Counseling and Mental Health Services on Campus: A Handbook of Contemporary Practices and Challenges. - Reviews - book review

Adolescence, Summer, 1999

ARCHER, James, Jr., & COOPER, Stewart. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998. 304pp. (h).

This book addresses the challenge of meeting increased demand for mental health counseling services on campuses with limited resources. It provides a guide for counselors and administrators to the latest practices, models, and approaches for addressing the mental health needs of today's university students. In straightforward language, Archer and Cooper show how to organize, implement, and manage effective counseling, prevention, and student development services on four-year college campuses. They explain how the efficient and effective models of brief therapy and group counseling are especially well suited to the college environment and demonstrate how university programs can expand counseling services through the creative use of paraprofessionals and other members of the campus community in limited counseling roles. The authors offer practical counseling approaches that will meet the needs of students with specific problems, such as substance abuse and eating disorders, as well as students with developmental concerns. Further, they suggest useful techniques and strategies for working with a variety of populations, such as women; minority groups; gay, lesbian, and bisexual students; and adult learners. In addition, the authors urge an evolution of outreach and prevention methods, which they call the "initiator-catalyst" approach, and the book's illustrative examples demonstrate how this approach can be used in a variety of campus settings.

ADOLESCENCE, Vol. 34, No. 134, Summer 1999 ling among Af