The Mental Health Needs of Today's College Students: Challenges and Recommendations

This paper reviews the literature on the changing mental health needs of todays college students and the challenges posed by both the growing number of students with serious psychological problems on campus and the increase in the number of students seeking counseling. The implications of student mental health problemsfor students,faculty, staff, and the institution are discussed, as well as some strategiesfor responding to the surge in mental health needs on college campuses. The mission of university and college counseling centers is to "assist students to define and accomplish personal, academic, and career goals by providing developmental, preventive, and remedial counseling (CAS, 1999, p. 67).…