A survey of mental health practices in the California Community Colleges

Title from first page of PDF file (viewed November 9, 2010)Available free in the San Diego State University Digital Research Collection.Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-89)The purpose of this research study was to identify the services available in California community college and to identify effective practices that support students with psychological disabilities in this setting to be successful. With the passage of Proposition 63 in California, the Mental Health Services Act of November 2004 became law and a taxpayer's taxable income in excess of one million dollars now has an additional 1% tax. These funds were to be used to transform the public mental health systems without supplanting existing mental health budgets. These funds would support the development of new services in the community colleges in conjunction with the California Department of Mental Health.This study will analyze the data from a survey that collected information on services currently available at the community colleges in California and services that are desired by college staff to provide necessary support to students with psychological disabilities. A quantitative analysis was conducted on the data, collected in May, 2009, through a survey of the 110 community colleges throughout the state of California. The survey selected by the California Community College's Chancellors Office was modified from previous surveys under the title of a National Survey of Counseling Center Directors in four-year colleges and universities by adding questions. Selected individuals at the Chancellors office maintained most of the questions in the survey and inserted additional questions in the area of location of services, services to student veterans and campus clubs. A chi-square was done to analyze observed responses with expected frequencies. Comparison of California results with the National Counselor Center Directors used descriptive statistics to evaluate trends in the two different college systems. Findings indicate that dividing the community colleges by department affiliation was necessary for the collection of responses, but did not provide for significant differences in services among the four departments. The frequency of responses to a survey question provided valuable information when identifying trends for the community colleges. The data reveal some similarities in the descriptions of responses when comparing the California Community Colleges with the National four-year colleges with the use of college size. Based on these findings, recommendations for practices and processes were made in the collaboration of services both internal and external, the development of training materials for faculty and staff, and the development of a standard in California for the type of information collected on services for students using mental health supports