Barriers to the Utilisation of Counselling Services by International Students

Abstract

International students are particularly affected by issues related to physical health, academic studies, and social and psychological matters. Despite sometimes enormous emotional distress, there is evidence to suggest that these students are reticent to use counselling services to address these issues. The purpose of this study is to examine the rate of utilisation of counselling services by students at two Australian university campuses. Ninety participants completed a survey that examined their help-seeking behavior, the barriers that hindered them from seeking counselling, and how they eventually came to access the service. Follow-up interviews with a subset of these students (n = 21) were used to gain more detailed information about their use and experience of counselling services. Counsellors were also interviewed to obtain their perspective on these issues. It was found that several factors hindered students' use of counselling services and that an overwhelming majority seek help from their friends and other fellow international students rather than counselling services. However, some sought assistance unilaterally, or by referral from academic staff. It was concluded that international students were indeed reticent to attend counselling services, and there is a strong need for counselling services to be aware of cultural attitudes that act as a blockage to their utilisation.