Differences in Graduate Students' Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help as a Function of Field of Study
Differences in Graduate Students' Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help as a Function of Field of Study

Author: Brie Jeweler-Bentz

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13:

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Individuals' attitudes toward seeking psychological help play a major role in determining their actual help-seeking behavior. Among college student populations, research has focused on psychological help-seeking attitudes in an effort to understand the characteristics of college students who do and do not seek psychological treatment. These help-seeking attitudes have been found to be related to a variety of demographic and psychological variables. The present study investigated the extent to which differences in psychological help-seeking attitudes exist as a function of one particular demographic variable, field of study, in a university graduate student sample. Students in the social sciences were found to have significantly more positive help-seeking attitudes than students in both natural science and applied fields. Clinical Psychology students held the most positive attitudes toward seeking psychological help. These results may be of particular interest to college counseling center staff who wish to maximize the likelihood that students in need of psychological services actually seek treatment. Specific implications for counseling centers are discussed.

Thriving in Graduate School
Thriving in Graduate School

Author: Arielle Shanok

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-08-02

Total Pages: 409

ISBN-13: 153813330X

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Addresses the mental health challenges of graduate school and how students can succeed and thrive. With rates of depression and anxiety six times higher among graduate students than the general population, maintaining emotional wellbeing in graduate school is vital! Students must be prepared with skills that will not only help them perform well but also help them feel well. Thriving in Graduate School: The Expert's Guide to Success and Wellness is the first book on graduate student mental health written by mental health professionals. It promotes psychologically healthy approaches to navigating the graduate school experience and teaches students that they are not alone in their mental health struggles. The authors introduce students to unique perspectives that are key to positive mental health. Additionally, this is the only book of its type to explore issues routinely faced by historically marginalized graduate students. Special sections at the end of each chapter written for faculty, administrators, and mental health professionals augment the book by suggesting ways that each of these groups can help guide and support graduate students through their journey. Featuring vignettes and experiences from actual graduate students, Thriving in Graduate School sheds light on common—but hidden—truths to help students manage the many challenges they will face and even thrive during their graduate school years. Written with compassion and humor, this is a must read for prospective students and those who seek to support them.

College Students' Attitudes and Perception of the Therapeutic Competence of Counselors and Other Mental Health Professionals
College Students' Attitudes and Perception of the Therapeutic Competence of Counselors and Other Mental Health Professionals

Author: Mohamed Badra

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 116

ISBN-13:

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The public's perception of counselors has been a topic of concern for many researchers. However, research examining the attitudes towards seeking mental health services and the effect such perceptions have on the propensity of public use is in its prime. Such knowledge is necessary for the benefit of the consumer as well as concerned mental health professional organizations. Furthermore, the ability to discriminate consumer perception based on the professional identity of the mental health service provider will serve as a benchmark for a young profession- counseling- to understand its current status in the minds of the general public, in comparison to related mental health professions, and for counseling professional organizations to better allocate resources aimed at professional advocacy efforts. As potential consumers of mental health services, it is of great merit to understand college students' perceptions of mental health professionals' therapeutic competence, and their attitudes towards seeking services based on the identity of the mental health service provider; i.e. counselor, psychologist, or social worker. This study provided an overview of - three helping professions: counseling, psychology, and social work. Additionally, it expanded upon the circumstances surrounding the origination of each discipline and their governing bodies, current vocational opportunities and average salaries for members of each discipline, the rationale for conducting this study and the psychometric properties of the instrument- the Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS)- utilized by this study. The primary hypothesis which suggested a significant difference in student perception of the mental health professional's level of competence with respect to the identity of the professional was tested. Additionally, student attitudes towards seeking mental health services were measured and a comparison on the basis of the identity of the helper was drawn. The research was unable to find statistical significance regarding the previously posed hypotheses. However, a significant difference was noted between the sexes and their propensity to seek mental health services such that the females in this sample were more likely to seek mental health services than were the male participants. Furthermore, a statistically significant and moderate relationship existed between the number of courses taken in a helping discipline and participants' attitudes towards seeking professional mental health services such that as the number of courses completed increased, so did the positive manner in which participants viewed seeking mental health services. The researcher concluded the study by addressing its limitations and discussing future suggestions for researchers.

