Counseling & Psychological Services

1. MORE THAN SATISFACTION: ASSESSING CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN COUNSELING CENTERS International Assessment and Retention Conference New Orleans, LA June 13, 2009 Counseling & Psychological Services

2. Today’s Presenters Jacqueline Alvarez, Ph.D. Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, Oregon State University CAPS Assessment Committee Member Beth Dyer, B.A. Information Technology Expert at Counseling and Psychological Services, Oregon State University CAPS Assessment Committee Chair. Student Affairs Assessment Council Member Michele Ribeiro, Ed.D. Staff Psychologist at Counseling and Psychological Services, Oregon State University. CAPS Assessment Committee Member. Student Affairs Assessment Council Member Counseling & Psychological Services

3. Other Contributors Shailagh Clarke, Ph.D. Staff Psychologist at Counseling and Psychological Services, Oregon State University CAPS Assessment Committee Member Kimberly Miller, Ph.D. Pre-doctoral Intern at Counseling and Psychological Services, Oregon State University CAPS Assessment Committee Member Counseling & Psychological Services

4. Today’s Objectives • Explore how assessment can be used for learning outcomes for clinical services. • Identify ways to overcome barriers to clinical assessment common to counseling centers. • Become familiar with a successful model of clinical outcome assessment that produces data that can influence client treatment. • Identify at least one learning outcome that you can assess at your home institution. • Identify strategies for implementing a comprehensive clinical outcomes assessment program.

5. How We Got Started The University Began to Require Effective Assessment It became important to demonstrate: • How our work aligned with the mission of the university • How counseling helps retain students • How counseling helps student matriculate

6. How did CAPS respond to the push to assess our services? • Two staff members began developing assessment instruments for Counseling and Psychological Services. We began with simple client satisfaction surveys. • OSU Student Affairs Assessment Council was established six years ago, offering a place for all offices to learn together, try new tools, and to work collaboratively. • CAPS staff members joined the Student Affairs Assessment Council, and established an Assessment Committee within CAPS. • This year, three new members joined the CAPS Assessment Committee, infusing new energy and ideas.

7. Barriers to Doing Clinical Assessment Well • Staff Resistance to Assessment • Lack of Expertise within Staff regarding Program Evaluation and the Assessment of Learning Outcomes • Limited Time and Resources

8. Overcoming Barriers to Clinical Assessment Staff Resistance • Make assessment data meaningful to staff members • Link assessment measures to agreed upon mission and goals • Facilitate staff participation • Reward participation

9. Overcoming Barriers to Clinical Assessment, Continued Lack of Expertise in Program Evaluation and Identification of Learning Outcomes • Use a committee model • Provide training and continuing education opportunities • Invite members outside the agency who have more expertise (e.g. a faculty member in your math/statistics department) • Recognize that assessment is an ongoing process and that the tools will develop over time

10. Overcoming Barriers to Clinical Assessment, Continued Limited Time and Resources • Create a standing time to do assessment work • Add assessment responsibilities to some staff members’ job descriptions, and take away other responsibilities

11. So, What Have We Done? Methodology • Administered a 43 item self-report survey to students using CAPS services in the 6th and 7th weeks of each 10-week term for three terms. • Revised and updated survey regularly. Hence, the method does not change but the content does.

12. Information About Our Sample Data from one term (Winter 2009), sample of convenience N=126 with a 51% return rate

13. How the Content of Our Assessment Has Developed • Began with satisfaction surveys • Moved to assessing learning outcomes • Now we assess the relationship among: • Student Goals • Student Learning Outcomes • Content of Counseling Sessions

14. Three Areas of Assessment • Stress and Mood Management • Personal and Relationship Skills • Academic Success

15. Stress and Mood Management • Overall self-care • Positive sleep habits • Eating habits • Regular exercise • Overall mood • Coping with mental and emotional difficulties

16. Personal and Relationship Skills • Communication skills • Relationships with others • Identifying and expressing what I need • Relationships with my partner • Making relationship decisions • Insight into my personality • Self-esteem • My level of connection to the OSU community

