University of Wisconsin – La Crosse
Counseling and Testing Center (CTC)
2012-2013
Annual Report
Submitted by
Bridgette C. Hensley, Psy.D.
Director
Notes of Acknowledgement
This year, Dr. Kristen Marin became a licensed psychologist and assumed the role of
Psychologist/Training Coordinator, in January 2013, after Dr. Lauren Everitt vacated the position and left UW-L. Dr. Marin also maintains her role as the Counseling and Testing Center’s (CTC) resident substance abuse specialist after completing the Substance Abuse Certification Program.
A previous practicum student and intern, as well as a long time contractual clinician with CTC,
Mrs. Elizabeth Stine joined our staff as an Associate Counselor, in January 2013, filling the vacant position left by Dr. Marin. She is working on completing her post degree hours to become licensed.
Mrs. Rebecca Lee left her position, as University Services Associate 1, in July of 2012 to accept a position in Career Services.
Ms. Jenny King left her role as Testing Administrator at CTC to accept the job as University
Services Associate 2 with CTC in September, 2012.
Mr. Andrew Avery-Johnson and Mr. Nicholas Zettel have been instrumental in filling the
Testing Administrator role vacated by Ms. Jenny King.
In addition to her role as our Senior Counselor, Mrs. Francie Biesanz assumed the additional role and responsibilities associated with Outreach Coordinator, previously done by Dr. Jeannie
Hanley. Mrs. Biesanz helps coordinate and track all outreach requests. Outreach requests, by staff, faculty and students, seems to increase each year which mirrors the trend across campuses, nationally.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to our contractual clinicians (Dr. Ryan McKelley,
Mrs. Donna Jolley, Mr. Randy Kahn, and Mr. John Streyle) who without their clinical expertise and assistance, CTC would not be able to meet the service demands.
Although there still exists a marked and pervasive stigma regarding mental health, students are more inclined to seek services and refer friends in need of help. Today’s college student is more likely to have had previous counseling experience and many (but certainly not all) come to campus under the treatment of psychotropic medications. Furthermore, as we continue to see and hear about mental health issues and campus crises in the news, the demand for outreaches

