Services & Activities Fee Committee
2011-12 Budget Request Questionnaire
Budget Request Questionnaire
All units requesting funding must submit a Budget Request Form, a SAF Allocation Budget
Request Form, and responses to the Budget Request Questionnaire. These questions
provide the basic information for the Committee to evaluate the request. All questions should
be answered to the best of the units' ability and as completely as possible. Please answer
each question individually. Units may also submit an additional narrative outlining their
proposal as well as any materials which will assist the Committee in its deliberations.
Budget Questions
1. What is the Services & Activities Fee operations allocation per student enrolled (using
40, 860 FTE) and per student served?
The request represents $8.37 per student enrolled and $70.44 per student directly served by the
Counseling Center. For purposes of comparison, all enrolled students pay a dedicated fee to support
the Counseling Centers at our regional peer institutions. These fees are currently:
 University of Oregon: $83.25
 Oregon State University: $94.83
 Washington State University: $144.00
2. Please provide an explanation of how the unit plans to spend the budget in each line
item of the SAF Allocation Budget Request Form, including an explanation of
increases or decreases from the previous year’s request. Items that are vague, such
as “contract services” should be clearly explained.
Our request and our plans for the requested funds are as follows:
Salaries: $246,174
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$167,064 to continue funding 2.82 FTE counselors to provide direct service to students (intake,
counseling, emergency consultation, and outreach)
$14,310 to continue funding a 0.5 FTE Program Assistant to assist with ongoing
implementation of electronic record-keeping and front desk/phone reception.
Counseling Center SAF Request – FY 2011-12

$64,800 to fund a full-time counselor to provide direct service to students with particular focus
on outreach to and support of student veterans. This represents new funding to address a
serious current need on campus, described in the Orientation Materials.
Benefits:
 $76,187 for the 4.32 FTE staff above
Operations: $19,475
03 Other Contractual Services:


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$16,000 to fund one day per week (.20 FTE) of a fourth-year psychiatry resident; this individual
will provide psychiatric evaluations; prescribe medications for students without financial means
or other referral options; and will provide onsite consultation about medical issues to staff.
This represents an increase in this service which SAF has been funding, the need for which
was documented in the Orientation Document.
$750 to continue supporting continuing education/training for staff funded by the S&A Fee
$725 --- $500 continued supporting plus $225 new support for professional license fees for
staff funded by the S&A Fee
05 Supplies and Materials:

$2,000 --- 1,550 continued support for supplies plus $450 new support specifically for
development of materials and programs targeting student veterans
3. How many students utilize the services and activities provided by your unit? Please
provide both numbers and percentage of the total student population. Describe how
statistics are obtained and provide demographics on graduate, undergraduate, male,
female or other categories you believe important and relevant to your unit.
During the 2009-10 year, we saw 1,522 students for individual, couple, or group counseling. On
average, each client was seen for 5 sessions. 89% were seen for 10 or fewer sessions. Our attended
appointments were down some from last year due to one position that was unfilled for the first half of
the fiscal year and an extended family leave for another counselor. Although we did hire a temporary
counselor for approximately 12 hours per week for Spring Quarter, we were still down substantially
from having a full-time counselor. This reflects the direct relationship between number of counseling
staff and capacity to meet the demand for services. We also provide walk-in consultation for students
who are in crisis. Last year, we consulted with 298 students in this regard. In addition, we consulted
with 276 non-students (faculty, advisors, residence life staff, parents, and other students) regarding
students about whom they were concerned.
An important aspect of our direct service to UW students involves Outreach. Outreach includes
presentations, panel discussions, educational workshops, and other activities designed to promote
positive mental health, stress management, and illness prevention for the campus community. It also
includes response and support we provide to students following a traumatic event or the death of a
student, faculty, or staff member. The data indicate that 3,033 students were directly served through
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Counseling Center SAF Request – FY 2011-12
our Outreach programs last year. There were 19,000 visits to our website; 1,378 on-line mental health
screenings were completed.
Demographics for students receiving direct clinical services (crisis intervention, intake, individual
therapy, group therapy, couple therapy, career counseling, psychiatric services, biofeedback, light
therapy, and assessment) are obtained from the Counseling Center’s confidential database. Data are
entered when a student initiates service. Demographic and other information regarding student clients
can be found in Appendix A of our Orientation document (also attached here).
4. Please explain any criteria students and non-students must meet to use the services
and activities provided by your unit. Can students access your services after
graduation and/or withdrawal?
Our only criterion is that the client must be a currently enrolled, matriculated UW student (Seattle
campus). Alumni may attend our Career Workshops for a fee. When a student withdraws from school
while in counseling, we work with that student to identify alternative support. Although this
occasionally means we see a non-enrolled student for a couple of sessions, this is important for
continuity of care and risk management.
5. Does your unit provide employment opportunities for students? Please explain the
nature of student employment within your unit, including total FTE and number of
students employed.
Due to the confidential and sensitive nature of our services, the Counseling Center does not currently
provide employment opportunities for students.
