An Introduction to AUCCCD

1
An Introduction to AUCCCD

• Presented to the NCAA Student-Athlete Summit
  December 3-5, 2008
• Gregory T. Eells, Ph.D.
• Director, Counseling and Psychological Services,
  Cornell University
• President of the Association for University and
  College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD)

2
Outline

• I. Mission
• II. Current Issues and Hot Topics in College
  Mental Health
• III. Current Work With Collegiate Student
  Athletes
• IV. Opportunities for Further Collaboration
• V. Conclusion

3
Mission

• Assist directors of counseling services in
  providing effective leadership and management of
  their centers, in accord with the professional
  principles and standards.
• Promotes the awareness of college student mental
  health through research, treatment, education,
  and training.
• Special attention to issues of diversity and
  multiculturalism.

4
Mission

• Approximately 600 member institutions
• Member staff size ranges from 1 to 45 mental
  health professionals
• Member institutions provide counseling to
  approximately 10 of students at respective
  institutions.
• Provided over one million therapy sessions last
  year.

5
Current Issues and Hot Topics in College Mental
Health

• Increasing acuity and severity of mental health
  concerns of college students.
• More students coming to campus with extensive
  treatment histories and already being prescribed
  psychotropic medication.
• Students first experiencing serious mental
  illness in the traditional college student age
  range.

6
Current Issues and Hot Topics in College Mental
Health

• Increased concerns around suicide
• University of Texas study with 26,000 college
  students
• 50 of the students reported that they had
  thought about suicide at some point in their
  lives
• 15 had seriously considered attempting
• More than 5 had made an attempt.
• 1,400 college students kill themselves each year

7
Current Issues and Hot Topics in College Mental
Health

• Increasing concerns about potential violence
  (post Va. Tech, NIU, etc)
• Focus on threat assessment and violence
  prevention.
• Concern that the relatively miniscule risk of
  high profile violence will overshadow much
  greater risks of alcohol related deaths and
  suicide.
• More issues around hospitalizations and health
  leaves.

8
Current Issues and Hot Topics in College Mental
Health

• Building Bridges with colleagues across campus to
  identify students with mental health concerns.
• Finding innovative ways to reach students who are
  at great risk and reluctant to seek care.
• Maintaining the essential confidentiality
  protections around counseling work without
  alienating campus partners.

9
Current Work With Collegiate Student Athletes

• Counseling centers treat thousands of student
  athlete's for depression, anxiety, relationship
  issues and a host of other issues similar to
  their peers who are not NCAA athletes.
• Three areas where being an athlete raises unique
  challenges
• Eating Disorders
• Alcohol and other Drugs
• Hazing

10
Current Work With Collegiate Student Athletes

• Eating Disorders National Eating Disorders
  Association (NEDA) (2006)found nearly 20 of
  respondents believe that at some point they have
  suffered from an eating disorder.
• Research that has demonstrated lifetime
  prevalence rates between .05-4.

11
Current Work With Collegiate Student Athletes

• A (2002) study of 680 student athletes at OSU
  found 83 percent of the athletes reported no
  signs of an eating disorder. Another 15 percent
  showed some behaviors associated with an eating
  disorder (binge-eating and purging).
• 59 percent of female athletes thought that their
  bodies were too fat, compared to 20 percent of
  male athletes.
• Can be at a higher risk for medical complications
  such as electrolyte imbalances and cardiac
  arrhythmias and for sudden death from cardiac
  arrest.

12
Current Work With Collegiate Student Athletes

• Combination of focus on regulating diet, intense
  exercise, competition and comments form coaches
  and peers can play a role in the development of
  an eating disorder.
• Many counseling services provide treatment and
  support while others do not.

13
Current Work With Collegiate Student Athletes

• Alcohol and other Drugs -National College Health
  Assessment (2006) data-24 of men and 21 of
  women report drinking five or more alcoholic
  drinks 1-2 times in the last 2 weeks
• 23 of men and 11 of women report drinking at
  the same level 3 or more times.
• 1,700 alcohol related deaths each year.
• Increased recreational (off label) use of
  prescription drugs

14
Current Work With Collegiate Student Athletes

• Athletes that feel the pressure to enhance their
  performance may turn to substances.
• Teams may have histories or cultures that promote
  excessive drinking.
• Counseling service often provide treatment or
  consultations to students facing the negative
  consequences of substance use.

15
Current Work With Collegiate Student Athletes

• Hazing-Alfred University (1999) survey found that
  80 percent of college athletes had been hazed.
• Groups that require strong affiliation to
  function are prone to hazing type behaviors.
• Counseling services often pick up the pieces of
  emotional and psychological trauma that result
  from hazing.

16
Opportunities for Further Collaboration

• Education efforts to alert coaches and athletes
  about the symptoms of mental health concerns and
  conveying the message that it is strong and smart
  to seek help.
• Discussions about how to combat the contextual
  factors that support eating disorders, substance
  abuse, and hazing.
• Developing health leave policies that will
  support student athletes.

17
Conclusion

• We are all interested in the health and mental
  health of our students.
• Efforts like this to bring our voices together to
  address the developmental issues of our students
  is the direction we all need to take.