from the campus and local community increases. This indirect service is becoming an integral part of the services we deliver. And while it creates a greater stress on our resources, we are both professionally and ethically obligated, as well as happy, to provide this service. People are recognizing mental health as a salient element of wellness and giving themselves permission to discuss mental health issues – finally! These discussions create a sense of community for those audience members that feel alone in their suffering. Such presentations, often times, result in accessing service, referring a friend, or simply and perhaps most important, greater acceptance of someone struggling with mental illness. The CTC staff continues to see our role on campus as helping students achieve academic success and retention through positive mental health. On behalf of the students at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, the campus faculty, staff, and administrators, and the greater Coulee region, I would like to express my appreciation to all the
Counseling and Testing Center (CTC) staff that helped make 2012-2013, a very successful year.
Their hard work, talent, ingenuity, and genuine concern for students, help improve the quality of lives, the climate of this great campus, and ensure that students experience academic success and personal satisfaction.
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Counseling and Testing Center
2012-2013
Dr. Bridgette C. Hensley, Director
Mrs. Francie Biesanz
Mr. Criss Gilbert
Mrs. Charlene Holler
Mrs. Donna Jolley – contractual staff
Mr. Randy Kahn – contractual staff
Ms. Jenny King
Dr. Kristen Marin
Dr. Ryan McKelley – contractual staff
Mrs. Beth Mullen-Houser – contractual staff
Ms. Patricia Sterling
Mrs. Liz Stine
Mr. John Streyle – contractual staff
Post Doctoral Fellows
Dr. Jamie Lucas
Dr. Anna Zettel
Student Helpers
Ms. Emily Hacker
Mr. Logan Wehmeyer
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A Special Note Regarding Statistics
It should be noted that due to excessive difficulties with Point and Click “PnC” (the new electronic medical record) set up and implementation, CTC is experiencing significant problems retrieving data. Therefore, we have only limited access to service utilization and clinical data sets. This author has indicated those categories for which data is lacking or for which the data presented is unique due to PnC’s data retrieval process. These comments have been italicized for easy identification. Nevertheless, efforts have been taken to provide the most valid and current
“picture” of services offered by the Counseling and Testing Center. The date range reference for all data included in this report is 05/21/2012 – 05/17/2013. At times, this date is referred to as the “2012-2013 academic year.”
CTC has several ways of collecting data on the clients we see and the services we offer. These methods include PnC (which pulls demographic information from PeopleSoft, the school records and registration electronic system), CelestHealth/Behavioral Health Monitor (BHM 20) which is our outcomes assessment program, the Learning Outcomes and Client Satisfaction Survey
(administered at the end of each semester) and our Client Information Form (CIF). Each method has merit and value; however, each of these programs/assessments measure services differently.
Aggregate data from the Learning Outcomes and Client Satisfaction Survey and the CIF is shared with participating UW system schools and is contributed to a larger scale study that examines the impact of UW counseling services on its students and campuses. Due to the PnC problems noted above, CTC did not provide aggregate data from the Client Information Form for the Fall 2012 semester.
As with most statistics, those presented within this report should be interpreted with some caution. They are provided to communicate the spirit of services and outcomes, as well as to give the reader a general picture of our client population.
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Narrative Report
Providing high quality services to students and the campus community is the primary goal of the
CTC staff. These services have a direct impact on the satisfaction and retention of university students. The professional staff is asked to work in several multi-dimensional roles, which is an asset for the Center and UW-L.
The mission of the CTC is stated as follows.
Our mission is to promote students’ emotional, academic, social, and cultural growth through counseling, crisis intervention, and outreach within an atmosphere of confidentiality and inclusivity. To meet the needs of UW-L and the region, we provide comprehensive testing services that adhere to nationally recognized standards.
