Study involving university of Sheffield finds that in-house counselling services are improving students' mental health and academic worries

The research carried out by the Student Counselling Outcomes, Research and Evaluation consortium found that counselling services at universities improve depression, anxiety, wellbeing, social anxiety and academic distress – with the rate for severe distress falling from 60 per cent before counselling to 27 per cent post-counselling for all clients.

The study collected data from over 5,000 students across four university counselling services, and highlighted the key skills of university counsellors, which make in-house university counselling services uniquely placed to support students.

According to the study, academic distress was the biggest concern among students.

Dr Emma Broglia, lead researcher from the University of Sheffield, said: “This study is the first step to fully understanding and having the evidence to show the positive impact that in-house university counselling services can have on students’ lives.

“It clearly demonstrates the high levels of depression, anxiety, and academic distress that some students face during their academic years – and how in-house counselling can support them through that.

“The findings about the impact of counselling on helping with academic distress are particularly interesting.

"This is a key area of skills for counsellors working with students and makes in-house university counselling services uniquely placed to support them.”

At the University of Sheffield, the research includes the in-house counselling service and psychology department with expert guidance from professor Michael Barkham Dr Emma Broglia from the department of psychology and Louise Knowles, head of mental health and psychological therapy services at the university.

The University of Sheffield currently offers a range of counselling and wellbeing services to its students, including a free confidential service for students that offers group workshops with no registration required and one-to-one therapy from the 'student access to mental health support service'.

All students also have 24/7 access to emotional and mental health advice through the TogetherAll service, and the ‘student space’ web resource also provides free direct support for students via phone, text and email.

Louise Knowles, head of mental health and psychological therapy services at the University of Sheffield, said: “This study has been achieved by a fantastic collaborative effort by practitioners on the ground and researchers. It is really heartening to see evidence of the effectiveness of our in-house counselling services and the positive impact they can have on students’ overall experience of university life.”

“The data also suggests that, compared to earlier studies reporting on the same measures, there has been a rise in the levels of psychological distress in students who approach their counselling service.

“These findings not only highlight the increased levels of distress that counselling services are working with, but also demonstrate how university counsellors offer a specialist service that effectively contributes to students’ mental health and the wider contextual challenges of higher education.”

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