Thesis (M.Ed.)--Acadia University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 152-162). Also available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Little is known about the psychotherapy utilization, presenting concerns, and outcome differences between Black international and African American university students. The aim of this research is to identify potential similarities and differences between the two groups, as well as potential differences between the aforementioned groups and white students. This study examined archival data collected over the course of a 17-year period that focused on experiences of African-American, Black international, and White students at a large university in the Rocky Mountain West, United States. More specifically, archival data were analyzed to identify differences between the aforementioned groups of students in regard to psychotherapy utilization, presenting concerns, distress levels endorsed at intake, and distress levels endorsed at termination. Results indicate significant differences between African-American, Black international, and White student groups in terms of the maximum number of psychotherapy sessions attended and length of treatment in days. We found significant differences between these groups of students on several items assessed in the Presenting Problem Checklist and the Family Concerns Survey. We found no significant difference between African-American, Black international, and White student groups in the severity of presenting distress as measured by the Outcome Questionaire-45. We found a significant difference between groups in treatment improvement as measured by change scores on the Outcome Questionaire-45, with White students experiencing the greatest change, followed by Black international students and African-Americans. Possible explanations and implications for practice will be discussed in the body of the paper.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Barbara A. Mann, Florida State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 16, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

This 2-study research project explored whether the ethnicity of university counseling center therapists affects White clients’ therapy attendance rates and perception of counselors’ trustworthiness and level of expertise. Study 1 examined attendance rate differences of the clients of White therapists versus ethnic minority therapists in a university counseling center to determine if the minority therapists have lower client attendance rates than clients of White counselors. Study 2 examined White undergraduate participants’ ratings of profiles of White, African American and non-US Indian counselors portrayed in a mock university counseling center brochure on factors of trustworthiness and expertise. It also examined Big 5 personality traits as covariates to determine if the trait of Openness to Experience positively influences White participants’ ratings of ethnic minority therapists. Results for Study 1 showed that practicum-level ethnic minority trainees had significantly lower client attendance rates when compared with practicum level White therapists; no significant differences in client attendance rates were found among intern-level minority and White therapists. Study 2 found that non-US Indian counselors were rated more negatively than White or African American counselors by White participants. However, the trait of Openness did not show a significant interaction with ethnicity of counselor among participants. The article concludes with a discussion of the main findings, future research ideas, and practical implications for university counseling centers regarding assigning clients to ethnically/culturally different counselors.

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-84). Also available via Humboldt Digital Scholar.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 122-129).

The current study examined the psychotherapy experiences of Pacific Islander and Asian American students at a large intermountain university on the continental United States. We used archival data collected over a 17-year span to investigate the psychotherapy utilization, presenting concerns, reported distress levels and psychotherapy outcomes of Pacific Islander students compared to Asian American students. In an effort to address the current and problematic practice of combining Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders into a homogeneous category, subgroup outcomes of Pacific Islander students were compared to Asian American students to highlight any significant differences and similarities. Results indicated significant differences between Pacific Islander and Asian American students in terms of amount of psychotherapy sessions attended and length of treatment in days. Asian American students were more likely to remain in therapy during the first 100 days and eight sessions. We found significant differences between both groups on several items assessed in the Presenting Problem Checklist and the Family Concerns Survey. Pacific Islander students reported significantly more traumatic experiences occurring in their family. We also found significant differences in the presenting concerns of both populations. Additionally, on the OQ-45, Pacific Islander students answered questions regarding risk factors significantly different from Asian American students. Clinicians are encouraged to understand the values and nuances of collectivist groups including Pacific Island and Asian cultures. It is recommended that clinicians and counseling centers reach out to Pacific Islander students on their campuses to inform them about mental health services. Counseling centers are encouraged to gather information on the reasons for therapy termination.

The College Adjustment Scales (CAS) are a multidimensional psychological measure designed specifically for use in college and university settings. The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of the College Adjustment Scales (CAS) to function as outcome measures in university counseling centers. Study 1 assessed the ability of the CAS to track change following brief therapy using a nonequivalent control group design. Study 2 assessed the convergent validity of the CAS by correlating two of the nine CAS scales with two established measures. The results of a three-factor MANOV A revealed that the CAS were able to track change very well for undergraduate students. Results for graduate students showed that three of the CAS scales tracked change quite well, two scales did not track change, and four scales did not track change for graduate males. Convergent validity results were mixed for the two scales assessed. The Self-Esteem scale was determined to be a fairly good measure of global self-esteem. The CAS Anxiety scale did not correlate well with an instrument that is a good measure of anxiety characterized by physiological symptoms. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

Abstract The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between (a) racial/ethnic matching between African American clients and their counselors (i.e., Black, White, and non-Black racial/ethnic minority counselors) and therapeutic outcomes (i.e., change in symptoms, treatment length, and premature termination), (b) while also controlling for the potential influences of client (i.e., initial distress level, family and social support, and socioeconomic status) and counselor (i.e., experience level) characteristics. Change in symptomology on specific domains of functioning (i.e., Depression, Generalized Anxiety, Academic Distress, and Distress Index) was assessed using the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-34 (i.e., CCAPS-34; Locke et al., 2012). The change in symptomology was classified into one of three categories (i.e., improvement, no change, and deterioration). An archival data set that consisted of client data from the 2011-2012 academic year contributed by 120 university and college counseling centers in the U.S. that were participating members of the Center for Collegiate Mental Health was used. The sample sizes for the analyses were: 348 clients for change in functioning analyses, 1,418 clients for treatment length analyses, and 2,024 clients for premature termination analyses. The findings indicated that after controlling for the covariates, clients who were matched with White counselors were more likely to experience deterioration in overall distress symptoms, rather than no change in symptoms, compared to those who were matched to Black counselors. Also, those clients who were matched with White counselors were more likely to prematurely terminate their counseling sessions, compared to those who were matched to Black counselors or non-Black racial/ethnic minority counselors. The findings from this study may assist researchers and university counseling center staff in understanding the potential influence of ethnic matching on outcomes and service utilization for African American clients. Keywords: ethnic match, African American, outcome research, university counseling center, Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms

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