The CTC’s “tag line,” is:
Caring, Compassionate, Confidential
A. Accreditation
Since 1979 the International Association of Counseling Services, Inc. (IACS) has accredited the
UW–La Crosse CTC. Accreditation by IACS certifies that the CTC meets or exceeds certain criteria and standards that are applied exclusively to college and university counseling centers.
A complete re-evaluation is done on each accredited site every four years. CTC completed its
IACS re-evaluation in the spring of 2011 and was fully re-accredited. Our next re-evaluation is scheduled for 2015. In addition to regular re-evaluations, the CTC completes and submits an annual report on our services and staffing for approval by IACS during the spring of every year.
In August 2012, CTC once again received full accreditation by IACS. The 2012-2013 annual report is currently underway.
B. Direct Services
The primary goal of the CTC is the provision of direct counseling services to UW-L students.
Direct service includes clinical assessments, counseling (individual, group, couples, and family), psychological testing, consultations, crisis intervention, academic skills counseling, as well as psychoeducational workshops, seminars, and clinics. From 05/21/2012 – 05/17/2013, approximately 1,000 students received direct services. Thirty nine of these students are
Wisconsin Technical College (WTC) students whom we serve at UW-L’s Student Health Center
(SHC). Because of the way PnC tracks service utilization, those clients who participated in group therapy only may not be included in the above figures. CTC conducted 4,408 direct service appointment this academic year which includes but is not limited to the following appointments: 149 academic skills intakes, 162 academic skills visits, 165
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assessment/psychological testing visits (40 students had ADHD assessments), 118 consultation visits, 296 urgent care visits, 202 triage visits, 580 counseling intake visits, 38 couples sessions,
42 individual group therapy screenings, 2,636 individual therapy visits and 296 group therapy visits. Eighty eight percent of counseling appointments were delivered at CTC’s main office in
Centennial Hall and 12% were delivered at our satellite office in the SHC. Most clients attend between one and five therapy sessions (excluding group therapy) before being discharged or discontinuing services. This utilization pattern is similar to that in the community by the general population.
CTC offered 12 different therapy groups or workshops this academic year. These include:
Academic Skills Workshop, ADHD Clinic Group, AODA Support Group, Assertiveness
Workshop, Men’s Group, Grief & Loss, Mindfulness, ACT on Anxiety, ACT on Anxiety and
Depression, Disordered Eating, Relationship Support, Multicultural Knitting Group, and
Understanding Self and Others. Appendix F contains examples of several, but not all, group therapy fliers used for advertising.
This year, in an effort to meet the increasing demand for clinical services within an economic climate of lean financial resources, CTC developed and implemented a triage system and increased our group therapy offerings. The triage system enables students, seeking initial counseling services, to obtain an appointment within 72 hours of their call/inquiry. During the brief 20 minutes triage appointment, presenting problems are discussed and an initial treatment plan is developed. The triage system has been very successful in reducing wait time to see a clinician. Additionally, by offering more groups CTC is able to serve more students because it theoretically decreases the demand for individual therapy. A strong group therapy model is integral to providing efficient and effect clinical treatment when service demands are high and staff size is relatively small.
The Relaxation Room has been in existence for two years now and has begun to catch on among the student body. This service is available to any registered UW-L student, whether a client at
CTC or not. The room offers leather recliners with massage/heat pads, noise cancelling head phones, as well as computer based relaxation programs, music, and biofeedback programs.
There is also a small meditation corner in the room. During the 2012-2013 academic year, 196 students used the relaxation room for a total of 540 visits.
One of the most important direct roles of a university counseling center is to take a leadership role in response to traumatic events on campus. The CTC staff continues to work diligently to help our students and community respond to these crises. The 2012-2013 academic year was a difficult one due to several sorrowful and tragic events. During the past year, CTC staff provided campus crisis intervention and outreach to students and staff following the unrelated deaths of four students, a campus safety crisis, and in response to a terminally ill student.
