satisfaction with care provided, and frequent self-reports of improved academic functioning and retention as a result of our services. In May, we were proud to be recognized alongside our Wellness USF partners as the winner of the 2018 Active Minds Healthy Campus Award, designating USF as one of America’s Healthiest Campuses and the only university in Florida to earn this designation. As you will see from this year’s Annual Report, we are a busy and comprehensive center. As requests for service have increased, we have responded creatively and innovatively with new programs, enhanced services, and effective partnerships with other USF departments. As part of the USF MWell4Success initiative, we were able to expand service offerings and availability. Our training programs are nationally recognized and accredited, providing trainees with quality supervision and a comprehensive training experience. In the year ahead, we look forward to continuing to provide expert treatment and support, with a strong and diverse staff of mental health professionals who care deeply about the emotional health and well-being of our community.
Go Bulls!
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Vision, Mission & Values OUR VISION:
OUR MISSION:
Flexibly meeting the changing mental health needs of a diverse campus community through sustainable inter-professional partnerships, and providing inclusive, innovative, and accessible mental health services.
To promote the well-being of the campus community by providing culturally sensitive, evidence-based counseling, consultation, prevention and training dedicated to student academic and personal success.
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OUR VALUES: INTEGRITY: Consistently practicing honesty, authenticity, transparency, and ethical decision-making
EXCELLENCE: Remaining productive and accountable to stakeholders, while flexibly innovating to enhance continued growth and development
COLLABORATION: Fostering the open exchange of ideas and building upon the unique talents and strengths of others
EQUITY AND INCLUSION: Demonstrating commitment to social justice, cultural humility, and equity in access to resources
BALANCE: Striving for
equilibrium among personal and professional values and needs, while maintaining growth as individuals and as an organization
University of South Florida | ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 9 ®
Clinical Services The USF Counseling Center (USFCC) is committed to providing a wide range of clinical services to our diverse campus population. These include individual counseling, couples counseling, group counseling, crisis intervention, non-clinical consultations, referral coordination, and case management. USF Bulls scheduled 24,873 clinical appointments at the Counseling Center in the past year, which is a 26 percent increase in appointments compared to the prior year, and a 39 percent increase over the last 5 years. To meet the increased demand for services from the general student population, USFCC continued to use innovative practices that aligned resources with students’ levels of need and risk. For example, students were often encouraged to supplement intermittent individual counseling services with attending drop-in groups, using online skill-building modules, and participating in the Wellness Coaching program offered by our campus partners. In addition, the Center began offering individual counseling services during evening hours at two satellite clinics last year to ensure that students with non-traditional schedules had access to services. A total of 272 students received services at either the Student Health Services satellite office clinic, which opened in fall 2017, or the FIT satellite office clinic that opened in the new USF Housing Village in spring 2018.
COUNSELING Our individual counseling services focus on providing short-term, goal-oriented sessions that empower students to identify and take steps to maximize their experiences as USF Bulls. Often, our counselors encourage students to use other services such as our 4-week resiliency MOVE Forward seminar, or the online modules available through TAO Connect to supplement their work in counseling, or maintain the progress they have made after completing counseling. The Center provided services to 3,577 unique students in the past year. This represents a 16 percent increase from the year prior and a 39 percent increase over the past 5 years. The Center also provides couples counseling to students each year, although each member of the couple has to be an enrolled student for the couple to be eligible for services. USF students can request urgent appointments at the Counseling Center and 1,212 were seen, representing a 23 percent increase compared to the year before and a 309 percent increase over the past 5 years. Of note, this data is consistent with national data suggesting that more counseling resources are being used to manage urgent needs. USF students also made 395 calls to the Center’s after-hours service, which allows 24-hour access to licensed mental health providers.
USF BULLS SCHEDULED 24,873 CLINICAL APPOINTMENTS AT THE COUNSELING CENTER IN THE PAST YEAR:
26% increase in appointments compared to the prior year 39% increase over the last 5 years. 10 University of South Florida | COUNSELING CENTER ®
THERAPY ASSISTED ONLINE (TAO) TAO offers USF students the opportunity to work on their mental health concerns using online and mobile tools. Students can use TAO to supplement their work in counseling, to maintain the gains they have made in counseling, or on their own through the self-help option. After their initial appointment, TAO Connect also allows many students to connect with counselors online, if their schedules prevent them from making it to campus for appointments. Online modules are available to help students learn skills to deal with stress, anxiety, depression, interpersonal relationship concerns, pain management, and substance use recovery. In the past year 670 USFCC clients used TAO Connect to supplement counseling services, with a further 27 students using self-help sessions.
