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Abstract
To address the mental health needs of students, UK universities offer bespoke student counselling services. Economic pressures have led services to find innovative ways of redesigning their service pathway. Few studies have investigated staff perceptions of these changes. The aim of this study was to investigate perceptions of staff employed as counsellors at a student counselling service at a UK university that underwent service delivery changes. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with counsellors (n = 5). Framework analysis was used to identify themes and meta-themes. Five meta-themes were identified: the overarching service ethos and service working style; change in the university context; impact of change on working practice; recording and perceived impact on confidentiality; acceptability and effectiveness. Changes to the service resulted in a more efficient service that is perceived to be more acceptable to students. Staff perceptions differed regarding how changes have affected their counselling practice. Despite these differences, the increase in workload was consistently expressed. Tensions remain as staff strive to maintain high standards of service in this changing context. Future research should investigate the process of developing and implementing change as student counselling services strive to evolve sustainable ways of working.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the staff of the counselling service for their support of this study. We particularly thank staff who took part in interviews for providing consent for their quotes to be used in publication.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes on contributors
Dr Eve Randall (MSc, MRCPsych, MBChB) is a specialty higher trainee in general adult and old-age psychiatry. She completed the current study as part of her MSc in Psychiatry. She has an enduring interest in the mental health of students and is an active member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Dr Bridgette Bewick (PhD, CPsychol) is an Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds. Bridgette has a track record of research investigating health and well-being of university students. With a specialist interest in student alcohol consumption, she is an active researcher in the field of addiction and a world expert on the use of the Social Norms Approach. Her significant contribution to the addiction field was recognised by her being awarded the 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction Fred Yates Prize.