We continue to be fortunate enough to have Psychiatric Services , facilitated by Dr. Tom
Trannel, available at UW-L through Student Health Services (SHC). Due to an increase in demand for psychiatric services, Dr. Trannel’s hours were increased from 24 hours per month to
30 hours per month this spring. Psychiatric services are funded by student segregated fees as well as money received from WTC. The psychiatric services are available to UW-L students and
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WTC students but are reserved for those students with serious and/or complex psychiatric needs.
Dr. Trannel conducted 32 psychiatric intakes and 99 psychiatric follow up visits this academic year. The SHC physicians also conduct medication evaluations and follow up visits for psychotropic medications. Please see Dr. Allen’s annual report on the SHC services for that data.
In general, the profile of a student-client who receives service is female (73%), White (81%), single (71%), and 19 years of age (22%). Please note that the CIF provides the opportunity for clients to endorse gender identities (other than female and male), as well as a variety of sexual orientations. However, problems with PnC rendered this data unavailable.
We do not currently track our referral sources. Anecdotally, some of our largest referral sources include other students (word of mouth), the Office of Student Life, and the Office of Residence Life. The academic level classifications reflect the current academic level status of the clients and not the academic level status at the time of the appointments.
Therefore clients who were classified as
Freshman when they sought services at CTC are now, at the time the data for this report was pulled, classified as Sophomores. With that in mind, the following information characterizes the academic status of CTC’s clientele: Freshman (5%), Sophomore (22%), Juniors (23%), Seniors
(36%), and Graduate Students (10%). These numbers do not add up to 100 due to the fact that
PnC tracks other academic levels, such as “Unassigned” among others. However, these percentages are small and range from 0.1% to 1.8%. Please see Appendix A for more demographic information.
Students are asked to identify their presenting concerns into broad categories. After the intake
(1 st
) session the counseling staff categorizes the concerns more precisely. Data regarding presenting concerns is currently not available due to the difficulties noted earlier.
However, it is suspected that such data would be consistent with that of previous years and consistent with national trends on college campuses. The majority of students present anxiety and depression, in that order, as primary concerns.
The BHM is a measure used to help clinicians determine presenting problems and the level of distress being experienced by the client, as well as the client’s overall level of functioning. The
BHM is based on nationally standardized norms for students using the services at university and college counseling centers. Aggregate BHM data is currently not available due to the difficulties noted earlier.
Learning Outcome and Client Satisfaction data is solicited from every student who receives counseling or academic skills services at CTC. As mentioned earlier, UW-L participates in a system wide initiative to assess learning outcomes and client satisfaction in a standardized fashion. The survey is comprised of three subscales: Intrapersonal Learning Outcomes,
Academic Outcomes, & Client Satisfaction. This is the second year that UW-L has participated in this study and results continue to be impressive and promising.
In the Fall of 2012 and Spring of 2013, clients were sent an email with an invitation to access the learning outcomes survey at a protected website. Ninety-one clients responded to the survey in the Fall and of these respondents, 77 reported receiving mental health counseling services
(versus academic skills services or using the relaxation room). One hundred and ninety one
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clients responded to the Spring 2013 survey. Of these respondents, 160 reported receiving mental health counseling services. The smaller response rate in the fall is due to late administration of the survey and a small administration window.
Results of the Fall 2012 survey, where N = 65 (except where noted), indicate:
 86% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they made improvements on the specific issues for which they sought counseling.


72% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they started to live a healthier lifestyle in at least one area.
77% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they are better prepared to work through future concerns and achieve their goals.
 52% of respondents (N=64) agreed or strongly agreed that counseling has helped them focus better on their academics.
 97% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that it is important for them to have counseling services located on campus.
 20% of respondents (N=64) agreed or strongly agreed that prior to counseling they were thinking of leaving school.
 34% of respondents (N=64) agreed or strongly agreed that counseling helped them stay at school.
Results of the Spring 2013 survey, where N = 130 (except where noted), indicate:
 87% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they made improvements on the
 specific issues for which they sought counseling.
72% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they started to live a healthier lifestyle
 in at least one area.
79% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they are better prepared to work through future concerns and achieve their goals.
 43% of respondents (N=129) agreed or strongly agreed that counseling has helped them focus better on their academics.
 98% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that it is important for them to have counseling services located on campus.
 26% of respondents (N=129) agreed or strongly agreed that prior to counseling they were
 thinking of leaving school.
39% of respondents (N=129) agreed or strongly agreed that counseling helped them stay at school.
C. Testing Services
The testing program, housed within the Counseling and Testing Center, is comprised of national, psychological, internet based testing (iBT), and computer based testing (CBT). The program is a national, regional and campus site for the administration, scoring, interpreting, and dispersal of many tests and several psychological inventories. The national tests consist of many professional certification/licensure exams, graduate school and professional education program exams as well as international competency exams. Many tests are administered via the computer
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or internet. However, there are still a few tests given in a paper and pencil administration format, including the Wisconsin Placement Test. The testing program serves the UW-L community and the greater La Crosse area. (The psychological tests are administered to clients of CTC upon referral from their clinician.)
During the 2012-2013 academic year, 5,365 tests were administered. This includes the 876 placement tests that were given in the spring, as well as 2,282 paper and pencil tests. The remaining 2,207 were computer based tests. Last year’s report documented slightly more than
5,000 administered tests for the 2011-2012 year. While the actual number is not available because paper and pencil tests were estimated last year, the CTC testing staff firmly believes that we have administered more tests this year than last. While the demand for certain tests increased, others decreased as testing waxes and wanes with the economic and job climates.
CTC looks forward to continued growth and meeting the testing needs of the UW-L, La Crosse and surrounding communities.
Appendix B contains an overview of the Placement Testing Program over the last two years.
Appendices C and D reflect testing trends over the year with respect to ETS (Educational Testing
Service) and PAN (Performance Assessment Network) testing. Finally, Appendix E is an example of relatively new testing contract and the utilization of the tests offered by the vendor.
Psychological Testing
Psychological testing is done on an as needed basis and administered by the clinician when deemed clinically appropriate. The more common psychological measures administered, scored, and interpreted by the staff in the CTC include: LASSI (Learning and Study Strategies
Inventory); MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Inventory); and the MMPI-II (Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) evaluations include the use of several different assessment measures and help in identifying treatment and academic accommodation needs. All evaluations and resulting diagnoses are important. However, due the potential academic and medical implications, as well as the growing trend of stimulant medication abuse on college campuses, CTC has modified the ADHD evaluation protocol. The new protocol is more comprehensive and now includes an intellectual functioning measure, as well as a measure that allows the clinician to rule out other primary motivations for seeking a diagnosis of ADHD.
D. Outreach Programming
The outreach activities are the most diverse programming function of the CTC. The outreach goal is the delivery of preventive, consultative, educational, and developmental programs to the
UW-L campus’ students, staff, faculty, parents, as well as various civic, health, and educational institutions in La Crosse. The formats range from classroom presentations, speaking at conferences, media interviews, workshops, and educational brochures. Over the 2012-2013 academic year, 66 outreach appointments were conducted serving approximately 3,839 students, staff, faculty, and community members. The following are just a few examples of the outreach topics presented by staff at the Counseling and Testing Center: Combat to College, QPR for
Suicide Prevention, CTC Services, Academic Skills, World Suicide Prevention Day, Autism,
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Stress Management, Child & Adolescent Psychopathology, Improving Memory, Finals
Preparation, Suicide Assessment, Mental Health Stigma, Time Management, Grief, Speed
Reading, Career Exploration, National Alcohol/Drug Screening Day, National Anxiety
Screening Day, National Depression Screening Day, and Safe Spring Break.
E. Service
The CTC staff has a strong commitment to the service mission of the University. The following is a sample listing of the service contributions by the CTC staff: Violence Prevention Advisory
Committee, Branding Committee, CARE Team, ATP Cross Cultural Guides, Division of Student
Affairs Staff Recognition Committee, Freshman Registration and Orientation, and Search and
Screen Committees.
Additionally, many clinical consultations were provided to the staff, faculty, parents and students throughout the year. The staff consults about counseling services, student problems, and questions regarding resources. Discussions about clients are always governed by confidentiality statutes.
F. Teaching Contributions
Bridgette Hensley served as adjunct faculty in the Department of Psychology, where she taught
Introduction to Suicidology and served as SAA faculty teaching a Special Topics course.
G. Professional Development
During the 2012-2013 year, the staff was involved in a variety of professional activities. These included weekly training activities coordinated by Dr. Marin, as well as workshop and conference attendance pursued by staff to meet ongoing licensure requirements and further develop areas of clinical interest and expertise. Some continuing education topics include:
Substance Abuse Certification, Hmong Cultural Competency, Cross Cultural Research, DSM-5,
Suicide Prevention, Diversity Dialogues, Hazing, Ethics, and Sexual Violence.
H. Supervision and Training
The CTC put their practicum and internship program on hold for this academic year due to staff changes and CTC’s desire to modify the training program, giving it more structure and organization, so as to provide the best training experience and ensure that trainees continue to meet general clinical competencies. CTC continued to be a Post-Doctoral Psychology Fellow training site. Dr. Bridgette Hensley served as a primary supervisor for Drs. Jamie Lucas and
Anna Zettel (psychology fellows), as well as Mrs. Beth Mullen-Houser and Liz Stine. Dr. Ryan
McKelley served as secondary supervisors for the Post-Doctoral Fellows.
I.
Diversity Efforts
The Counseling and Testing Center was involved in a number of diversity efforts during this past year. Each staff member was asked to set a personal diversity learning objective. The outcomes
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included professional readings, as well as discussions and attendance at multi-cultural events.
Additionally, CTC collaborated with OMSS to provide a multicultural knitting group.
CTC recognizes that our diverse and multicultural students are underserved. It is our professional and ethical obligation to address the issues of accessibility of services.
J. Challenges/Opportunities in 2013-2014

