**6. Conclusion**

their educational achievement, increase the risk of school dropout, lead to lower occupational

The findings of this study have several implications for practice and policy. They suggest that community colleges are in urgent need for more comprehensive mental health resources to meet the needs of their diverse student body. Toward this, the counselors who were interviewed provided several recommendations. The first was to increase the number of part-time counselors especially during critical periods like mid-term and before the finals, as these are associated with an increase in the students' stress levels. Counselors who were providing the whole range of student support services including counseling suggested appointing people who could take on the academic and career-advising roles so that the counselors' time could

Counselors also proposed training some students within the campus to act as peer support for those experiencing mental health difficulties. The study on student support networks [47] suggests that students willing to take on peer support roles can be provided training in areas like (1) enhancing knowledge of mental health conditions, (2) promoting skill development in core-helping skills, (3) reducing stigma associated with help seeking, and (4) enhancing connection with key campus resources. Some research suggests that "peer support is associated with positive effects of hope, recovery and empowerment at and beyond the end of intervention" [48]. Because of fiscal limitations and pressures on counseling staff, an increasing number of postsecondary institutions are recognizing the advantages of this population-based model to serve the mental health needs of the student community [49]. However, training students to provide peer support will need additional resources like time commitment from

Another population-based approach that was suggested is educating the campus community and other stakeholders, like parents about mental illness and the adverse impact of stigma. Some campus counselors were already engaged in this to some extent. This approach involves conducting workshops for faculty and college staff to respond helpfully to students in trouble, making referrals to college counselors, expanding external referral networks, and serving on college interdisciplinary committees to help in proactively identifying students who are troubled. Counselors also recommended that general practitioners, who see students on a regular basis and prescribe medications, must work more closely with mental health

practitioners and refer students with mental health problems to these practitioners.

In addition to the above programs and recommendations, community college counselors can benefit from increased supervision and opportunities for specialized clinical training in areas like trauma-informed practice and suicide prevention. Since community colleges serve a significant number of ethnically diverse and marginalized students, community college counselors must also focus on developing multicultural counseling skills so that these students do not feel disenfranchised in the system. Finally, community college counselors must engage in building reliable partnerships and referral systems with off-campus service providers who can attend to students whose treatment needs exceed campus resources [50]. They must

attainment, workforce failure, and poor community integration.

**5.1. Implications for practice and policy**

94 Health and Academic Achievement

be utilized for providing psychological services.

counselors, at least initially.

Community college counselors' caseloads comprise a significant proportion of students from ethnically diverse and minority backgrounds. Many of these students experience complex life issues and severe mental health conditions. In the face of rising demand for counseling services and decreasing resources, the counselors face several challenges in addressing the needs of these students. These findings make a strong argument for increasing resources for community colleges so that they can meet the needs of the students and support counselors in their role. They also suggest the need for a comprehensive provincial strategy that can address the rising incidence of mental disorders among marginalized students who aspire to gain postsecondary qualifications and join the workforce. Despite the significance of the findings, this study has limitations. The findings are based on a small sample of 10 counselors from seven community colleges across one province in Canada. Hence, the results cannot be generalized to other regions and student populations. Future studies must include a larger sample of counselors across more provinces in Canada. Future research can examine the perspectives of community college students on the counseling support they need and currently receive to address the challenges they face during their study program.