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CLIENT CHARACTERISTICS USFCC serves a diverse range of clients that are representative of the USF student population. Offering culturally sensitive and competent services is central to our mission. Of the clients who used USFCC’s services in the past year, there were 312 international students from 108 different countries. We also served 931 first-generation students, and 196 students who disclosed that they had a documented and diagnosed disability. Twenty-three percent of our clients indicated that they have physical health problems and 78.5 percent of them indicated that they had access to health insurance.
Client Demographics
12.30% 11%
AFRICAN-AMERICAN/BLACK AMERICAN INDIAN/ALASKAN NATIVE
0.20% 0.20%
ASIAN AMERICAN/ASIAN
9.60% 7.50% 18.10% 20.10%
HISPANIC/LATINA 9.70% 11%
INTERNATIONAL MULTI-RACIAL OTHER
5.50% 3.80% 3.40% 3.40% 49.50% 53.80%
WHITE 0.00%
10.00%
USFCC 2017-2018
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20.00%
30.00%
USF Student Body 2017-2018
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Gender Identity 2017-2018
Gender Identity 2017-2018
WOMAN......................................................................65.6% MAN............................................................................ 30.1% GENDER NONCONFORMING.....................................2.3% Sexual Orientation 2017-2018 NO RESPONSE ............................................................2.7%
Sexual Orientation 2017-2018
Sexual Orientation 2017-2018
HETEROSEXUAL/STRAIGHT.....................................72.2% LESBIAN........................................................................2.0% GAY.................................................................................2.7% BISEXUAL....................................................................11.5% QUESTIONING..............................................................3.8% OTHER............................................................................3.6% NO RESPONSE.............................................................5.2%
Clinical Services (continued) University of South Florida | ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 13 ®
Common Concerns In the past year, USF students used the Center to address a wide range of presenting concerns and clinical diagnoses. On average, students attended four sessions of individual counseling. The ten most common concerns based on the Clinician Index of Client Concerns (CLICC) form, which is completed by providers after each client’s first session, are shown in the graf to the right. Although USF students use USFCC to gain skills to manage a wide range of issues, including academic issues and self-esteem concerns, consistent with national data, the severity of the problems being treated at the Center has increased over time.
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Percent of students who presented with 10 most common presenting concerns listed in order of most to least common in 2017-2018 based on the CLICC.
Client Presenting Concerns 2017-2018 64.10%
ANXIETY 54.20%
DEPRESSION
50.20%
STRESS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
34.90%
FAMILY
34.80%
INTERPERSONAL FUNCTIONING
27.40%
SLEEP
27.10%
RELATIONSHIP PROBLEM
26.50% 23.10%
SELF-ESTEEM/CONFIDENCE
19.50%
ATTENTION/CONCENTRATION DIFFICULTIES
Percent of students endorsing various concerns during their 1st appointment.
37.5
33.9 24.3 16.1
27.6 22.3
27.5
39.6
42.9
31.8
28.4
24.8
20.8
18
7.9 8.9
8.2
11.6
PR IO R
HO SP IT AL IZ AT NE IO M ED N AR TO IJ RE UA DU NA CE US DR E UG S/ AL CO HO L SE LF -IN CO JU NS RY ID ER ED SU AT IC UN TE ID E M W PT AN E TE D SU D SE IC XU ID E AL EX PE RI HA EN RA CE SS M EN T/ AB US PT E SD EX PE RI EN CE
45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
Change in Severity over 3-year Period at Intake
2014-2015
2017-2018
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CLIENT OUTCOMES Each USF student who used individual counseling services at the Counseling Center completed a brief pre-visit assessment to help their provider establish a baseline and assess their progress in counseling. The Behavioral Health Measure – 20 (BHM-20) assesses functioning in multiple areas and suggests that the majority of students who use the Counseling Center experience improved functioning as a result of their counseling experience.