Continue to build our group therapy program so that it becomes a primary treatment modality.

Continue to develop our Testing program to meet the campus and community demand for a broad range of certification and testing needs.

Re-initiate our practicum and intern training program. Examine and modify the salary for the Post-Doctoral Positions so that it is competitive and continues to attract bright and competent Fellows. Exploring the feasibility of and potential to acquire APPIC
(Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers) membership which will enable CTC to implement a doctoral level psychology internship training component.

In response to the need for CTC to make its services accessible to underserved populations, we are fortunate enough to have been given the resources to search for an additional Counselor who can help CTC meet this need. Once the hire is made, the challenge will be to conduct a needs/service assessment and creatively develop a service delivery model that meets these needs.

Continue to push ourselves to explore new and exciting ways to incorporate Inclusive
Excellence ideals and standards into our daily work.

Complete the set up and implementation of PnC, ensuring that migration is complete and ensuring that report functions provide necessary data.

Seek to hire a full time Testing Associate for the Testing Program. Consider adding an additional 12 month FTE for a psychologist. This position will help alleviate the supervisory responsibilities of the Director, enabling them to better balance their administrative and clinical roles. APPIC requires two full time psychologists for an
APPIC internship program.

Explore grant opportunities in collaboration with other UW-L offices and community organizations.
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Appendix A
User Characteristics
Counseling & Testing Center
2012-2013
Sex
Male
Female
Current Marital Status
Single
Married
Status Unknown
Race
Black
Cuban
Hmong
Native American
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Mexican, Mexican American
Chicano
Other Asian
Other Hispanic/Latino(a)
Puerto Rican
Race Unknown
Vietnamese
White
School of Enrollment
29%
71%
71%
1.0%
28%
2.6%
1.6%
0.2%
0.4%
1.3%
2.2%
1.5%
1.8%
0.4%
1.7%
0.1%
80.7%
Associate of Arts
Liberal Studies
Graduate Special
Science & Health
Business Administration
School Psych Ed Studies
Masters of Science in Ed
Arts & Communication
Doctorate of Physical Therapy
Master of Public Health
Master of Science 2.9%
Master of Software Engineering 0.1%
School of Education 4.7%
University Status
Freshman 4.7%
0.2%
8.5%
26.6%
0.4%
0.2%
1.4%
7.6%
41.6%
1.1%
0.4%
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Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Graduate
22.3%
23.7%
36.3%
9.8%
Post-Bacc Undergraduate
Unassigned
1.8%
1.1%
Undergraduate Special
Educational Specialist
Graduate Special
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
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Appendix B: Placement Testing
Date Capacity Registered Registration as % of
Capacity
3/24/12 250
4/7/12 cbt
50
4/21/12 250
5/5/12 250
5/19/12 250
6/2/12 cbt
50
6/23/12 250
TOTALS 1350
168
13
222
158
243
18
153
975
67.2
26%
88.8%
63.2%
97.2%
36%
61.2%
72.2%
Tested Show rate as
% of those registered who tested
160
8
95.2%
61.5%
197
141
212
13
125
856
88.7%
89.2%
87.2%
72.2%
81.6%
87.8%
Show rate as % of capacity
64%
16%
78.8%
56.4%
84.8%
26%
50%
63.4%
Date
3/23/13 250
4/6/13 250
4/27/13 250
5/11/13 250
5/18/13 50 cbt
6/15/13 250
6/22/13 cbt
50
TOTALS 1350
Capacity Registered Registration as % of
Capacity
117
191
246
46.8%
76.4%
98.4%
228
(10 walkons)
91.2%
24 48%
Tested Show rate as
% of those registered who tested
101
161
86.3%
84.3%
215
199
19
87.3%
87.2%
79.1%
Show rate as % of capacity
40.4%
64.4%
86%
79.6%
38%
215
10
(10 walkons)
1031
86% 181
876
84.2% 72.4%
*data set incomplete as testing continues
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Appendix C: ETS Tests
250
200
150
100
50
6
12
9
9
20
0
57
0
11
12
23
22
20
19
25
1
83
73
24
31
9
89
46
81
95
0
21
35
5
13
80
0
24
33
11
36
14
5
19
28
20
7
27
24
0
16
25
0
26
35
38
23 54
9
7
42
27
23
12
25
22
40
6
0
12
5
40 39
ASE (277)
MCAT (41)
PPST Individual (196)
PPST Combined (294)
Praxis II (283)
TOEFL (78)
GRE (618)
TOTAL TESTS GIVEN IN ETS LAB = 1787
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Appendix D: PAN Tests
60
50
2
40
30 0
20
10
0
2
12
4
5
23
6
2
1
17
1
16
1
3
0
14
2
9
0
29
3
0
54 0
25
2
1
0
8
0
22
0
9
Other (8)
USPS (238)
TSA (20)
JonesNCTI (15)
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Appendix E: New Contract – Castle World Wide
CWW exams administered 07/01/12 – 6/30/13 = 96
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Appendix F: Group Therapy Fliers
18

19

20

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