Student Counseling Center
Strategic Plan
Revised 9/22/08

MISSION STATEMENT

The Student Counseling Center (SCC) promotes each student’s learning experience by providing psychological care and mental health education to students and the campus community.

VISION STATEMENT

The Student Counseling Center (SCC) aspires to American Psychological Association standards of excellence in practice for its provision of student psychological services and accreditation standards for clinical supervision of professionals-in-training.

CORE VALUES

• Respect for diversity and individuality;
• The importance of balancing academic, personal, and social pursuits;
• The integrity and responsibility of individual choice;
• Self-knowledge and self-efficacy; and
• Advocating for social justice and human dignity.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Each student will report greater self-efficacy in making healthy behavioral choices to accomplish their personal and academic goals.

Strategic Priority: Invest in the People of Texas Tech University

Goal 1.  Access and Diversity: Increase awareness of the availability of psychological services for all students, and increase services to and understanding of the broad spectrum of our diverse campus community..

Benchmarks (measures of the degree of success over the next 5 years):

·         Every student will exhibit awareness of SCC services available.

·         Increase contact by 5% with students from diverse groups through outreach initiatives, consultation, and clinical activities.

·         Increase programming and activities by 5% focused on promoting awareness and appreciation of diversity.

Objective 1.1: Provide comprehensive access to SCC services and increase campus-wide awareness of mental health services.

Strategies:

·         Continue to provide uninterrupted hours of service by SCC staff through walk-in crisis services during business hours and through after-hours crisis response.

·         Continue to explore alternative and additional advertising/publicity for SCC services.

·         Continue to improve web-based information and services (e.g., provide additional self-help information).

·         Continue to expand consultation and liaison relationships with residence halls, faculty/staff and student organizations.

·         Continue to expand psycho-educational presentations and campus-wide programming on mental health and wellness/prevention issues.

Objective 1.2: Increase services to traditionally underserved populations.

Strategies:

·         Continue to provide multicultural training opportunities for psychologists-in-training.

·         Increase clinical services available specifically to diverse populations (e.g., support groups).

·         Ensure advertising materials are inclusive and accessible to diverse populations.

·         Continue collaboration with both Student Diversity Relations and the Cross-Cultural Academic Advancement Center in provision of services to diverse students.

Objective 1.3: Increase campus-wide awareness and appreciation of diversity.

Strategies:

·         Support opportunities for faculty/staff to obtain diversity training (e.g., Allies training to address needs of GLBTQ students).

·         Increase participation, presence, visibility, and financial sponsorship in other campus-wide diversity initiatives.

·         Initiate campus-wide outreach programs to promote diversity.

·         Increase funding for psychologists to obtain professional development in order to provide quality service for diverse students.

Goal 2.  Human Resources and Infrastructure: Increase and use resources to recruit and retain quality staff to support an optimal work environment.

Benchmarks (measures of the degree of success over the next 5 years):

·         Increase professional staff toward meeting national average of student-to-staff ratio according to annual AUCCCD Survey of Counseling Center Directors.

·         Maintain secretarial support staff to meet ongoing needs of full time professional staff.

·         Maintain effective, efficient and professional office procedures.

·         Maintain competitive professional staff salaries comparable to Big 12 counseling centers in Texas with APA-accredited training programs.

·         Facilitate accomplishment of appropriate state licensure for all professional staff.

·         Acquire and update necessary audio/visual and computer equipment for in-house training and outreach program.

·         Obtain appropriate technical support to provide necessary clinical services.

Objective 2.1: Recruit and Retain a High Quality Professional Staff.

Strategies:

·         Provide salary structure comparable to Big XII, APA-accredited counseling centers in Texas.

·         Continue monthly meetings between Director and professional staff members to facilitate personal and departmental goals.
Develop staff retention incentive plan (e.g., career ladder)

Objective 2.2: Increase Efficiency, Effectiveness and Professionalism of Office Operations.

Strategies:

·         Provide training opportunities for support staff to ensure effective office procedures, including training in APA ethical standards.  

·         Maintain and upgrade computerized scheduling software.

·         Refine office policies and procedures annually.

·         Conduct annual performance evaluations of support staff and revise PDQ job descriptions as needed.

·         Meet bi-weekly with support staff to evaluate office practice effectiveness.
Create Scope of Care Statement
Finalize departmental Policies and Procedures Manual

Objective 2.3: Update and Maintain Computer Hardware/Software and Audio/Visual Equipment to Provide Necessary Clinical Services

Strategies:

·         One-third of departmental PC’s to be replaced on an annual basis.

·         Acquire in-house technical support to assist in purchasing and maintenance of technical equipment.

Strategic Priority: Enrich the Educational Experience

Goal 3.  Undergraduate Teaching and Learning: Enhance the undergraduate, graduate and professional student learning experience by implementing nationally recognized standards in departmental services, programs and facilities.

