My practice in student counseling has been closely connected to the Japanese Association of Student Counseling due to the fact that both my work and the Association have been constantly influenced by broader trends in Japanese society and university education. This paper reflects on changes from the mid-1990s to around 2020 and examines how these transitions influenced the Association, while looking back on my own practice. From around 2000, student counseling became recognized as part of university education, which led to increased counselor placement. However, from the late 2010s, financial constraints resulted in a reduction of involvement by faculty and staff. Throughout this period, the Association sought to meet emerging needs by promoting collaboration between faculty and staff and by positioning student counseling as both a practical and academic field. I hope the Association will continue to uphold three core principles: the educational value of counseling, a respect for diverse support methods and communication, and advocacy for effective counseling services across all higher education institutions.

This report summarizes a visit to the Counselling Centre (CC) at the Australian National University (ANU) in March 2020. The CC was well equipped, with individual counseling rooms and a system that incorporated regular meetings, group supervision, and individual supervision as part of the counselors’ routine duties. To meet increasing demand for mental health support, the CC introduced multilayered services such as limits on the number of counseling sessions, same-day appointment slots, group programs for specific student population, and online mental health materials with audio clips accessible to all students. These measures created an inclusive environment for a diverse student population. In addition, the presence of campus-wide support networks, including other campus units and student-led organizations, demonstrated ANU’s strong institutional commitment to student well-being. Although the visit took place five years ago, the insights gained highlight the importance for student counseling centers at Japanese universities to adopt not only individual counseling but also more comprehensive, campus-wide, multilayered forms of support―an approach that has become even more essential amid growing post-pandemic counseling needs.