Counseling Stigma: A Gender Analysis of Mental Health Access in Higher Education
Keywords:
counseling, gender, gender sensitive counseling
Abstract
Traditional gender roles have put psychological pressure on college students. The lack of gender-sensitive counseling services and studies in universities reinforces traditional gender roles. With this basis, this study aims to determine students' views on gender-sensitive counseling services. Qualitative research using semi-structured interviews was used to understand their perspectives deeply. Focus is given to formulating questions, aiming to address potential social biases that may hinder participants from providing honest information. Participants consisted of 4 guidance and counseling students (2 men and two women) who had not received lecture material on gender-sensitive counseling in a multicultural counseling course at one of the State Universities in Samarinda City. The results showed that there is an understanding of traditional gender roles, masculinity discourse in counseling services, and gender bias occurring in counselors can be obstacles in providing access to gender-sensitive mental health services. This research confirms the need to study and design gender-sensitive counseling services to access more inclusive mental health services in higher education.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Beel, N., Jeffries, C., Brownlow, C., Winterbotham, S., & Du Preez, J. (2018). Recommendations for male-friendly individual counseling with men: A qualitative systematic literature review for the period 1995–2016. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 19(4), 600.
Bhati, K. S. (2014). Effect of client-therapist gender match on the therapeutic relationship: An exploratory analysis. Psychological Reports, 115(2), 565–583. https://doi.org/10.2466/21.02.PR0.115c23z1
Bonvillain, N. (2020). Women and men: Cultural constructs of gender. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Brewster, M. E., Motulsky, W., & Glaeser, E. (2019). Working with gender‐expansive clients in psychotherapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 75(11), 1993–2005.
Bryde Christensen, A., Krohn, S., Høj, M., Poulsen, S., Reinholt, N., & Arnfred, S. (2023). “Men are not raised to share feelings” Exploring Male Patients’ Discourses on Participating in Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Journal of Men’s Studies, 31(1), 3–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/10608265221077298
Chang, D. F., & Berk, A. (2009). Making cross-racial therapy work: A phenomenological study of clients’ experiences of cross-racial therapy. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56(4), 521.
Edwards, A. (2015). It’sa man’s world: The effect of traditional masculinity on gender equality. E-International Relations Students, 1–10.
Eisend, M. (2019). Gender roles. Journal of Advertising, 48(1), 72–80.
Enns, C. Z. (2000). Gender issues in counseling. Handbook of Counseling Psychology, 3, 601–638.
Erdmann, M., Schneider, J., Pietrzyk, I., Jacob, M., & Helbig, M. (2023a). The impact of guidance counselling on gender segregation: Major choice and persistence in higher education. An experimental study. Frontiers in Sociology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1154138
Erdmann, M., Schneider, J., Pietrzyk, I., Jacob, M., & Helbig, M. (2023b). The impact of guidance counselling on gender segregation: Major choice and persistence in higher education. An experimental study. Frontiers in Sociology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1154138
Ferber, A. L. (2023). WITH SO MANY PROBLEMS, WHERE DO WE BEGIN?: Building a Toolbox for Change. In Disrupting the Culture of Silence: Confronting Gender Inequality and Making Change in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003444299-27
Gough, B. (2022). Interrogating and recuperating masculinities in therapeutic practice | Interroger et rétablir les masculinités | Befragung und Wiederherstellung von Männlichkeiten in der therapeutischen Praxis | Διερεύνηση και ανάκαμψη των αρρενωποτήτων στη θεραπευτική π. European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling, 24(2), 224–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642537.2022.2090591
Gough, B., & Novikova, I. (2020). Mental health, men and culture: how do sociocultural constructions of masculinities relate to men’s mental health help-seeking behaviour in the WHO European Region? WHO.
Haines, E. L., Deaux, K., & Lofaro, N. (2016). The times they are a-changing… or are they not? A comparison of gender stereotypes, 1983–2014. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 40(3), 353–363.
