Longwood University Counseling Center

Goal 1: Mastery of a broad body of knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences, so students can see things in perspective, appreciate and enjoy artistic expression, and critically and logically respond to the complex world around them.

The Counseling Center contributed to Goal 1 via involvement in the Longwood University Human and Animal Subjects Research Review Committee.
18 research proposals were reviewed (undergraduate, graduate, and faculty) during the Spring 2006 semester.

These efforts were assessed by collaboration with academic affairs (Chair, committee members, departments promoting research), outcome of proposal reviews, and successful research projects (publications, poster sessions, presentations).

Learning Outcomes include:

Expand experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students through the use of independent research experiences.
Help students to develop a value system that emphasizes lifelong learning and personal growth.
Promote an understanding of psychology and research at a much higher level.
Encourage students to enjoy conducting research and feel confident in their ability to tackle complex tasks.
Connect students to the professional community (associations, organizations, conferences).

Goal 2: Mastery of a specialized body of knowledge, so that students will have the expertise to be competitive and successful in their chosen careers.

This goal was not addressed this year.

Goal 3: A sense of personal direction, so students can plan their future wisely and with honor, acquiring self-understanding, self-confidence, and a meaningful philosophy of life.

The Counseling Center contributed to Goal 3 by providing professional counseling services (individual counseling and crisis intervention).

The Counseling services were assessed with intake data, case notes, and observations of problems, learning, changes, and evaluations.

Client evaluations indicated that 84.6% responded “better” or “much better” to “As a result of counseling, I now feel…”Results indicated that students gained self-knowledge, self-esteem, greater sense of purpose, increased personal meaning, and live more attentively. Students were educated about additional resources.

The Counseling Center will continue to provide professional counseling services to Longwood University students. An additional staff member will help meet the demands and expectations for services.

Goal 4: A balanced and healthy lifestyle, which means making responsible choices related to values, friends, family, work, recreation, and lifelong education.

The Counseling Center contributed to Goal 4 by its involvement with the Alcohol Education Courses, “First Round” and “Last Call.”

These efforts were assessed via student participation and completion of the processes and with student evaluations of the courses.

First Semester, 2005

First Round (78 participants)
The majority of the participants either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that the course helped them to...

gain a better understanding of myself (31.2%)
reflect on personal pros and cons of my drinking choices (71.4%)
learn to prevent or minimize the harm associated with my decisions (64.9%)
learn to be responsible for my choices and subsequent choices (70.12%)
as a result of the course…
    29.9% were considering a need to make a change
    51.9% decided to make a change
    18.2% saw no change as necessary

Last call (11 participants)
The percentages below represent the participants that responded “agree” or “strongly agree” to “this course helped me…”

understand addiction (72.7%)
understand the harmful effects of alcohol and marijuana on my body (72.7%)
explore the pros and cons of high and low risk behavior (81.8%)
understand the effects alcohol has on the college/university experience (54.5%)
become aware of the treatment options (36.4%)
as a result of this course…
    27.3% saw no change was necessary
    27.3% considered the need to change
    9.1% decided to make a change
    36.3% maintain my current level of change

The following are respentative answers to the question “What have you learned from this course?”:

First Round

I learned that it is important to think of the consequences.
I learned more about myself and who I am.
I need to be responsible for my own actions.
To be aware of my surroundings and try not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I’ve learned you can have fun without drinking excessively.
Drinking heavily is harmful to my health, grades, and future career.
Don’t drink as much.

Last Call

Alcohol can affect management of daily behavior.
Alcohol can be destructive.
Some of the effects of alcohol.

Second Semester, 2006

First Round (61 participants)

The following percentages of participants either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that the course helped them to...

gain a better understanding of myself (34.4%)
reflect on personal pros and cons of my drinking choices (45.9%)
learn to prevent or minimize the harm associated with my decisions (54.1%)
learn to be responsible for my choices and subsequent choices (62.3%)
as a result of the course…
    31.1% were considering a need to make a change
    29.5% decided to make a change
    37.7% saw no change as necessary
    1.6% no response

