From discourse to effectiveness: A communication studies perspective on college counselors' individual psychological counseling

College counselors are central to students' mental health education, where effective discourse is crucial for successful individual counseling. Yet, most studies emphasize counseling content or student attitudes, with limited empirical analysis of how counselors' discourse affects communication outcomes. This study adopts a communication studies perspective and employs a mixed-methods design, combining questionnaires (N = 412) and semi-structured interviews (N = 38). Five dimensions were examined: communication content, communicative competence, perceived attitude, channel preference, and communication effectiveness. Results show that professional competence, discourse relevance, channel selection, and counselor-student trust are key factors, with trust mediating and moderating the effects of competence and discourse strategies. Students reported greater psychological safety and openness when counselors demonstrated empathy, acceptance, and guidance, while poor discourse relevance or inappropriate channels provoked defensiveness. An integrative model of discourse and communication effectiveness is proposed, offering theoretical and practical insights for optimizing counseling strategies and strengthening mental health education in higher education.