Differential perceptions of the University of Victoria Counselling Centre.
Date
1972
Authors
Astley, Donald John
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Abstract
The role of the University of Victoria Counselling Centre, as seen by four groups within the university, was studied. Three of the groups were comprised of randomly selected subjects from: the teaching faculty, students who had received counselling at the Centre and students who had not been counselled at the Centre. The fourth group, the student-helping services, was made up of staff employed at the University Counselling Centre, the Advising Centres and the Student Health Centre. The role of the Counselling Centre was determined by assessing the degree of appropriateness attached to discussing certain kinds of problems in a counselling session at the University Counselling Centre. The Warman Counseling Appropriateness Check-List (W.C.A.C.) was used to assess this degree of appropriateness. Factor analysis of the responses to the Check-List revealed three factors: adjustment to self and others, vocational choice and study habits. Significant between-group differences with respect to the degree of appropriateness attached to each factor, were studied. The student-helping services rated concerns related to adjustment to self and others to be significantly more appropriate to discuss with Counselling Centre staff than did any of the other three groups. The only other significant difference between the groups occurred between the teaching faculty and the counselled students on the factor related to study habits. The within-group variability of the groups on each actor was compared. Results indicated that the teaching faculty were significantly or varied in their perception of the role of the Counselling Centre on every factor than were than were the other three groups. The only other significant difference in the within-group variability of the groups aoccurred on the factor related to study habits, non-counselled students being significantly more varied in their ratings than either the counselled students or the student-helping services. It was suggested that one cause of the between-group differences may be a lack of knowledge of the servbices provided by the Counselling Centre. Recommendtions were put forward which may assist the Counselling Centre in improving its public relations with the students, faculty and other student-helping services and thereby possibly increasing the general effectiveness of the Centre.