An individualized approach to managed mental health care in colleges and universities: A case study

College counseling centers continue to struggle with decisions about the number of sessions to allot to their clients. In this article we contrast a pre-assigned standard allotment of sessions with an idiographic approach that integrates case conceptualization and assessment data to guide intervention decisions, including when to terminate. We illustrate the differences between approaches by providing a case study of a counseling center client whose changing pattern of symptoms illustrates the problems with relying on a pre-assigned number of sessions. This client evidenced improvement by Session 10 (a frequent termination point in pre-assigned situations) but worsened a few weeks later. Stabilization of symptoms occurred around Session 17 and termination at Session 21. © 2001 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Duke Scholars

Author Benson Mark Hoffman Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Adult Psychiatry & Psychol ...