DIGEST - Volume 11, Issue 1

7 TPC Digest | TPC Digest Priscilla Rose Prasath, Peter C. Mather, Christine Suniti Bhat, Justine K. James C ollege student mental health has become an increasingly significant challenge in recent years with the growth of presenting mental health concerns posing challenges for campus communities and for college counselors. The presence of mental health stressors and the corollary demands on campus counseling centers has been compounded by COVID-19, as many students are faced with new modes of learning, barriers to customary social opportunities, and experiences of personal illness or illness or even death of family members and friends. We employed a positive psychological approach in this study, focusing on what was working to bolster well- being during this time, rather than emphasizing the mental health challenges. We took this strengths-based approach to gain an understanding of what interventions and approaches may be useful to assist college students during this crisis and perhaps during other crises they may face in the future. Also, taking the approach of focusing on what is working and on what inner strengths can be developed helps mitigate against stigmatization that is associated with pathology and mental health diagnoses in counseling. This in turn could result in less ambivalence on the part of students to seek help and, possibly, lead to more sustained contact and interaction with counseling and supportive services. Developing inner strengths would benefit students beyond college, especially as they may face uncertain futures. Data collection for this research project occurred in May 2020, within a few weeks of institutions making the difficult decision to send students away from their campuses ands implement online teaching approaches. A total of 609 college students voluntarily participated in the study. We compared well-being among college students prior to the pandemic and following its onset. Not surprisingly, the study showed that mental health was worse once COVID-19 presented itself. A central aspect of the study was an examination of correlates of well-being post-pandemic. Specifically, we explored the ways in which the positive psychological characteristics of hope, self- efficacy, resilience, and optimism related to well-being. These characteristics, referred to as “psychological capital,” are learnable and changeable, so the findings lend themselves to drawing informed implications for counseling practice. In this study, hope and optimism were the most salient psychological characteristics for boosting students’ well-being. Counselors can shape the degree to which hope and optimism manifest in clients through proven approaches. Optimism can be developed through approaches that build positive self-talk, and strategies that focus on goal-setting and achievement can promote hope. In addition to psychological capital, we explored what coping approaches were associated with well-being. Active coping, acceptance, positive reframing, and accessing emotional support proved to be adaptive strategies for students participating in the study. Psychoeducational interventions to teach adaptive coping skills and develop psychological capital may be offered in small or large groups, and may be delivered in brief, short-term professional helping relationships. At a time when more intensive counseling resources are taxed, using supplemental methods, such as positive psychology smartphone apps such as Happify and resilience- building video games such as SuperBetter, can be beneficial to promote student well-being. Priscilla Rose Prasath, PhD, MBA, LPC (TX), is an assistant professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Peter C. Mather, PhD, is a professor and department chair at Ohio University. Christine Suniti Bhat, PhD, LPC, LSC (OH), is a professor and the interim director of the George E. Hill Center for Counseling & Research at Ohio University. Justine K. James, PhD, is an assistant professor at University College in Kerala, India. Correspondence may be addressed to Priscilla Rose Prasath, 501 W. Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard, Durango Building, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78207, priscilla.prasath@utsa.edu. The Role of Psychological Capital and Coping Strategies