4 - (Sym 20) An Examination of College Counseling Center Clinician and Student Experiences with the Pandemic-related Shift to Telehealth

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid transition to remote-delivered mental health care on college campuses. This shift offered an opportunity to examine clinician and student satisfaction with and attitudes toward in-person and remote-delivered mental health services.

Methods: Two questionnaire-based studies were conducted - one with college counseling center clinicians and one with college students. A total of 30 clinicians and 245 students who had used both in-person and remote campus counseling services completed the questionnaires. Participants were asked about their impressions of the switch to remote-delivered services using both free-response and multiple-choice questions. 

Results:  

The majority of clinicians (76.7%) reported that therapeutic alliance was unchanged after the switch to remote-delivered services and 75.1% of students reported their relationship with their counselor had improved or was unchanged. Most students (90.2%) indicated that remote-delivered services were as or more effective than in-person services. Many students (40.4%) and clinicians (36.7%) reported that access to campus mental health services had increased. Several students (42.9%) indicated that stigma of receiving campus mental health services decreased for remote-delivered services. However, students endorsed concerns about continued access barriers, such as a long waitlist (29.0%) and time constraints (23.7%). Clinicians reported benefits (e.g., increased flexibility and lack of commute) and challenges (e.g., social isolation, balancing home life, and problems with technology) of working from home to deliver services. Almost all students (96.7%) and clinicians (96.7%) affirmed that remote services should be offered post-pandemic.



Discussion:   Results from these studies demonstrate initial evidence for the acceptability of remote-delivered mental health services from both college students and clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond the pandemic, the continued offering of remote-delivered mental health services appears well-justified and should be carefully designed to minimize the burden on clinicians and students while maximizing the benefits.