6. Describe the primary limitations on your unit’s ability to serve students, such as space,
funding, people, or other limitations.
Due to an unprecedented increase for services in fall 2010, we have struggled to provide service in a
timely manner this year. At the end of week 8 of fall quarter, our completed intake appointments
were up 30% over the prior year. We were unable to continue to accommodate this number of
requests and some students who wanted to see a counselor were unable to do so before winter
break. A national survey of over 200,000 college freshman, conducted by UCLA, found that the
current cohort reports that the emotional health of the college freshmen has declined to its lowest level
since the survey was initiated 25 years ago. Depression, stress, and worry about the economy have
all contributed to significantly increased need for services to support students through their college
career. Because our work is people-intensive, the primary limitation on our ability to serve students is
always limitations in the number of counselors we are able to maintain, either due to lack of funding or
lack of appropriate office space.
Space continues to be an additional challenge, particularly the availability of only one functional group
therapy room. We are working with the Vice President for Student Life on long-range planning for
appropriate space (i.e., centrally located, private, and conveying a sense of comfort and confidentiality
to students) for the Counseling Center, allowing for possible expansion of our services. In addition to
funding to hire more counselors, physical expansion will need to be a priority in coming years.
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Counseling Center SAF Request – FY 2011-12
7. How do you gauge the effectiveness of the services & activities you provide to
students? In what capacity are students involved in your budgeting process?
The Counseling Center administers the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms
(CCAPS) to clients at intake and the CCAPS-35 (a corresponding outcome measure) approximately
every third session. The CCAPS and CCAPS-35 are questionnaires specifically developed to assess
symptoms and problem areas in a college student population, and progress in addressing these
symptoms in counseling. Scores on these instruments provide one measure of client progress and
give the counselor and client guidance in focusing treatment efforts. Administration of this measure is
also part of our participation in the Center for College Mental Health, a research project involving over
160 colleges and universities nationwide.
We regularly implement an internal File Review, a Quality Assurance procedure wherein counselors
review a sample of client files for accuracy and completeness. In the future, this will be expanded to a
review of file content to provide feedback on application of clinical interventions and client progress.
We also developed and implemented a Satisfaction and Outcome survey in Winter Quarter 2010. Our
Assessment Plan includes repeating this Catalyst survey every other year.
SAF is currently the only avenue through which students are involved in the Counseling Center
budgeting process and will likely remain so, especially given how little non-personnel operating budget
we have (and therefore how little flexibility we have on how we spend our revenue). However, we are
meeting with Eric Shellan and Melanie Mayock on February 28 to discuss the process of reviving the
Counseling Center Advisory Board for future years.
8. How do you ensure that student fees do not subsidize non-student uses? If possible
please provide a graphic representation of the breakdown of student and non-student
use.
The Counseling Center provides services to enrolled UW students and we check enrollment status
before a student becomes a client. There are only two ways a non-student can access the services:
UW alumni may attend Career Workshops provided by the Counseling Center and they must pay a
fee to do so. Second, a non-student may call or walk in because they need referral information. We
willingly provide this limited service. In the past, non-students could receive couple counseling if their
partner was an enrolled student. In order to improve efficiency and more thoroughly ensure student
access to counseling services, we closed this “loophole” in January 2011.
9. Please explain how alternative (non-S&A Fee) funding sources have been pursued to
the fullest possible extent. To what extent does your unit rely on self-generated
revenue and/or other university funding? How much of that revenue is obtained
directly from students?
We applied for and were awarded a Student Technology Fee grant last year for six portable data-entry
devices which will enable students to enter their personal and confidential data directly into our secure
database when they initially seek services. This will streamline the intake process, enhance
information security, and significantly reduce our use of paper.
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Counseling Center SAF Request – FY 2011-12
Otherwise, we rely very minimally on self-generated revenue. We do charge a fee for Career
Counseling, largely to cover the cost of the assessment materials and the specialized service. We
earn approximately $7,000 each year from these services. We charge alumni twice the rate we
charge current students.
10. What do you foresee as long-range unit needs and potential funding sources, both
operating and capital?
Personnel. The Counseling Center’s primary expense is people. This is generally true in servicedelivery departments, and particularly true in our case. Nationally, we estimate that the ratio of
expenditures for people vs. operations in counseling center budgets is approximately 9:1. Our nonpersonnel operating budget is only 1% of our total budget. Our funding needs in the foreseeable
future are primarily for people. However, we will also need to pursue avenues for obtaining a
relatively small increase in non-personnel operating budget in order to maintain a safe and welcoming
environment for student clients as well as for office supplies, equipment, and program development
and implementation. In the current economic climate, we continue to be at risk of losing counseling
staff. Such losses would translate directly to reduced service access for students. The impact on
students will be an ever-increasing wait to see a counselor and less availability for ongoing counseling
once they have that Intake appointment. We continue to advocate for students’ mental health care
needs and believe the UW administration recognizes the importance of counseling services for
students who encounter personal challenges during their academic career. The current economy, of
course, limits the translation of that recognition into financial support.