Handbook of African American Psychology
Handbook of African American Psychology

Author: Helen A. Neville

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 2008-11-12

Total Pages: 585

ISBN-13: 1483350177

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The Handbook of African American Psychology provides a comprehensive guide to current developments in African American psychology. It presents theoretical, empirical, and practical issues that are foundational to African American psychology. It synthesizes the debates in the field and research designed to understand the psychological, cognitive, and behavioral development of African Americans. The breadth and depth of the coverage in this handbook offers both foundational material and current developments. Although similar topics will be covered in this text that are included in other works, this will be the only work in which experts in the field write on contemporary debates related to these topics. Moreover, the proposed text incorporates other issues that are typically not covered in related books. The contributing authors also identify gaps in the literature and point to future directions in research, training, and practice. Key Features: Contains the writings of renowned editors and contributors: The most well-respected and accomplished editors and authors in the area of African American psychology, and psychology in general, have come together to lend their expert analysis of issues and research in this field. Designed for course use: With a consistent format from chapter to chapter and sections on historical development, cutting-edge theories, assessment, intervention, methodology, and development issues, instructors will find this handbook appropriate for use with upper-level undergraduate and graduate-level classes Offers unique coverage: The authors discuss issues not typically found in other books on African American psychology, such as ethics, certification, the gifted and talented, Hip-Hop and youth culture, common misconceptions about African Americans, and within-group differences related to gender, class, age, and sexual orientation.

Helping Students Adapt to Graduate School
Helping Students Adapt to Graduate School

Author: Earle Sibler

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-03-04

Total Pages: 125

ISBN-13: 1317720350

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Help graduate students cope with the pressures of school, finances, family, and professors! In order to succeed in school: The college undergraduate just has to be able to find and operate an elevator in the campus high-rise The master's degree student has to climb the side of the building The PhD student doing research with a professor has to jump over the building in a single bound, carrying the professor That bit of grim humor contains a bitter kernel of truth. Helping Students Adapt to Graduate School is the first book that focuses on the unique problems of graduate students and the best ways to counsel and support them. Graduate and professional schools are draining - emotionally, financially, and physically. In addition to coping with the pressures of classes and high performance expectations, many graduate students juggle multiple lives, trying to please their professors, maintain their status as adults, pay for books and classes and rent and food, keep up a place to live, preserve their marriages, raise their children, and deal with their parents, all while they work as teaching assistants, resident advisors, or research assistants. When adults return to school, they may find themselves forced into a childlike status, causing considerable resentment or regression and sometimes reawakening old conflicts. Furthermore, the relationship of professors and graduate students is often complex and emotionally enmeshed, tinged with issues of respect, rivalry, and even romance. Not surprisingly, many graduate students find the conflicts overwhelming at times. With fascinating case studies and lucid explanations, Helping Students Adapt to Graduate School offers a clear look at the special difficulties of graduate students and practical ways the university can help, including: fostering a sense of belonging providing year-round mental health services helping students handle financial pressures and career decisions supporting the unique needs of minority, international, married, and older students understanding the hidden subtext of faculty-student relationships encouraging a balance of family and school Helping Students Adapt to Graduate School is an essential resource for deans, administrators, professors, and counselors working with graduate students. By illuminating the complex interplay between the university environment and the inner psychological life of graduate students, it will help you provide supportive services to the students in your campus community.

Differential Help Seeking Among College Students
Differential Help Seeking Among College Students

Author: Timothy Robert Hess

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 134

ISBN-13:

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Research on psychological help seeking has continued to grow as the field of psychology has expanded. Much of the research is often variable driven and assumes this construct is a global construct. The current study used the Theory of Planned Behavior to provide a theory based approach to understanding psychological help seeking intention. Also, the theory was tested for three common presenting concerns: Anxiety or Depression, Career Choice Concerns, and Alcohol or Substance Use. Two samples of over 400 university students completed surveys for all three concerns. Results produced invariance across path loadings for the concerns being compared. When thinking about seeking psychological help, university students do not appear to consider the type of concern but do rely on attitude, stigma, and how much control and efficacy they have to address their problems on their own. Mean differences emerged for some variables in the model, but no meaningful mean differences were noted for gender. Overall, the variables used in the decision making process do not appear to consider concern when seeking help, but the beliefs about seeking help differ some. These results extend the Theory of Planned Behavior to consider the importance of an individual's ability to address their problem on their own. When considering psychological help seeking, college students have similar attitudes and beliefs about their ability to access mental health resources, their beliefs about stigma, ability to address their problems on their own, and their intention to seek help vary more by concern. The specific concerns being addressed does not appear to impact the weight each variable is given in the decision making process; attitude, stigma, and ability to solve the problem on their own appear to be the variables given greatest consideration.