Help for students in trying times

When students have problems and need confidential and professional advice, many turn to the Center for Counseling and Student Development (CCSD) for assistance. The center, which has served generations of students with their personal, career and educational concerns since its beginnings in 1946, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

“The counseling center plays an important role at UD,” John Bishop, associate vice president for counseling and student development, says. “This past year, more than 1,800—or 10 to 12 percent of students—used our counseling services, and almost 700 participated in group counseling sessions. We also offer educational programs on the campus, and Wellspring, the student wellness program, and the Student Services for Athletes program are part of the center.”

In addition, center personnel have been key players in receiving more than $2.3 million in grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration to combat substance abuse among college students, Bishop says. (See article on next page.)

CCSD originated in Wilmington, Del., in 1946 as the Veterans Administration Guidance Center, a vocational psychology testing program for World War II veterans who were attending college on the GI Bill to help them in choosing a career. When the program moved to the UD campus, it also counseled nonveterans.

At that time, however, student counseling was done primarily by the dean of men and the dean of women. In a 1947 report, Dean of Women Gwendolyn S. Crawford wrote that she counseled students “in such matters as home life problems, choice of life work, individual personality adjustment, religious beliefs, financial problems, academic standing and problems of social good taste.”

When the Veterans Administration contract expired in 1948, the program was retained to serve the increasing number of students seeking counseling and advising. Renamed the Psychological Services Center, the program moved to a small house at 231 South College Avenue, with a director, two counselors and two psychometricians, who administered testing.

“The program expanded as the student body grew,” Bishop says. “The ’60s and ’70s saw a rapid increase in the number of students at UD. Residence halls were built, and student services, including counseling, were more in demand.”

When Bishop came to the University in 1969, he recalls, there were nine psychologists on the center’s staff, and the program became accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services in 1973.

“Today’s students are bright, motivated, open to options and are not afraid of change. We live in a fast-paced culture, and students have to face adult issues at an earlier age. Students are not reluctant to come to us for help; in fact, many have been in counseling before going to college,” Bishop says.

“In general, the center gets high marks from students who have used its services, and research has shown that counseling contributes to the retention of students at UD, as well.”

Bishop says that CCSD is important to parents. “Their children are leaving home for the first time, and it reassures them that someone is there for their students,” he says. The center also publishes A Parent’s Guide and A Referral Guide for Faculty with suggestions for interacting with students and information about CCSD services.

One of the hallmarks of the program is that the center offers educational and training opportunities for graduate students enrolled in UD’s master’s degree program in counseling in higher education, as well as predoctoral internships and postdoctoral fellowships for graduate trainees in psychology from across the country.

“The center has gained a national reputation as a comprehensive counseling center, which does many things and does them well,” according to senior psychologist Jonathan Lewis. “Having the same director for a long time has resulted in a well-thought-out and well-articulated mission for the center. As a result of its reputation, the center receives applications from all over the United States for its internship program, and those who have trained here have gone on to leadership positions in the field.”

Josh Lawrence, a clinical psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Connecticut, says the UD program offers a “breadth of opportunities not found elsewhere,” such as psychiatric rotations, outreach and consultation.

It also offers different counseling opportunities, including career counseling, a men’s psychotherapy group, an anxiety management group and a body and food concerns group, he says.

“The staff are highly skilled and are exceptional supervisors, as well as friendly, collaborative and accessible,” Lawrence says. “I am very grateful to be part of the team.”

“Looking back as we arrive at our 60th anniversary,” Bishop says, “the Center for Counseling and Student Development is a success story, meeting the needs of students and helping them in their decision-making at a crucial time in their lives and also providing opportunities for training the counselors of the future.

“The center has been blessed by being able to attract a very competent and dedicated staff of professionals over the years whose creativity and energy have allowed us to develop the type of counseling service we have on the campus today. The University administration has also recognized and valued these types of services and has found ways to provide the needed support.”

Bishop received his doctorate from Ohio University and was named associate director of CCSD in 1973 and director in 1976. Recently, he was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Association of University and College Counseling Center Directors.

—Sue Moncure