17. Academic Success • Time management • Motivation • Test anxiety • Attending classes • Study skills • Concentration • Procrastination • Effectiveness as a student

18. The assessment revolves around three questions we ask about the previously identified areas

19. First Question “It was important to me to experience change in…” Rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from “Very True” to “Very Untrue”

20. Second Question “Please describe changes or growth, if any, since you began counseling in…” Rated on a 5-point Likert Scale, ranging from “Much Improved” to “Much Worse”

21. Third Question “Which of the following issues did you discuss in counseling?” (Check all that apply) Rated as endorsed or not endorsed

22. Results Slide 1: Graph illustrating… % of clients who expressed a desire to experience change in that particular area AND % of clients who said the area of focus was discussed in counseling Slide 2: Graph illustrating…% of clients reporting each level of improvement Slide 3: Results summary statements

23. Stress and Mood Management:Coping with Mental and Emotional Difficulties Are topics that clients say are important to change being discussed in counseling?

24. Coping with Mental and Emotional Difficulties Overall, how much improvement did clients report?

25. Results for Coping with Mental and Emotional Difficulties • 94% indicated that it was important to experience change • 74% indicated it was important to experience change in this area and reported improvement • 20% wanted change, but did not experience change

26. Personal and Relationship Skills: Communication Skills Are topics that clients say are important to change being discussed in counseling?

27. Communication Skills Overall, how much improvement did clients report?

28. Results for Concentration • 67% indicated that it was important to experience change • 54% indicated it was important to experience change in this area and reported improvement • 13% wanted change but did not experience change • 7% did not indicate that it was important to change, but did experience positive change

29. Academic Success: Concentration Are topics that clients say are important to change being discussed in counseling?

30. Concentration Overall, how much improvement did clients report?

31. Results for Communication • 67% indicated that it was important to experience change • 45% indicated it was important to experience change in this area and reported improvement • 22% wanted change but did not experience change • 3% did not indicate that it was important to change, but did experience positive change

32. Change desired and discussed Change desired, not discussed • Relationships with others • Coping with mental/emotional difficulties • Expressing needs • Communication skills • Overall mood • Self-care • Self-esteem • Self-motivation • Effectiveness as a student • Concentration Important to Change as related to Discussed in Counseling

33. General Conclusions By looking at the relationships among the variables (client goals, counseling content, and client change), we get more meaningful information than simply asking, “Did you improve?” or “Did counseling help you stay in school?”

34. Some specific things we’ve learned through our assessment process • Students come to counseling with all kinds of hopes, expectations and goals • Students’ personal and relationship skills and ability to manage mood improve at higherfrequenciesthan academics • More students report greater change in mood management than academic skills • Students report that they talk about mood, personal and relationship skills at higher frequencies than academics

35. Clinical Uses of Assessment Data The thing that makes assessment compelling is that, when done well, it can give us good information about our work. If the data are meaningful, we are often moved to begin exploring how we can do things more effectively to better meet students’ needs.

36. Clinical Implications We’re doing very good work in helping students positively change their mood, personal skills and relationship skills.

37. Clinical Implications Continued Counselors may need to assess students’ goals and expectations more completely, especially regarding students’ hopes for academic change.

38. Clinical ImplicationsContinued Counselors may need to more overtly discuss academic performance throughout counseling sessions.

39. Clinical ImplicationsContinued Counselors may need to make explicit to student the relationships among the variables.

40. Next Steps • Clinical Service Assessment • Outreach and Program Assessment • Training of pre-doctoral interns and other trainees

41. How to improve your own clinical assessment • Work with other people! • Begin to identify learning objectives. • Explore alternative factors that affect learning and may warrant assessment.

42. Let’s design one learning outcome that you could effectively assess at your institution.

43. Questions?

44. Contact Information • Oregon State University • Counseling and Psychological Services • 500 Snell Hall • Corvallis, OR 97331 • 541.737.2131 • http://oregonstate.edu/counsel/