University Counseling Centers Failing Their Role... Staff Shortages and Low Expertise [MZ Mindfulness]

②Recognition of Suicidal Thoughts as Starting Point
Serious Budget Shortage Issues
Urgent Need for Government Investment and Support

Recognizing suicidal thoughts is the starting point to reduce the youth suicide rate. Considering that the current university enrollment rate exceeds 70%, university counseling centers can be seen as the primary institutions addressing suicide issues among people in their 20s. However, there are concerns that counselors have short career spans and handle multiple tasks such as career counseling and employment support, which lowers their professionalism.

A counseling center is set up at a university in Seoul.
Photo by Asia Economy DB

◆Counseling Centers Exist but Substance is ‘Questionable’

According to the Ministry of Education’s “Status of Counseling Center Installation in Universities” on the 23rd, counseling centers were confirmed to be installed in 205 out of 209 responding universities. Among these, 127 are general universities and 78 are vocational colleges. Although counseling centers are currently operated in most universities, there are many concerns about whether they have sufficient substance. According to the “Policy Proposal for Suicide Prevention among University Students,” an analysis of a survey conducted in 2021 targeting counseling centers at 44 universities nationwide showed that most counseling staff consisted of only one or two people. The appropriate number of staff should be proportional to the number of enrolled students, but the workforce itself is insufficient.

Regarding the employment type of full-time counseling staff at universities, 72.7% were contract workers. In such cases, frequent turnover of counseling staff due to low salaries and fixed working periods inevitably reduces continuity, professionalism, and efficiency of work. Since counselors responsible for suicide crisis intervention play an important role, there are calls for the government to establish institutional measures to ensure stable employment.

The counseling experience of counselors at universities was 31.8% for 2?4 years, 27.3% for less than 2 years, 22.7% for 6 years or more, and 18.2% for 4?6 years. Regarding psychological counseling certifications (multiple responses allowed), 29.6% held Level 2 Counseling Psychologist certificates, 25.9% other certificates, 19.4% Level 2 Clinical Psychologist, 10.2% Counseling Psychology Supervisor, 12% Level 1 Counseling Psychologist, and 2.8% Level 1 Clinical Psychologist. The more experienced and professional the counselor, the greater the likelihood of forming an effective cooperative relationship with clients, but university counseling centers are insufficient to fully perform suicide crisis intervention.

◆Support Amount per Student ‘Very Low’

The budgets of university counseling institutions were recorded as follows: under 10 million KRW for 6 universities, 10 million to under 20 million KRW for 5 universities, 20 million to under 30 million KRW for 7 universities, 30 million to under 50 million KRW for 12 universities, 50 million to under 100 million KRW for 7 universities, and over 100 million KRW for 7 universities. According to the 2019 National University Student Counseling Center Survey Report, the overall average was 80.44 million KRW. This figure includes counseling room operating expenses, and the actual direct support amount per student was evaluated as very low.

The priority of tasks at university counseling centers was 20.3% for psychological counseling, 18.0% for career counseling, 16.6% for suicide crisis counseling, 15.7% for freshman basic surveys, 13.4% for sexual violence counseling, 7.4% for university student status research surveys, 4.6% for employment support, and 4.1% for others. As such, counseling institutions in Korean universities have reduced their core task of psychological counseling while handling other duties simultaneously. In contrast, counselors at American university counseling centers spend 60% of their time on direct counseling service activities such as counseling, intake interviews, crisis intervention, and evaluation, showing a significant difference.

Suicide crisis intervention manuals were available in 61.4% of universities, and post-intervention manuals for suicide deaths were present in 31.8%. University counselors were found to inconsistently follow intervention procedures, reporting and discussion, and follow-up management due to the absence of pre-established manuals. It is also pointed out that post-intervention manuals are essential to prevent the contagion effect of suicide when a death occurs.

Professor Kwak Geum-ju, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Seoul National University, stated, “Although universities have counseling centers, many still consider it a personal issue. Therefore, they continuously suffer from budget and manpower shortages, and because the treatment is poor, experienced counselors are reluctant to come. For suicide crisis management, a separate counselor is needed, and a response system such as 24-hour telephone counseling must be established. To reduce the youth suicide rate, government-level investment and support are urgently needed.”

※If you have difficult concerns such as depression or know family or acquaintances experiencing such difficulties, you can receive expert counseling 24 hours a day by calling the suicide prevention counseling hotline ☎109.