Counseling Psychology

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Counselling psychology’s dual emphasis on the use of the self as both vehicle of therapeutic change and legitimate focus of inquiry and research is one of the features by which the profession may be distinguished from related fields such as clinical psychology
or psychotherapy. This paper discusses the relevance of the psychoanalytic concept of projective identification in understanding the extent, nature and subtlety of the ways in
which the therapist’s ‘self’ and emotions may be deployed within the therapeutic relationship. Illustrated with reference to the film ‘Ripley’s Game’ and a clinical case vignette, Searles’s (1978) advocacy of ‘a richness of emotional participation’ within
clinical work is discussed in relation to the pluralist philosophy of counselling psychology; implications for the training and personal development of counselling psychologists are also briefly explored.

In order to better cope with the pressures and stresses of the current day, modern psychology is anxiously seeking to find new therapies to address the increasing disorders within the human psyche. In the process new fields of research, such as humanistic and transpersonal psychology, curiously appear to borrow more and more from the wisdom of the ages. This volume, containing eighteen articles by noteworthy expositors of the perennial philosophy such as Huston Smith, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and Frithjof Schuon, presents the spiritual psychology of the wisdom traditions as a much-needed antidote to the current impasse in modern psychology.

Some Endorsements for Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy:

“[Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy] is more than an anthology. It is a wisely crafted collection of classic and contemporary scholarship noting that what many are seeking is what has always been, a perennial philosophy, that remains foundational. As one of the authors, Tage Lindbom, properly notes, ‘Secularization is a fish in troubled waters.’ This book claims the waters and is essential reading for all those who may have forgotten or are simply ignorant of the rich foundation provided by the perennial philosophy.”
—Ralph W. Hood, Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, past president of the Psychology of Religion division of the American Psychological Association, co-founder of The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion and co-author of The Psychology of Religion

“A necessary and bracing critique of the assumptions and limitations of contemporary Western psychology, this generous volume is also a passionate call and learned guide towards a truer perspective that embraces man's spiritual nature.”
—Gabor Maté, M.D., and author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

“Knowing the nature of the mind is perhaps the most difficult undertaking, especially in today’s world. To comprehend the nature of mind one needs to turn to the domain of religion and spirituality. Yet the truth of the mind and its complexity cannot explicitly be defined in words. Inner or transcendent wisdom sees the mind’s own nature without the duality of the seer. Suchness (tathatā) of mind is only experiential and not expressible. The words used to describe thought are themselves a product of thought, which is conditioned and limited. Thus, differences and contradictions are unavoidable. Therefore, a comparative study of different viewpoints and commentaries is immensely important to awaken the inner intelligence to see the mind as it is. Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy: Studies in Comparative Religion edited by Samuel Bendeck Sotillos is an outstanding effort in this direction.”
—Samdhong Rinpoche, former Prime Minister (Kalon Tripa) of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, author of Uncompromising Truth for a Compromised World: Tibetan Buddhism and Today’s World

“The rise of psychology has impacted the study and practice of spirituality, the experiences and attitudes relevant to ultimate human values that transcend ordinary behavior. Each chapter of this remarkable book demonstrates this interaction in a unique and provocative way. But rather than using psychology to reduce and ‘psychologize’ spiritual topics, its authors demonstrate how directives from the spiritual traditions can enhance and even illuminate the enduring importance of psychology in the 21st century.”
—Stanley Krippner, Saybrook University, co-author of Spiritual Dimensions of Healing

“The work at hand is a thinking and debating man’s delight. If you have any interest at all in attempting to include an educated and enlightened view of man’s higher functions in your purview of the world, you will learn from and enjoy this collection of essays. If you already have some knowledge in this area, brace yourself: you may see some of your favorites sharply criticized. A thought-provoking work.”
—Bruce W. Scotton, University of California, San Francisco, co-editor of Textbook of Transpersonal Psychiatry and Psychology

“This book, superbly edited by Samuel Bendeck Sotillos, is a masterful critique of the field of psychology and its loss of the sacred ground in which it once was rooted. It offers depth psychologists an opportunity to contemplate timeless truths echoed through the centuries by perennial philosophers who have always claimed psyche is subordinate to Spirit. Although ignored in depth psychology’s early years due to prejudice and lack of understanding, this is a message today’s psychotherapists must take seriously. Human beings need a deeper and wider transpersonal vision of who and what we are, which the saints and sages of the world’s spiritual traditions have always pointed to. In psychotherapy with a therapist committed to such a vision, patients penetrate into their unconscious depths and not infrequently awaken to the Ground of all Being. Their suffering itself occurred because they had turned away from Spirit. Above all, this volume passionately calls upon depth psychology to remember its origin in the perennial wisdom at the core of the great religions. There is something of a polemic in these pages. It deserves to be considered by depth psychologists of all persuasions.”
—Bryan Wittine, Transpersonal psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst

