Increasing severity of presenting problems in college counseling centers: A closer look

Dealing with increasing numbers of college students who present with serious psychological problems has been identified as a significant challenge for counseling centers in the current decade. On the basis of their review of research, G. L. Stone and J. Archer (1990) concluded that the level of psychopathology among counseling center clients increased during the 1980s and likely would continue to do so into the 1990s. A closer look at the research shows that there is the perception among counseling center practitioners that psychopathology is on the rise but little direct evidence to support such a trend. Although not necessarily on the increase, there is empirical evidence that certain forms of psychological disturbance are not uncommon among clinical and nonclinical college student samples. Implications for counseling center research and practice based on this literature review are discussed.