Last Call (38 participants)
The following percentages of participants either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that the course helped me:

understand addiction (57.1%)
understand the harmful effects of alcohol and marijuana on the body (67.9%)
explore the pros and cons of high and low risk behavior (57.1%)
understand the effects alcohol has on the college/university experience (60.7%)
become aware of the treatment options (50.0%)
as a result of this course…
    35.7% saw no change was necessary
    35.7% considered the need to change
    10.7% decided to make a change
    17.8% maintain my current level of change

The following are representative answers to the questions.”
“What have you learned from this course?”:

First Round: Other people’s stories
To act responsibly and be careful when out
Do not drink in public
I have to be careful about my choices (decisions)
Pros and cons of drinking
The effects of alcohol
How to take better care of myself
We all learn from our mistakes

Last Call: Less people drink than I thought
More about chemical dependency
Symptoms of dependency
The effects of drugs on the body
Chemical dependency can happen to anyone
The seriousness of alcohol abuse

One group (first round) used old evaluations by mistake (33 participants).
“What did you learn from this course?”:

The risks involved with drinking
How not to get in trouble
How to make better choices (safer decisions)
Drinking is not as popular on campus as some may think
    Statistics
    Greek life isn’t as big as I thought it was
    Alcohol does not help you sleep

Both Alcohol Courses will be revisited by the committee to decide what changes are necessary.

2. Food For Thought Series

The Fall 2005 Food For Thought Program Series offered the following presentations: Alcohol Use, Internet Use/Computer Games, Sleep, Relationships, Stress, and The Death of a Friend/Family Member. A total of 88 faculty, staff, and students attended, and the following percentages represent those who indicated “true” or “very true” to the following statements:

The topic was interesting to me (84.6%)
The presenter provided information in a clear and understandable manner. (100%)
The information was relevant to my classwork. (65.0%)

Some samples of statement about what participants learned:

Learning the legal repercussions of alcohol use.
What is happening in the residence halls in regard to alcohol?
What to eat before one goes to bed.
Ways to relax before I go to sleep.
Learning how much sleep I should get.
Ways to learn how to get to sleep.
Yoga.
Learn what I need to work on in my relationship.
How relationships have to mesh together.
That you have to get to know yourself.
Learning the effects of stress on a person, ways to deal with others.
Learning what happens to your body when you get stressed.
Understand why I stress.
Be able to recognize stress symptoms.
Learning that the grieving process is necessary, normal, and natural.
To not be afraid to talk about your grief to friends.
Know that other people go through the same thing.
What I was feeling was OK and normal.

The Food for Thought Series will be offered next year, consisting of different topics and presenters.

3. Individual counseling also contributed to the achievement of Goal 4.

Counseling was assessed through intake data, care roles, clinical observations of problems, learning, changes, and evaluations.

Results indicated that students made more informed and responsible decisions and committed to live a more healthy and congruent lifestyle. They overcame or eliminated self-defeating behaviors, functioned better, and felt better about themselves. There was evidence of the reduction of symptoms.

We will continue to provide professional counseling services to Longwood University students.

Goal 5: Interpersonal effectiveness and an appreciation of diversity and differences, so that students can establish genuine, trusting, and honorable relationship within the broad family of humanity.

Individual counseling contributed to the achievement of Goal 5.

Assessment was made through case notes and clinical observations.

Results indicated that there was improvement of students’ ability to develop satisfying, healthy relationships.

Students gained a more open-minded perspective and became more open to areas outside their natural comfort zone.

Goal 6: Responsible citizenship, so that students can do their best in ways uniquely their own and have motivation to contribute to a better life through community participation and leadership.

The Counseling Center contributed to the development of responsible citizenship by co-sponsoring the Peer Helper Program.

The efforts were evaluated via observation, evaluations, peer education efforts, community service projects such as the Angel Tree project.

Results demonstrate an increase awareness of a life/meaning bigger than the self and connection with the Farmville Community (Angel Tree project).

The Counseling Center will continue to provide support and respond to training needs. (Loris Stravers plays a key role).

Conclusions:

The 2006 Food For Thought Series will offer topics relevant to current Longwood students.

The Alcohol Course Committee plans to discuss whether any changes to the courses are needed. We might need to find an additional instructor and other students to teach the course.

The Counseling Center will continue to provide professional counseling services.

An additional counselor will enable us to meet the demands for individual counseling.

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