Percent of students who have recovered or improved on BHM-20 scores; Improved clients include those clients who also Recovered
Counseling Outcomes, BHM-20 LIFE FUNCTIONING
27.80%
54.20% 65.80%
EATING DISORDER SYMPTOMS WELL-BEING
48.00%
65.70%
36.80%
61.00%
ALCOHOL/DRUGS
60.80%
SUICIDE
62.40%
DEPRESSION
76.40%
29.70%
ANXIETY
32%
GLOBAL MENTAL HEALTH
33%
78.40% 78.40% 58.40% 62% 63%
Recovered
Improved
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Satisfaction Survey Our demonstrated commitment to meet the needs of our diverse USF student body includes offering each student who has used services the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience at the end of each semester. A total of 333 students completed the survey in fall 2017 and a total of 513 students completed the survey in spring 2018. Some of the survey results are summarized below.
93% indicated they would utilize services if they needed help in the future 94% indicated they would recommend services to a friend 87% were satisfied with the accomplishments that they made in counseling 87% felt that what they learned in counseling led to positive changes in their lives 89% were overall satisfied with their counseling experience STUDENT COMMENTS: “Overall, I think the experience I had at the Counseling Center was extremely beneficial. My counselor is the best counselor I’ve ever had, and she really helped me in ways that I [could not have] imagined. I really feel as though my time at the USF Counseling Center was well used and extremely beneficial to my mental fortitude and academic success.” “My counselor was very helpful to me in dealing with my trauma. The sessions helped me to decrease the stress that I was feeling throughout the day. My stress with the trauma has significantly decreased.”
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“My counselor was amazing… she was very supportive and helped me when I thought help wasn’t possible for me. The counseling sessions have, without a doubt, changed my perspective and made me feel more satisfied with life. I have no regrets going to her for help and would gladly recommend her to any of my friends who are struggling.” “I am so happy I found and used their services and have recommended it to others! Very helpful! I feel a lot better and more in control thanks to them.” “My counselor is a great listener and communicator. She is insightful and wise as well. I love that she provides me with tasks I can try at home in between sessions, and also resources I can use to help.”
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Group Counseling USFCC has a robust group program. The Center offered a total of 41 groups, including interpersonal process groups, specialty groups, drop-in groups, and seminar series groups. Overall 1,996 students benefitted from group services, a 16 percent increase from the year prior. Research consistently demonstrates that group counseling is an effective treatment modality for a range of mental health concerns and our students agree:
Client Comments About Group: “It really helps to see and hear other’s stories. It really puts things in perspective.” “I loved group. I would do it again in a heartbeat!” “I loved hearing others’ stories. Made me feel like I was not alone.” “Group is such a great place to grow and be accountable. Safe place where your voice is heard.” “Do it! It’s nice and helpful to have the support from students who may be experiencing the same thing.” “Being able to express my experiences and concerns to the group and get genuine feedback from everyone.” “The diversity of members and the nonjudgmental and welcoming environment.” “The input from other people, it was helpful seeing other perspectives.” 20 University of South Florida | COUNSELING CENTER ®
100 GROUP FEEDBACK:
%
would recommend group to a friend
100% were satisfied with the quality
99%
97%
89%
of their group experience
felt that group facilitators were effective felt that what they learned in counseling led to positive changes in their lives agreed that group helped them to improve their ability to understand and interact with people who were different from them
In spring 2018, the USFCC began offering an innovative seminar series called MOVE Forward. This four-week seminar series focused on helping students to develop resilience through teaching principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, including Mindfulness, Openness, Values, and Engagement. In all, 173 students attended the 59 MOVE Forward sessions that were offered in spring and summer 2018.
Groups offered in the past year: • •
Understanding Self and Others Understanding Self and Others, Graduate Students • Focused Brief Group Therapy • Balancing Emotions • Resiliency Bootcamp • Building Strength in Remembrance • LGBTQ+
• • • • • • •
Men’s Group Our Voices (Students of Color) Overcoming Addictive Behaviors Mindfulness Meditation Learning to Let Go Emotional Expression Through Art Relationship Reality
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Prevention Programming & Consultation USFCC prides itself on providing prevention programming and consultation. Campus partners and community members may request general or targeted programming. These programs allow us to reach students who may not use the Center’s services. We also offer training programs to USF faculty and staff to help them respond to, identify and refer students who may be in the early stages of distress. During the past year, USFCC offered 191 consultations to 3,420 community members, and engaged in 105 outreach activities that served an additional 4,035 USF community members. Throughout the year, USFCC consults with key stakeholders to assist with the management of critical incidents on campus. This can include death notifications after the death of a student or beloved faculty member, or group interventions to students impacted by tragedies locally, nationally, or internationally. In fall 2017, when Hurricane Irma hit the Tampa Bay area, a four-member team of USFCC providers “hunkered down” with hundreds of university students – many of whom were international students who could not evacuate – in residential housing facilities. They provided a compassionate presence, distributed food, handed out cookies door to door, and created an #IRMA photo booth to keep spirits high over the 3-day period.