Hallers-Haalboom, E. T., Maas, J., Kunst, L. E., & Bekker, M. H. J. (2020). The role of sex and gender in anxiety disorders: Being scared “like a girl”? In Handbook of Clinical Neurology (Vol. 175, pp. 359–368). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-64123-6.00024-2
Halo, D., Mrhálek, T., & Kajanová, A. (2021). Feminist and Gender-Sensitive Psychotherapy: Social Construction of Mental Health. E-Psychologie, 15(2).
Hasanah, U. (2020). KONSELING KELUARGA SENSITIF GENDER DALAM MENGATASI PERCERAIAN. SETARA: Jurnal Studi Gender Dan Anak, 1(01), 1–20.
Heise, L., Greene, M. E., Opper, N., Stavropoulou, M., Harper, C., Nascimento, M., Zewdie, D., Darmstadt, G. L., Greene, M. E., & Hawkes, S. (2019). Gender inequality and restrictive gender norms: framing the challenges to health. The Lancet, 393(10189), 2440–2454.
Hester, N., Payne, K., Brown-Iannuzzi, J., & Gray, K. (2020). On intersectionality: How complex patterns of discrimination can emerge from simple stereotypes. Psychological Science, 31(8), 1013–1024.
Joshi, A. (2015). Need for gender sensitive counselling interventions in India. Psychological Studies, 60, 346–355.
Kikinezhdi, O., Kiz, O., & Shulha, I. (2019). Gender-sensitive university as a subject of social interaction in the territorial community.
Kılıçer, B., Naşit Gurcag, S., Civan, A., Akyıl, Y., & Prouty, A. M. (2021). Feminist family therapy in Turkey: Experiences of couple and family therapists. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 33(2), 105–130.
Liddon, L., Kingerlee, R., & Barry, J. A. (2018). Gender differences in preferences for psychological treatment, coping strategies, and triggers to help‐seeking. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57(1), 42–58.
Lorde, A. (2021). Age, race, class, and sex: Women redefining difference. In Campus wars (pp. 191–198). Routledge.
Martin, T. L., & Doka, K. J. (2000). Men don’t cry--women do: transcending gender stereotypes of grief. Psychology Press.
Mayer, L. S., & McHugh, P. R. (2016). Sexuality and gender: Findings from the biological, psychological, and social sciences. The New Atlantis, 10–143.
McDermott, R. C., Nguyen, A. K., Smiler, A. P., Brasil, K. M., Smith, T. A., Barinas, J., Mims, C. E., Dudley, A. I., Davis, A., & Lindsey, D. R. (2023). Print media and the American Psychological Association’s guidelines for psychological practice with boys and men: A directed content analysis. Psychology of Men & Masculinities.
Mommersteeg, P. M. C., van Valkengoed, I., Lodder, P., Juster, R.-P., & Kupper, N. (2023). Gender roles and gender norms associated with psychological distress in women and men among the Dutch general population. Journal of Health Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053231207294
Niemi, N. S., & Weaver-Hightower, M. B. (2020). The wiley handbook of gender equity in higher education. In The Wiley Handbook of Gender Equity in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119257639
Nurhayati, E. (2005). Konseling Keluarga Yang Sensitif Gender Untuk Istri Korban Kekerasan Suami.
O’Halloran, K. C., & Delaney, M. E. (2023). Gender and College Women: Supporting Adult Women’s Development Through a Multidisciplinary Lens. Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 71(3), 259–271. https://doi.org/10.1080/07377363.2022.2037310
Priyashantha, K. G., De Alwis, A. C., & Welmilla, I. (2023). Three perspectives on changing gender stereotypes. FIIB Business Review, 12(2), 120–131.
Riecher-Rössler, A. (2017). Sex and gender differences in mental disorders. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(1), 8–9.
Rudman, L. A., & Glick, P. (2021). The social psychology of gender: How power and intimacy shape gender relations. Guilford Publications.
