From Demand Management to Campus Transformation: A 14-Year Retrospective on Building Comprehensive Mental Health Prevention and Intervention Systems in Higher Education

Date: Friday, December 4^th at 12 pm ET, 11 am CT, 10 am MT and 9 am PT

Cost:
Members - $30
Non-Members - $40

Title: From Demand Management to Campus Transformation: A 14-Year Retrospective on Building a Comprehensive College Counseling Center Outreach Strategy

Presenters: Harry Warner, MA, LPCC-S

Abstract:

Over the past two decades, college counseling centers have faced increasing demand for services, greater clinical complexity, persistent mental health disparities, and growing expectations to support student well-being at a population level. In response, many counseling centers have expanded beyond traditional individual therapy models to incorporate prevention, consultation, outreach, and community-based interventions that strengthen access to care and promote psychological well-being across campus communities.

Drawing on 14 years of experience developing and implementing mental health initiatives within a large university counseling center, this presentation examines the evolution of outreach from an educational activity to a comprehensive public health and intervention framework. Participants will explore how counseling centers can use prevention programming, consultation, strategic partnerships, liaison relationships, and systems-level interventions to address emerging student needs, improve mental health literacy, reduce barriers to care, and strengthen coordinated responses to student mental health concerns.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the evolution of college counseling center outreach into a comprehensive prevention, early intervention, and community-based mental health practice model that supports student well-being and mental health literacy. 
2. Analyze the role of consultation, campus partnerships, liaison relationships, and interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing student mental health concerns and improving access to supportive services within higher education settings. 
3. Apply evidence-informed principles of prevention, systems-level intervention, and community engagement to develop campus mental health initiatives that promote help-seeking, reduce barriers to care, and strengthen coordinated support systems for students.  

References:

Glass, G. D. (2020). College counseling center outreach: An organizing framework. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 34(4), 271-286. https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2019.1596773

Golightly, T., Thorne, K., Iglesias, A., Huebner, E., Michaelson-Chmelir, T., Yang, J., & Greco, K. (2017). Outreach as intervention: The evolution of outreach and preventive programming on college campuses. Psychological Services, 14(4), 451-460. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000198

Asidao, C. S., & Sevig, T. (2014). Reaching in to reach out: One counseling center's journey in developing a new outreach approach. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 28(2), 132-143. https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2014.883881

Glass, G. D., Walden, D., Bruns, C. M., & Braun, L. (2026). Essential: The roles and impacts of the university and college counseling center. Journal of College Student Mental Health, 40(3), 553-571. https://doi.org/10.1080/28367138.2025.2583873

Brunner, J., Wallace, D., Keyes, L. N., & Polychronis, P. D. (2017). The comprehensive counseling center model. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 31(4), 297-305. https://doi.org/10.1080/87568225.2017.1366167