From left: Jordie Poncy, Amaliya Bereznuyk, Meghan Butler, and Shavern Browne host a photo booth at a residence hall during Hurricane Irma.
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CAMPUS CONNECT We offer Campus Connect suicide prevention training to our campus community. Developed by the Syracuse University Counseling Center, the program is experientially designed to enhance each participant’s knowledge, awareness and skills related to suicide among college students. The training is highly interactive, with future gatekeepers participating in multiple exercises to increase their ability to respond to college students with concerns related to suicide. Over the years, the Center has helped to train hundreds of gatekeepers, with a total of 299 USF faculty, staff and students being trained in the last year. In addition, last year USFCC provided Train the Trainer programming for 11 partners across the campus.
AFTER COMPLETING CAMPUS CONNECT TRAININGS:
98
%
90
90
of participants report feeling able to assist distressed students in accessing available referral resources
of participants feel it is their role to refer a suicidal student to the proper resources.
%
of participants agree that if someone is thinking about suicide, they should feel encouraged to talk about their suicidal thoughts
%
Comments from participants: “Perfect for beginners - common professionals without a background in mental health.” “I learned a lot from this course and have a greater understanding of mental illnesses.” “… these issues can be very sensitive, so the course helped ease some of my anxiety about helping students.” 24 University of South Florida | COUNSELING CENTER ®
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID Mental Health First Aid USA (MHFA) is an eight-hour certification training designed to give people the skills to confidently help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The course uses active engagement through role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to recognize and respond to the warning signs of specific illnesses commonly found among students on university campuses. The training assists First Aiders to reach out to those who are suffering in silence and are reluctant to seek help. With appropriate messaging, students know that support is available on campus and in the community and can find information on self-help strategies and campus and community resources. The program is listed in SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidenced-based Programs and Practices and is a low-cost, high-impact program that generates community awareness and support across
the campus.USFCC began offering MHFA trainings in June 2018 and has certified 51 members of the USF’s faculty and staff from 20 departments. Following the training, 100 percent of participants agreed that they “Now feel confident that they would be able to identify a student in distress” and “Know the resources available on campus to help students in distress,” while 98 percent reported that they “would be able to ask a student if they were having suicidal thoughts.” Further, all participants stated they would recommend the course to others. By July 2019, it is expected that more than 300 additional USF First Aiders will be trained to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders in students and have the capacity to provide support and link students to appropriate resources.
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Training & Professional Development Providing training opportunities to developing clinicians from multiple disciplines is fundamental to USFCC’s mission. The Center currently provides mental health training opportunities through its Postdoctoral Fellowship, Doctoral Internship, and Graduate Student Clinician training programs. Trainees can expect to learn and apply evidence-based treatment practices that are relevant to treating college populations, while receiving competency-based supervision from the Center’s excellent training staff. During the 2017-2018 training year, the Center attracted seven trainees (two graduate student clinicians, two postdoctoral psychology fellows, and three doctoral psychology interns) from clinical psychology, counseling psychology, and social work programs from across the country (Arizona, California, Florida, Missouri, and Wisconsin).
Highlights from the 2017-2018 Year INTERNSHIP REACCREDITATION PROCESS Our doctoral internship program has been consistently accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1983 and was due for reaccreditation in the 2017-2018 year. The first step in reaccreditation is writing the self-study, which entails demonstrating how the internship meets the Standards of Accreditation, established by the Committee on Accreditation (COA) of APA. Following the submission of the selfstudy, we hosted a successful site visit on June 11 and 12, 2018, and anticipate reaccreditation after the fall 2018 COA meeting.