Schmalbach, I., Albani, C., Petrowski, K., & Brähler, E. (2022). Client-therapist dyads and therapy outcome: Does sex matching matters? A cross-sectional study. BMC Psychology, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00761-4
Sczesny, S. (2005). Gender stereotypes and implicit leadership theories. Implicit Leadership Theories: Essays and Explorations, 159–172.
Sezgin, F. H. (2023). Evaluation of gender perceptions of university students. In Socio-Economic Implications of Global Educational Inequalities. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-0693-2.ch013
Silver, K. E., Levant, R. F., & Gonzalez, A. (2018). What does the psychology of men and masculinities offer the practitioner? Practical guidance for the feminist, culturally sensitive treatment of traditional men. Practice Innovations, 3(2), 94.
Stocks, C. A. (2023). Informal mentoring among women in higher education to subvert gender bias. In Stabilizing and Empowering Women in Higher Education: Realigning, Recentering, and Rebuilding. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-8597-2.ch004
Stone, G. (2020). Working with men: A gender-sensitive practice model | Ayudando a los hombres: Un modelo de práctica sensible al género. Masculinities and Social Change, 9(1), 28–52. https://doi.org/10.17583/MCS.2020.4277
Tresky, S. (2010). Gender Sensitive Counseling, Gender Role Values Conflict and Session Evaluation Among Female College Students in Rural Hawaii. University of Hawai’i at Hilo.
Unger, R. (2020). Representations: Social constructions of gender. Routledge.
Wanzer, V. M., Gray, G. M., & Bridges, C. W. (2021). Lived Experiences of Professional Counselors with Gender Diverse Clients. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 15(2), 240–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538605.2021.1914274
Ward, L. M., & Grower, P. (2020). Media and the development of gender role stereotypes. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 2, 177–199.
Westoby, C., Dyson, J., Cowdell, F., & Buescher, T. (2021). What are the barriers and facilitators to success for female academics in UK HEIs? A narrative review. Gender and Education, 33(8), 1033–1056. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2021.1884198
Wingood, G., & DiClemente, R. (2002). The theory of gender and power. Emerging Theories in Health Promotion Practice and Research: Strategies for Improving Public Health. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 313–345.
Wood, W., & Eagly, A. H. (2012). Biosocial construction of sex differences and similarities in behavior. In Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 46, pp. 55–123). Elsevier.
Bhati, K. S. (2014). Effect of client-therapist gender match on the therapeutic relationship: An exploratory analysis. Psychological Reports, 115(2), 565–583. https://doi.org/10.2466/21.02.PR0.115c23z1
Bonvillain, N. (2020). Women and men: Cultural constructs of gender. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Brewster, M. E., Motulsky, W., & Glaeser, E. (2019). Working with gender‐expansive clients in psychotherapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 75(11), 1993–2005.
Bryde Christensen, A., Krohn, S., Høj, M., Poulsen, S., Reinholt, N., & Arnfred, S. (2023). “Men are not raised to share feelings” Exploring Male Patients’ Discourses on Participating in Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Journal of Men’s Studies, 31(1), 3–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/10608265221077298
Chang, D. F., & Berk, A. (2009). Making cross-racial therapy work: A phenomenological study of clients’ experiences of cross-racial therapy. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56(4), 521.
Edwards, A. (2015). It’sa man’s world: The effect of traditional masculinity on gender equality. E-International Relations Students, 1–10.
Eisend, M. (2019). Gender roles. Journal of Advertising, 48(1), 72–80.
Enns, C. Z. (2000). Gender issues in counseling. Handbook of Counseling Psychology, 3, 601–638.
