Date of Award
Winter 1-16-2026
Document Type
Dissertation (799 registration)
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership
Department
Graduate Studies
Committee Chair
Kristen Carlson
Keywords
college students, mental health support services, barriers to access, bioecological model of development
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify barriers to accessing mental health support for college students from the perspective of college faculty counselors. In 2022, research indicated that over 60% of college students met the criteria for one or more mental health conditions (Lipson et al., 2022), though data published in the same year revealed that practitioners employed at colleges and universities are only supporting an average of 12.2% of the student population (Bruns et al., 2023). While college counseling centers have reported increasing usage rates, there remains a gap in the number of students utilizing services versus those who are likely experiencing mental health concerns. Using the interpretivist research paradigm, a qualitative phenomenological methodology was used for this study. Participants were recruited through a combination of criterion, convenience, and snowball sampling through email invitation. Interviews were conducted via secure videoconferencing software. Interview questions were developed using the theoretical framework of Bronfenbrenner’s Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) model of bioecological theory (1995). Deductive coding revealed three themes relating to barriers, while inductive coding identified one theme related to changes over time and two themes related to supportive factors.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Rebecca C., "College Students' Barriers to Mental Health Support Services: A Practitioner's Perspective" (2026). Dissertations, Theses, and Projects. 1090.
https://red.mnstate.edu/thesis/1090