DOCTORAL INTERN CONSULTATION PROJECTS Each year, our doctoral interns engage in a consultation project where they serve as a psychological consultant to USF campus departments. Interns build relationships, conduct needs assessments, identify and implement a relevant intervention, and evaluate the success of the intervention. Over the years, interns served as consultants to a range of campus partners including Residential Life and Education, New Student Connections, Student Health Services, Education Abroad, the College Assistance Migrant Program, the Office of Student Support Services, and the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity (Title IX Administration). Last year, our doctoral intern 26 University of South Florida | COUNSELING CENTER ®
cohort continued to strengthen the Center’s relationships with our campus partners through their consultation projects. Samantha Munson completed a project with the USF College of Medicine that involved her creating 4 short podcasts that focused on teaching mental wellness skills to medical students. Shavern Browne (a veteran herself) worked with the Office of Veteran Success to provide information on mental health issues to student veterans during orientation sessions. Finally, Shaina Smith worked with the USF Police Department to discuss emotional health in law enforcement. As is often the case, the impact of each of these projects will live on long after our interns have graduated from our training program.
USFCC sponsored nine professional development trainings for continuing education credit in 2017-2018. • Eating disorders • Trauma-dnformed treatment • Hormone replacement therapy • Ethic • Involuntary Hospitalizations • Working with Latinx students • Clinical documentation • Medical Interventions • Interpersonal violence University of South Florida | ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 27 ®
External Rotation/Summer Specialization Projects Our doctoral interns and postdoctoral fellows have the opportunity to complete a ten-week, 16-hour-per-week external rotation with an affiliated agency or develop a concentration in an area of counseling center work. Both postdoctoral fellows completed their external rotations at Tampa General Hospital shadowing medical psychologists and providing services to adult, adolescent, and child patients. Two of our doctoral interns completed their external rotations at James Haley Veteran’s Hospital providing psychological services to veterans under the supervision of VA psychologists. Our third intern completed an internal specialization in outreach and consultation, under the supervision of counseling center staff members. In part due to our external rotations, graduates of the Center’s training programs have accepted full-time employment in a range of sites including counseling centers, hospitals, private practice agencies, group practices, federal prisons, schools, and veteran’s administration hospitals.
STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT We sponsor professional development trainings for staff members and trainees throughout the year to so our providers continue to access evidence-based treatments for the concerns that are treated at the counseling center. These trainings also provide the continuing education credits necessary for our licensed providers to maintain their licensure status to practice in Florida. In addition to Center-sponsored training, many of our staff members attended local, regional, or national trainings or conferences to gain further exposure to evidence-based treatment practices, competency-based supervision practices, and national trends impacting counseling center best practices. For example providers attended 1-3 day trainings on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and 28 University of South Florida | COUNSELING CENTER ®
Commitment Therapy, Trauma-Informed Therapy, Accelerated Resolution Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Emotional-Focused Therapy. USFCC staff members attended and often participated
Samantha Munson, Shaina Smith, Michael Rogers (Assistant Director for Training), and Shavern Browne.
as presenters or panelists at the following national conferences: Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors, Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies, American Counseling
Association, American Psychological Association, Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers, American Group Psychotherapy Association, and the PCMH and Practice Transformation Summit. University of South Florida | ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 29 ®
Social Justice & Diversity Initiatives
USFCC providers are a very diverse group of professionals. We seek to create a welcoming environment for each and every member of the USF student body and actively recruit mental health professionals who represent diversity along many dimensions including gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic background, age, religion/spiritual practice, educational training, and theoretical orientation. It is important to us that every USF student feels safe and understood during their experience at the Center. As detailed in our Statement on Diversity and Social Justice, we strive to maintain an environment honoring and celebrating the multifaceted diversity of USF students and community members. We challenge ourselves to proactively demonstrate our commitment to diversity and social justice through our individual and collective actions, as well as through our relationships with campus partners.
We define “social justice” as a process of building individual and community capacity for collaborative action with the purpose of empowering all people, including disadvantaged and marginalized persons, to exercise self-determination and realize their full potential. SERVICE LEARNING EXPERIENCE In spring 2018, USFCC staff members engaged in a service-learning experience during which we partnered with Feeding Tampa Bay to collect food for those in the Tampa Bay community with food insecurity. Later, 21 USFCC staff members volunteered for several hours at 30 University of South Florida | COUNSELING CENTER ®
the Feeding Tampa Bay Distribution Center, where we sorted and packaged 6,529 meals for later distribution. Upon returning to campus, we reflected on themes of power and privilege, explored how the experience had impacted us as individuals and as a team, and discussed how our intersecting identities influenced our roles and engagement during the experience.