Benchmarks (measures of the degree of success over the next 5 years):

·         Adhere to the highest ethical standards of professionalism in service delivery and agency functioning resulting in no violations of the APA Ethical Code.

·         Maintain American Psychological Association (APA) accreditation of our pre-doctoral internship training program for the maximum duration provided (currently 7 years).

·         Receive 90% positive feedback from students on satisfaction surveys related to services received.

Objective 3.1: Maintain highest standards for professionalism, service delivery, and agency functioning.

Strategies:

·         Adhere to APA ethical standards in all areas of SCC functioning, including record keeping, storage of confidential information, and provision of all clinical services.

·         Provide professional staff with ample opportunity to stay current on the most recent practices in psychology, as well as in their areas of expertise.

·         Increase responsiveness to client satisfaction surveys.

·         Incorporate client satisfaction survey information into delivery of services.

·         Implement changes suggested in departmental CAS review findings (2008)

Goal 4.  Graduate and Professional Education: Enhance graduate and professional education opportunities for psychologists and counselors in training.

Benchmarks (measures of the degree of success over the next 5 years):

·         90% of graduate practicum students report satisfaction with training experiences at the SCC.

Objective 4.1: Provide Quality Services Learning Experience in Counseling Center Practices for Texas Tech Graduate Practicum Students.

Strategies:

·         Maintain interdepartmental relationships with academic departments in the mental health professions.

·         Ensure quality performance of graduate practicum students.

·         Provide highest quality clinical supervision and training to graduate practicum students.

·         Provide diverse array of opportunities for training and learning for graduate practicum students (e.g., group therapy, couples counseling, psycho-educational workshops, mind-body lab services, outreach programming).

Goal 5.  Engagement: Provide educational outreach opportunities that contribute to student learning and benefit the student body and campus community.

Benchmarks (measures of the degree of success over the next 5 years):

·         75% of students completing post-counseling satisfaction survey report that services positively impacted their mental health, academic success and continued enrollment.

Objective 5.1: Address Mental Health and Adjustment Concerns Relevant to Student Academic Performance.

Strategies:

·         Continue to provide services related to academic success (e.g., test anxiety reduction, stress management, mind-body lab services, management of depression/anxiety, assistance with substance abuse / relationship issues / stressors that affect successful adjustment to college) through direct service or outreach programming.

·         Provide campus-wide educational outreach programs on mental health / wellness each year in partnership with Student Affairs departments.

·         Conduct student needs assessment survey every three years that addresses: 1) student knowledge of mental health issues; 2) student awareness of SCC services; 3) student suggestions/ideas for potential SCC services.

·         Increase responsiveness to client satisfaction surveys.

·         Continue to develop innovative programming to address students’ needs.

    Strategic Priority: Strengthen Partnerships

Goal 6:  Partnerships: Build strategic partnerships and alliances with local and campus community.

Benchmarks (measures of the degree of success over the next 5 years):

·        Maintain current on-campus partnerships and create a minimum of one new partnership per year.

·         Expand the scope of contact with off-campus resources and service providers for students to increase referral resources for students.

Objective 6.1: Establish collaborative alliances with Student Affairs and academic departments to provide seamless academic-related services to students, as well as to enhance the wellness and personal growth of students.

Strategies:

·         Provide education to faculty and staff regarding management of distressed students.

·         Continue to advocate for faculty and staff use of MentalHealthEdu as a way to educate themselves about identifying and referring students in distress.

·         Continue to participate in bi-weekly interdisciplinary Assessment and Response Team (ART) meetings in order to facilitate appropriate campus communication regarding students in distress.

·         Continue to enhance partnership with International Cultural Center to provide services to international students.

·         Continue to enhance partnership with the Law School to provide easily-accessible services for law students.

·         Expand partnership with Student Disability Services to provide comprehensive services to students with disabilities.

·         Continue outreach, training, consultation, and liaison relationships with Residence Life and the Center for Campus Life.

·         Continue collaborative partnership with Student Health Services (i.e., psychiatric services, Raider Assistance Program).

·         Continue partnership with department of Athletics to facilitate mental health services for student athletes
Continue to enhance partnership with Student Diversity Relations to enhance programming to diverse students (e.g., LGBT Allies Training)
Continue to enhance partnership with Women's Protective Services to provide educational programming to students.
Continue partnership with Parents Relations to provide panel discussions for parents

·         Continued contact each year by SCC to all academic colleges and residence halls staff.
Develop sexual assault outreach training with SHS Impact Tech student volunteers.

Objective 6.2: Increase collaborative alliances with local mental health resources and providers.

Strategies:

·         Utilize departmental Case Manager to expand partnerships with specific community mental health organizations.

·         Utilize departmental Case Manager to expand partnerships with psychologists and psychiatrists in private practice to improve referral system.

·         Continue to participate in university-wide Mental Health Task Force to increase campus awareness of mental health issues and available resources for students.