BARRIERS TO SEEKING PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: DEVELOPING A CONCEPTUAL HELP-SEEKING MODEL

This was a research project on barriers to seeking psychological counselling in the university student and formulation of a conceptual help seeking model which had psychological, social, cultural and institutional factors that can influence help seeking behavior. Although mental health issues are on the rise among students, the study used the Theory of Planned Behavior and socio-ecological approaches to the analysis and interpretation of behaviors related to the lack of using counseling services among students. A qualitative phenomenological research design was used where data were gathered by the means of semi-structured interviews with university students and analyzed by the thematic analysis based on the six-phase model provided by Braun and Clarke (2006) with the assistance of NVivo 14 software. The literature review identified seven of such themes: Mental Literacy, Psychological barriers, Social influence, Cultural factors, Institutional barriers, Social support, and help-seeking behavior. The combination of these themes depicted the dynamics of stigma, lack of awareness, culture norms, lack of access, and social dynamics as contributors to attitude and choice of students regarding psychological counseling. This led to the formation of the resulting Integrated Help-Seeking Model, which was integrated and multidimensional that would explain the complex process of help-seeking among university students. The research also helped fill the theory practice divide by informing universities, mental health professionals and policy makers to design the mental health system to be integrated, culturally competent and stigma free. The paper concluded by suggesting the engagement of specific awareness campaigns, greater access to services, and supportive campuses to increase help-seeking behaviors and student welfare. Keywords: Psychological Counseling, Help-Seeking Behavior, University Students, Mental Health Barriers, Social Support