The Impact of a University Counselling and Psychological Support Service Focused on Positive Resources and Student Well-Being

Today, university counselling services play a crucial role in creating places where personal and professional skills can be developed. Universities provide an environment where people can grow as individuals and improve their quality of life. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of a counselling service that uses positive psychology as a theoretical and practical framework on students' well-being and positive resources. METHODS: Seventy students aged between 19 and 54 (M = 24.2; SD = 5.87), of whom 68.6% were women and 31.4% were men, participated in 10 psychological counselling sessions. The sessions focused on academic and general well-being, non-intellectual skills related to academic performance and satisfaction (e.g., academic self-efficacy, motivation, reaction to failure, time management), as well as positive resources (e.g., hope, resilience, courage). Participants completed a questionnaire protocol on these variables before and 6 months after the intervention. RESULTS: The results show a significant increase in almost all indices of general and domain-specific well-being and in positive psychosocial resources. The participants themselves stated that the counselling intervention produced significant changes in their lives in general and as university students. CONCLUSIONS: The results seem to suggest that structuring counselling programmes with a positive, well-being-oriented perspective can promote students' professional and personal development. Building psychological support environments can guide everyone on the path to maximising their potential in life and professional trajectories. The university services must pay constant attention not only to student performance but, above all, to improving their quality of life, preventing distress and promoting well-being.