Situation
At a time of increased focus on poor wellbeing among young students, the Student Counselling Service (SRG) has an important task in supporting students in higher education with free socio-psychological support. To gain a better understanding of awareness and use of the Student Counselling Service, SRG, in collaboration with Epinion, carried out a survey in 2023 among students across higher education institutions in Denmark. The aim was to map how many students are aware of and make use of the counselling service, and to better understand where the target group seeks help more generally.
Complication
The study showed that two out of three students have had a need for help during their time as students. Of these, half have sought help, primarily from family and friends. Among the students (30%) who have considered using a counselling service for students experiencing mental or social wellbeing challenges, the largest proportion have considered the Student Counselling Service (13%). However, many students still have a superficial awareness of the Student Counselling Service. Although 46% of students indicate that they are aware of SRG when presented with the option, only 7% knew a lot about the service. In addition, the study showed that the second most common reason (10%) for not considering using a counselling service – after not needing help at all – is a lack of awareness of available services.
Recommendation
As a way of addressing these challenges, Epinion’s study mapped a number of opportunities to increase the visibility of the Student Counselling Service, particularly through increased collaboration with student guidance services at higher education institutions, which are currently the greatest catalyst for awareness of SRG. The study also pointed to a need to make the specific services that SRG offers more visible, as well as the importance of strengthening students’ informed awareness. Overall, the results can help guide SRG towards making its counselling services more accessible to students.
