an update to asg senate on caps

7/29/2019 An Update to ASG Senate on CAPS

1/17

An Update to ASG:

Counseling and Psychological Services

Dr. John H. Dunkle, Executive Director

January 30, 2013


2/17

Why Health and Wellness?

Wellness must be a prerequisite to all else.

Students cannot be intellectually proficientif they are physically and

psychologically unwell.

~ Ernest Boyer


3/17

Comprehensive Approach To mental

Health Services: Basic Assumptions

Community Issue

Services and programs must be data-driven

Services and programs must be driven by best

practices

Scope of services must be commensurate with

allocated resources


4/17

The JED Foundation/Suicide Prevention Resource Center:

Comprehensive Approach to Suicide Prevention and

Mental Health Promotion

Model forComprehensive

Suicide Preventionand Mental Health

Promotion

IdentifyStudents at

Risk

Increase

Help-seekingBehavior

ProvideMentalHealth

Services

Follow CrisisManagementProcedures

RestrictAccess to

PotentiallyLethal Means

Develop LifeSkills

Promote

SocialNetworks

http://www.jedfoundation.org/professionals/increase-help-seeking-behavior


5/17

Counseling & Psychological Services

Offices in Evanston

and Chicago

Serves

Undergraduate,Graduate, and

Professional Students


6/17

Clinical Unit

Outreach

andEducation

CommunityRelations

TrainingUnit



7/17

Great Plans Already Underway

7

CAPS 2010-2017 Strategic Plan: Cultivating Healthy Minds and Balanced Lives:

http://www.northwestern.edu/counseling/media/pdfs/caps10-17.pdf

Campus Coalition on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

CAPS launched Question-Persuade-Refer (QPR) Suicide Prevention Training in March

2012

CAPS will pilot an Emotional Intelligence class in the McCormick School of Engineering

in spring 2013

CAPS welcomed two brand new permanent professional staff members, including a

Case Manager, in summer 2012

Collaboration with the Feinberg School of Medicine

Essential NU on Mental Health in Fall 2013


8/17

*Includes undergraduate, graduate, and professional students



9/17

Provide Mental Health Services: Clinical Trends at CAPS

Since 2009, CAPS has seen a 7% increase in demand for clinical services

CAPS Crisis appointments have increased by 25% since 2009

CAPS also has increased Outreach and Education Services (OES) with the

implementation of QPR and expansion of the Stress Clinic. CAPS has reached 600

community members with QPR and has had an 85% increase in the Stress Clinic in

one year.


10/17

Provide Mental Health Services:

Current Clinical Resources at CAPS

CAPS current staff to student ratio =

1 to 1196

COHFE Peers staff to student ratio =

1 to 940


11/17

*Includes undergraduate, graduate, and professional students



12/17

Provide Mental Health Services:

Student Feedback about CAPS*

Dissatisfaction with being referred off-campus

Dissatisfaction with wait list for assignment to on-going therapy

Dissatisfaction with session limit (12 sessions for academic program)

Dissatisfaction with accessing a therapist quickly.

* Based on CAPS Satisfaction Surveys and COFHE Survey data. Anecdotally, other feedback has emerged inThe Daily and otherpublications, expressing concerns about mental health resources.


13/17

Capacity issue =

Increase

Clinical

Demands

and

Severity

IncreaseOutreach

and

Education

Current CAPS

Resources


14/17

CAPS FY 2014 Budget Request*

Staff Psychologist 1 will also serve as Coordinator of Suicide Prevention Programs (this type of

position exists at several of our peer institutions)

Staff Psychologist 2 will have an expertise in multicultural counseling issues to help address

the specific mental health needs of our students of color and GLBTQ students

Staff psychologist 3 will be a generalist but, preferably, have an expertise in Dialectical

Behavior Therapy (long-term therapy option)

* Increasing the staff by three psychologists will improve CAPS staff to student ratio to 1 to 995.


15/17

CAPS FY 2014 Other Budget Request

Rationale: Peer listening programs are common offerings on campuses to help reach

troubled students and to encourage them to seek professional help. Data from the

Northwestern Suicide Survey revealed that if a student told anyone about being suicidal,

he/she would tell another student/friend. Peer Listening program would be another way to

help increase help-seeking behavior.

Such a program must be run by a mental health professional if it is going to be done

responsibly and ethically. NU Listens was developed by students but is not implemented

because there is not appropriate training and supervision resources.

Based on other model programs, we propose a Staff Psychologist to coordinate the program

and to provide on-going training and supervision. In addition, such a program would require

two graduate assistants to help run the service.

Other costs would include phone lines, office space, and computer hardware and software.


16/17

Future Plans

Continue Campus Coalition on Mental Health

Explore potential for increasing session limits with

commensurate increase in staff

Implement Essential NU

Continue to explore longer-term therapy options,

such as expansion of our group therapy program Explore capacity to add a peer listening program


17/17

Questions

CAPS Update

an update to asg senate on caps

Documents