Erdmann, M., Schneider, J., Pietrzyk, I., Jacob, M., & Helbig, M. (2023a). The impact of guidance counselling on gender segregation: Major choice and persistence in higher education. An experimental study. Frontiers in Sociology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1154138
Erdmann, M., Schneider, J., Pietrzyk, I., Jacob, M., & Helbig, M. (2023b). The impact of guidance counselling on gender segregation: Major choice and persistence in higher education. An experimental study. Frontiers in Sociology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2023.1154138
Ferber, A. L. (2023). WITH SO MANY PROBLEMS, WHERE DO WE BEGIN?: Building a Toolbox for Change. In Disrupting the Culture of Silence: Confronting Gender Inequality and Making Change in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003444299-27
Gough, B. (2022). Interrogating and recuperating masculinities in therapeutic practice | Interroger et rétablir les masculinités | Befragung und Wiederherstellung von Männlichkeiten in der therapeutischen Praxis | Διερεύνηση και ανάκαμψη των αρρενωποτήτων στη θεραπευτική π. European Journal of Psychotherapy and Counselling, 24(2), 224–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642537.2022.2090591
Gough, B., & Novikova, I. (2020). Mental health, men and culture: how do sociocultural constructions of masculinities relate to men’s mental health help-seeking behaviour in the WHO European Region? WHO.
Haines, E. L., Deaux, K., & Lofaro, N. (2016). The times they are a-changing… or are they not? A comparison of gender stereotypes, 1983–2014. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 40(3), 353–363.
Hallers-Haalboom, E. T., Maas, J., Kunst, L. E., & Bekker, M. H. J. (2020). The role of sex and gender in anxiety disorders: Being scared “like a girl”? In Handbook of Clinical Neurology (Vol. 175, pp. 359–368). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-64123-6.00024-2
Halo, D., Mrhálek, T., & Kajanová, A. (2021). Feminist and Gender-Sensitive Psychotherapy: Social Construction of Mental Health. E-Psychologie, 15(2).
Hasanah, U. (2020). KONSELING KELUARGA SENSITIF GENDER DALAM MENGATASI PERCERAIAN. SETARA: Jurnal Studi Gender Dan Anak, 1(01), 1–20.
Heise, L., Greene, M. E., Opper, N., Stavropoulou, M., Harper, C., Nascimento, M., Zewdie, D., Darmstadt, G. L., Greene, M. E., & Hawkes, S. (2019). Gender inequality and restrictive gender norms: framing the challenges to health. The Lancet, 393(10189), 2440–2454.
Hester, N., Payne, K., Brown-Iannuzzi, J., & Gray, K. (2020). On intersectionality: How complex patterns of discrimination can emerge from simple stereotypes. Psychological Science, 31(8), 1013–1024.
Joshi, A. (2015). Need for gender sensitive counselling interventions in India. Psychological Studies, 60, 346–355.
Kikinezhdi, O., Kiz, O., & Shulha, I. (2019). Gender-sensitive university as a subject of social interaction in the territorial community.
Kılıçer, B., Naşit Gurcag, S., Civan, A., Akyıl, Y., & Prouty, A. M. (2021). Feminist family therapy in Turkey: Experiences of couple and family therapists. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 33(2), 105–130.
Liddon, L., Kingerlee, R., & Barry, J. A. (2018). Gender differences in preferences for psychological treatment, coping strategies, and triggers to help‐seeking. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57(1), 42–58.
Lorde, A. (2021). Age, race, class, and sex: Women redefining difference. In Campus wars (pp. 191–198). Routledge.
Martin, T. L., & Doka, K. J. (2000). Men don’t cry--women do: transcending gender stereotypes of grief. Psychology Press.
Mayer, L. S., & McHugh, P. R. (2016). Sexuality and gender: Findings from the biological, psychological, and social sciences. The New Atlantis, 10–143.
McDermott, R. C., Nguyen, A. K., Smiler, A. P., Brasil, K. M., Smith, T. A., Barinas, J., Mims, C. E., Dudley, A. I., Davis, A., & Lindsey, D. R. (2023). Print media and the American Psychological Association’s guidelines for psychological practice with boys and men: A directed content analysis. Psychology of Men & Masculinities.
Mommersteeg, P. M. C., van Valkengoed, I., Lodder, P., Juster, R.-P., & Kupper, N. (2023). Gender roles and gender norms associated with psychological distress in women and men among the Dutch general population. Journal of Health Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053231207294
Niemi, N. S., & Weaver-Hightower, M. B. (2020). The wiley handbook of gender equity in higher education. In The Wiley Handbook of Gender Equity in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119257639
Nurhayati, E. (2005). Konseling Keluarga Yang Sensitif Gender Untuk Istri Korban Kekerasan Suami.
