The Embedded Counseling Model: An Application for Dental Students
The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a counseling office on dental students at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics during their first three academic semesters. A full time psychologist was hired to provide in house counseling sessions to individual students. During clinical assessment, data was gathered on students’ psychological history and high risk behaviors. An outcome rating scale was utilized after each session to assess overall psychotherapy outcome. Results found a positive correlation between the number of counseling appointments and overall functioning. The most significant increase followed after the sessions. This suggests that counseling offices are efficient in promoting well-being of students and further research is needed in this area so that faculty can best meet the needs of their students.