Furniture. As noted in previous years’ proposals, we are initiating requests for the funding to replace
furniture in our student waiting room (expanded and re-carpeted last year with state dollars) and
counselor offices. Some counselors have purchased their own furnishings for their offices. However,
in the interest of providing a safe and comfortable space for students to engage in the counseling
process, we would like to purchase new chairs and loveseats for most counselor offices as well as
new furniture for the group room and waiting room. These requests are on the capital requests
worksheet, scheduled to be integrated into our requests over the next three years.
11. Was your 2010-11 S&A Fee allotment increased, decreased or unchanged from the
2009-10 budget? How closely did your actual expenditures align with the budget
approved by last year's Committee?
Our allotment for the current (2010-11) Fiscal Year was unchanged from the prior year.
Our final balance for FY 2009-10 was a surplus of $1,809. As of February 2011, we are on track to
be within a few hundred dollars of the approved budget for FY 2010-11.
12. How would your unit respond if your allocation were less than you requested? Please
be as specific as possible, detailing areas of your budget which would be changed.
A smaller allocation than requested would result in staff reductions. Given the sharp incline in
demand for services during the current academic year, if we remain at current or reduced staffing
levels, it will be impossible to avoid some reduction of service availability during the academic year
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Counseling Center SAF Request – FY 2011-12
and students will experience a longer wait to see a counselor. The wait for ongoing counseling has
reached 2-3 weeks during Winter Quarter 2011.
Capital Expenditure Questions
13. Describe and justify all 2011-12 Minor Equipment and Capital Improvement Requests
on the Capital Expenditures Worksheet. The depth of response should reflect the size
of the SAF Allocation and the nature of the item.
Item Name –Tables, Chairs, and Lamps for Group Therapy and Workshop Room
Description – Twenty-five chairs and a flexible conference/classroom table will be purchased
for the Group and Workshop Room.
Total Cost - $2,250
Requested SAF contribution (value posted to worksheet) - $2,250
Demonstrated Need – The Counseling Center has one room for Group Therapy,
Workshops, and Presentations. This room gets a lot of use and the current chairs and tables are
badly in need of replacement. It’s important for students who participate in Counseling Groups, in
particular, to have a comfortable quiet space for the difficult conversations in which they engage.
Replacing the furniture in this room will help us continue to build our Groups program which can be an
effective way to enhance service delivery and efficiency.
As noted in the past, physical environment is a key component in creating an atmosphere of safety
and comfort for students seeking support for personal and academic problems. We are limiting our
request to items used directly by students – chairs and tables in the waiting room, Group Therapy
Room, and office spaces that are actually occupied by students who receive our services.
Projected effect on SAF maintenance requests (First five years posted to
worksheet)
The furniture we purchase should last a decade or more. As has been projected over the past two
years, we do anticipate requests for other furniture needs over the next three years. These estimated
amounts are reflected in the Capital Request Workbook. Based on feedback from the committee last
year, we have reduced the projected request for furniture for counseling offices.
Projected effect on SAF operational requests
No impact anticipated.
14. Describe all Capital Maintenance Requests listed on the Capital Expenditures
Worksheet. If there are significant maintenance costs for assets that are relevant to the
committee, but are not reflected by the five-year maintenance timeline, please include
them here (e.g. a complete replacement seven years out would be relevant, but would
not be reflected by the five-year worksheet).
Not applicable.
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Counseling Center SAF Request – FY 2011-12
15. Please provide a timeline for any relevant long-term capital expenditures not reflected
by the Capital Expenditures Worksheet.
Not applicable.
16. Please explain any previously allocated SAF capital funds that were not fully
expended, as reflected by the Capital Expenditure History table.
Not applicable.
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Counseling Center SAF Request – FY 2011-12
Appendix A: Characteristics of Counseling Center Clients
Students who used the Counseling Center during the 2009-10 academic year
65% female
31% male
1% Transgender
3% No Response
81% Heterosexual
2% Lesbian
3% Gay
4% Bisexual
2% Questioning
3% Prefer Not to Answer
27% graduate/professional
24% seniors
49% juniors or below
41% report a GPA of at least 3.5
22% are Transfer Students
4% Black/African American
1% American Indian or Alaskan Native
20% Asian American or Asian
59% Caucasian/White
5% Hispanic/Latino/a
1% Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
5% Multiracial
22% are First Generation College Students
33% report that finances are always or often stressful.
5% say finances are never stressful.
51% have had prior counseling.
46% report that they have experienced a significant traumatic experience.
27% are or have been on medications for a psychological condition.
23% have felt they had an eating problem.
21% have had an unwanted sexual experience.
19% have engaged in non-suicidal self-injurious behavior.
22% have considered suicide at least once in the past.
7% have made at least one suicide attempt.
7% have considered harming another person.
2.5% have actually harmed another person.
5% have been hospitalized at least once for a psychological condition.
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