O’Halloran, K. C., & Delaney, M. E. (2023). Gender and College Women: Supporting Adult Women’s Development Through a Multidisciplinary Lens. Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 71(3), 259–271. https://doi.org/10.1080/07377363.2022.2037310
Priyashantha, K. G., De Alwis, A. C., & Welmilla, I. (2023). Three perspectives on changing gender stereotypes. FIIB Business Review, 12(2), 120–131.
Riecher-Rössler, A. (2017). Sex and gender differences in mental disorders. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(1), 8–9.
Rudman, L. A., & Glick, P. (2021). The social psychology of gender: How power and intimacy shape gender relations. Guilford Publications.
Schmalbach, I., Albani, C., Petrowski, K., & Brähler, E. (2022). Client-therapist dyads and therapy outcome: Does sex matching matters? A cross-sectional study. BMC Psychology, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00761-4
Sczesny, S. (2005). Gender stereotypes and implicit leadership theories. Implicit Leadership Theories: Essays and Explorations, 159–172.
Sezgin, F. H. (2023). Evaluation of gender perceptions of university students. In Socio-Economic Implications of Global Educational Inequalities. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-0693-2.ch013
Silver, K. E., Levant, R. F., & Gonzalez, A. (2018). What does the psychology of men and masculinities offer the practitioner? Practical guidance for the feminist, culturally sensitive treatment of traditional men. Practice Innovations, 3(2), 94.
Stocks, C. A. (2023). Informal mentoring among women in higher education to subvert gender bias. In Stabilizing and Empowering Women in Higher Education: Realigning, Recentering, and Rebuilding. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-8597-2.ch004
Stone, G. (2020). Working with men: A gender-sensitive practice model | Ayudando a los hombres: Un modelo de práctica sensible al género. Masculinities and Social Change, 9(1), 28–52. https://doi.org/10.17583/MCS.2020.4277
Tresky, S. (2010). Gender Sensitive Counseling, Gender Role Values Conflict and Session Evaluation Among Female College Students in Rural Hawaii. University of Hawai’i at Hilo.
Unger, R. (2020). Representations: Social constructions of gender. Routledge.
Wanzer, V. M., Gray, G. M., & Bridges, C. W. (2021). Lived Experiences of Professional Counselors with Gender Diverse Clients. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 15(2), 240–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538605.2021.1914274
Ward, L. M., & Grower, P. (2020). Media and the development of gender role stereotypes. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 2, 177–199.
Westoby, C., Dyson, J., Cowdell, F., & Buescher, T. (2021). What are the barriers and facilitators to success for female academics in UK HEIs? A narrative review. Gender and Education, 33(8), 1033–1056. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2021.1884198
Wingood, G., & DiClemente, R. (2002). The theory of gender and power. Emerging Theories in Health Promotion Practice and Research: Strategies for Improving Public Health. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 313–345.
Wood, W., & Eagly, A. H. (2012). Biosocial construction of sex differences and similarities in behavior. In Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 46, pp. 55–123). Elsevier.
Published
2024-06-03
How to Cite
Irawan, A. W., Yulindrasari, H., & Dwisona, D. (2024). Counseling Stigma: A Gender Analysis of Mental Health Access in Higher Education. Bulletin of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.51214/00202406837000
Section
Articles in English
Copyright (c) 2024 Andi Irawan, Hani Yulindrasari, Dwisona Dwisona
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right to first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution that allows the sharing of articles published with the acknowledgement of authorship and the initial publication in this magazine.
2) The authors are authorized to make additional contracts separately for distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (for example, publication in an institutional repository or as a chapter of the book), as long as there is recognition of authorship and initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are authorized and encouraged to publish and distribute their work online (for example, in institutional repositories or on their personal pages) at any time before or during the editorial process, as it increases the impact and reference of the published work.
