Reliability evidence of test scores is essential in counseling research and program evaluation, as the quality of client care is, in part, based on the proper interpretation of test scores. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha is unquestionably the most frequently reported estimate of internal consistency reliability in counseling research. For over a decade scholars in other disciplines have raised a number of concerns about the utility of coefficient alpha for capturing the reliability of psychological traits, in favor of composite reliability estimates. However, coefficient alpha remains the most dominant reliability index in counseling research. To this end, this article provides a non-technical summary of coefficient alpha, coefficient omega, hierarchical omega, and coefficient H, guidelines for their appropriate usage, and can serve as a reference for counseling practitioners and researchers when conducting outcome research and program evaluation.

Faculty members play key roles in successful college student retention and degree completion. In recent years, investigators in a variety of higher education disciplines identified numerous factors associated with improving retention and graduation rates, including college student mental health. Faculty members play vital roles in supporting college student mental health, including recognizing and referring students to resources. In this phenomenological study, researchers investigated the lived experiences of faculty members who had active lived experiences with supporting college student mental health. A structural description included five emergent themes, which support and extend the extant literature surrounding the utility of faculty members for supporting college student mental health and retention.

The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the use of mobile health (mHealth) for communicating wellness-related resources and mental health interventions to college students. An extensive review was conducted of electronic databases and the annual reviews from randomly selected college counseling centers across the United States. Results revealed that mHealth is a promising resource for infusing technology into the delivery of mental health support services. Recommendations for integrating mHealth into the delivery of mental health support services on college campuses are provided.

Mental Health Disorders (MHDs) are an increasingly pervasive issue on college campuses. The aim of the present investigators was to identify differences in the frequency of attendance in counseling, recognition of warning signs, and awareness of resources for mental distress between and within college students enrolled in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) majors and in mental health majors. Significant differences emerged in students’ attendance in counseling, recognition of warning signs, and awareness of resources by academic major, gender, and past attendance in counseling. Our findings both complement and extend the extant literature on the importance of outreach and consultation as key roles of college counseling practitioners.