CAMPUS PARTNER COLLABORATIONS Throughout the year, USFCC collaborates with campus partners to reach students, many of whom may have been less likely to use mental health services. For example USFCC staff members partnered with the USF Office of Multicultural Affairs to host “Conversation Hours” for students impacted by potential legislative changes to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, as well as those who were negatively influenced by Hurricane Irma’s impact on Puerto Rico and other islands in the Caribbean. Our staff also conferred with campus partners on meeting the needs of students who were impacted by decisions that terminated the Temporary Protected Status of several groups in the US that are represented on campus. USFCC providers also partners annually with our colleagues in Residential Life and Education to help students
process their experiences following the Tunnel of Oppression, which is an interactive experience that examines contemporary issues of oppression, and challenges students to reconsider how they think about marginalized groups on campus and in society.
DIVERSITY COMMITTEES As providers we are also involved in committees that focus on diversity and social justice initiatives both within the department and across the university. Within the department, our Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (CODI) meets bi-weekly to explore and assess ways through which the Center might better serve the members of our diverse staff and the USF student body. Staff members also represent the Center on university committees, such as the President’s Committee on Issues of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
The USF Counseling Center believes in the rights of all human beings to self-determination and in the validity of all gender identities and gender expressions. We will call all students by their preferred name and use the pronouns they want us to use. We will continue to provide affirmative mental health services for all, including counseling, specific support groups, and assistance with transition and/or self-acceptance. All students are a vital part of the USF community. We fully respect everyone’s inherent human dignity, which can never be erased.
University of South Florida | ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 31 ®
Looking Ahead In the year ahead, we will continue using innovative strategies to increase access to quality mental health services for our campus community. A few of these initiatives are below. POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM EXPANSION
Dynamic staffing models are necessary to meet the rising demand for campus mental health services. We’ve added two postdoctoral fellowship positions to our existing well-established positions that focus on offering specialized training in primary care behavioral health in partnership with the USF Student Health Clinic. One of the new positions involved collaborating with USF St. Petersburg Wellness Center for a shared position that focuses on mental health service provision at different sized campuses. The provider in this position provides both traditional mental health and behavioral health consultation services. We also added a postdoctoral fellowship track focused exclusively on counseling work at the Tampa campus. This position helps to staff the Center’s satellite office locations. 32 University of South Florida | COUNSELING CENTER ®
LET’S TALK
In fall 2018, the Center will also begin to offer “Let’s Talk” consultation sessions in two locations: the main library and USF Health. The purpose is to reach students who may be more ambivalent about coming to the Center for help. Counselors will hold walk-in hours that allow students to speak with a counselor about concerns, get help problem-solving and learn more about counseling services and other resources available to them at USF. Let’s Talk is brief, requires little-to-no paperwork, does not require an appointment, is free, and takes place out of the Center, further expanding our services across campus.
SATELLITE LOCATION EXPANSION
The Center expects to open a third satellite clinic at the WELL in the USF Health complex during the fall 2018 semester. We hope that this clinic, which will offer evening hours, will make our services more accessible to the thousands of students who attend USF’s Morsani College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Public Health, School of Physical Therapy, School of Biomedical Sciences, and College of Pharmacy. The Center also expects to begin offering day hours at the satellite location in USF’s newest housing community, as the number of residential students on campus continues to expand.
SUPPORT FOR TRANSGENDER STUDENTS
USFCC has facilitated LGBTQ+ groups to provide additional support to the 24 percent of students who identify as LGBTQ+ and use the Center’s services. In fall 2018, the Center will offer a new group, Trueselves, which will provide confidential emotional support for students who identify as transgender, gender fluid, gender nonconforming, gender variant, non-binary or gender expansive. In addition, we work closely with the USF Student Health Center’s Haven Clinic to provide support for students who are interested in receiving Hormone Replacement Therapy to begin or continue the process of transition.
University of South Florida | ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 33 ®
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA® COUNSELING CENTER A Department of Student Affairs & Student Success usf.edu/student-affairs/counseling-center/ 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, SVC 2124 Tampa, FL 33620, USA • 813-974-2831