The primary dilemma in trying to describe counseling
centers is the diversity of structures and practices. To understand the operations of any one individual counseling center,
one must consider the context within which the center operates as well as the range and breadth of services provided. All
centers generally provide some form of individual counseling,
but centers vary tremendously in additional services offered.
Some centers do individual work while others may provide
couples, group, and family therapy; alcohol and drug treatment; eating disorders treatment; psychological assessment;
and career counseling. Most centers limit their clientele to
students, but some also see faculty and staff, and, in a few
instances, community members. Some have psychiatric services, some refer to another service on campus for psychiatry,
and others have no such services available. Counseling centers
may also provide learning centers, career placement, disability
services, alcohol and drug prevention services, and standardized testing. Some center staff members also serve as faculty.
Many centers provide training, from serving as a practicum
site for a lone student to an extensive training program for
practicum students, predoctoral internships, postdoctoral
training, and psychiatry residencies. Most centers also provide
some type of outreach or consultation, ranging from a few
presentations each year to extensive presentation, workshop,
and consultation services.
AUCCCD Survey Results
The most recent AUCCCD survey was conducted in Fall
2007. Participation was solicited from all 661 subscribers
to the AUCCCD listserv. The instrument was administered
through a web-based survey interface. A total of 363
individuals (54.9 percent) completed the survey. The
majority of respondents were female (51.7 percent). Participant race/ethnicity was 89.4 percent White/Caucasian;
5 percent Black/African American; 2. 5 percent Latino/Latina;
1. 1 percent Asian/Asian American; . 8 percent multiracial;
. 3 percent American Indian/Native American; and . 8 percent
“other.” Ninety-two percent of participants self-identified as
heterosexual, with 3. 7 percent as gay, 3. 2 percent as lesbian,
and 1. 2 percent as bisexual. Ten percent of directors reported
a documented disability.
Center Staffing
The average number of full-time equivalent (FTE) paid staff
across all centers is 6.0, with staff sizes ranging from 1 to 30.
When centers include paid interns as staff members, center
sizes range from 1 to 35, with an average of 7. 6 FTE paid
staff across all centers.
In some cases, counseling centers may not be the sole
providers of mental health services on campuses. Sixty-five
centers report that their campuses have between . 1 and 19. 6
FTE staff providing mental health services in other offices.
The total number of mental health service providers on
campuses range from 1 to 45. The average number of mental
health providers across all centers is 8. 2.
Figure 1. Paid Staff and Interns by Institutional Size for
Public and Private Institutions
30
28
Private Institution
25
22
Public Institution
Number of Staff
20
15
10
21 21
20
14
53 3
22
12
11 11
9
8
7
6
55
44
0
under 1,501– 2,501– 5,001– 7,501– 10,001– 15,001– 20,001– 25,001– 30,001– 35,001
1,500 2,500 5,000 7,500 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000andover
*No results reported for private institutions with 25,001 to
30,000 students.
Figure 2. Paid Staff and Intern to Student Ratio by
Institution Size
3,000
Number of Students per Staff/Intern
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
943
628
500
2,421 2,372
2,076 2,149
1,970
1,890
1,596
1,197
1,119
0
under 1,501– 2,501– 5,001– 7,501– 10,001– 15,001– 20,001– 25,001– 30,001– 35,001
1,500 2,500 5,000 7,500 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000andover
The variability of staff sizes at different centers can be
attributed to a number of factors, including institution enrollment and status as a public, private, or combined institution
(see Figure 1). In general, staffing increases correlate with
the size of the institution and private institutions report
greater increases.
An often-mentioned metric for the adequacy of counseling
centers is the ratio of staff to students. The average paid staff-to-student ratio is 1 to 1,941. The average paid staff member-and intern-to-student ratio is 1 to 1,552 (see Figure 2). In
general, this ratio rises with the size of institution, indicating
that smaller schools generally have more counselors per
student. According to the only accrediting agency for counseling centers, the International Association of Counseling
Services (IACS), “Every effort should be made to maintain
minimum staffing ratios in the range of one FTE professional
staff member (excluding trainees) to every 1,000 to 1,500
