Nature and Severity of College Students' Psychological Concerns: A Comparison of Clinical and Nonclinical National Samples

University counseling center staff members have expressed a growing concern about the perceived increasing severity of college students' presenting problems. The main goal of this study was to explore the nature and severity of college students' presenting problems by establishing a baseline measure. The research summarized here was derived from 3 large-scale studies involving 1 nonclinical and 2 clinical samples surveyed by counseling centers that were members of the Consortium of Counseling Psychological Services in Higher Education. The results of this study provided some evidence for the claim that the severity and chronicity of college students' presenting problems has been increasing over time. The results of the study were discussed in light of the existing literature and conclusions were drawn. Suggestions for university counseling centers were provided.