“This anthology from Samuel Bendeck Sotillos is a must reference for anyone who is interested in psychology and its relationship to spirituality, and in developing an inclusive dialogue between disciplines that favor an integral outlook on the person and his or her potential. Selections in this anthology will inspire us to reexamine the metaphysical underpinnings of psychology, and remind us how important it is to rise above science’s attempt to reduce the human being to an epistemic object.”
—Sangeetha Menon, National Institute of Advanced Studies (Bangalore, India), Board Member of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA), author of The Beyond Experience: Consciousness in Bhagavad Gita

“This anthology has some of the most discerning essays and reviews on spirituality and psychology, which provide much-needed care and caution to all those engaged in bringing them together or who wish to do so in future. Therefore, it is a must-read for all those who teach, research, consult, or study in such frontier areas as transpersonal psychology, states of consciousness, mind-body relation, holistic health, Indian psychology, and so on. It will be an invaluable textbook for courses in these and other related areas. I congratulate the editor of the book.”
—Kiran Kumar K. Salagame, University of Mysore (India), Board Member of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA), author of The Psychology of Meditation: A Contextual Approach

“One of the finest collections of essays on the Perennial Philosophy—a must-read for all psychologists who are engaged with spirituality and transpersonal psychology. The essays which critique modern psychology (including transpersonal psychology, and the framework of Carl Jung), in the light of the Perennial Philosophy are a revelation and make compelling reading. The book serves as a corrective to the excesses of modern psychology, and to this end Sotillos has done a commendable job. I for one will include the book in some of the graduate courses that I teach.”
—Suneet Varma, University of Delhi, co-editor of Foundations of Indian Psychology

“To its credit modern science by-and-large is becoming more cognizant of the essential connection between spirituality and psychological health and well-being and most of all its positive implications within the field of psychology. While there is ample data to document this in a plethora of academic journals and books, this new book Psychology and the Perennial Philosophy adds a novel contribution to the dialogue between psychology and spirituality, which captures many nuances that for the most part go unnoticed within these discussions, and last but not least, it provides a keen eye of discernment to understand this intricate relationship on a deeper level that is crucially needed. This work will be a valuable asset to students and long term mental health practitioners and professors alike who seek to better understand the relationship between psychology and spirituality.”
—Harold G. Koenig, Duke University, Director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, co-author of The Handbook of Religion and Health

Psychological research has shown the detrimental effects that overt heterosexism have on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) clients and on the psychotherapeutic relationship. However, the effects of subtle forms of discrimination, specifically sexual orientation microaggressions, have on LGBQ clients and the therapeutic relationship have not been addressed. This study used qualitative methodology to explore the phenomenon of sexual orientation microaggressions with 16 self-identified LGBQ psychotherapy clients. Results of this study support the existence of sexual orientation microaggressions within the therapeutic environment and provide a descriptive account of 7 sexual orientation microaggression themes, channels of microaggression communication, and the impact microaggressions have on therapy and clients.

Depression is one of the most common psychological diseases, and as it happens for many other, the most widely used form of therapy is drugs: about one in every 10 Americans takes an antidepressant and the percent is more than double among women, especially in their 40s and 50s. Although the most widespread this treatment is not at all the better, for both its side effects and the fact it acts only on the symptoms, without in any way solving the causes, thereby forcing the patient to become drug-dependent for years, and sometimes for life. Counseling and psychotherapy treatment can lead instead to the identification and resolution of the causes but have limitations as well, including an apparently higher cost than drugs and a level of effectiveness not always optimal regarding the traditional psychological treatments but significantly increasing if integrative (or better holistic) approaches are applied.
From a holistic perspective every disease, especially if chronic, is a message whose purpose is to inform our consciousness that something in our life is not going in the right direction. Depending on the type of disease, this "something" can relate to diet, lifestyle, relationships, work, identity etc. Depression is an emotional disease and as such is not about feeding the body but the soul; in fact, it can be considered a form of chronic sorrow, informing us that something in our lives makes us sad. In some cases this " something " is a traumatic event (job loss, death of a loved one, a serious chronic disease, etc.) and the main goal of the therapy is to help the patient to overcome the event and move on. In much more cases depression is not related to a specific event but to an unsatisfactory way of life: a work not enough rewarding, an excess of duties with respect to the pleasures, the lack of a life purpose, loneliness, poor relationship with the partner (or with yourself) etc. In this article I will focus on this second kind of depression, whose purpose, although in a painful way, is to encourage our evolution, making us aware of what in our lives should be changed, improved or
reduced, and pushing us to do so.

Amazon Purchasing Link:

https://www.amazon.com/theory-practice-psychotherapy-specific-disorders/dp/0398025398

DOI Link:
https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.123.3.363-a

Book Description:

This book is unique in several basic ways.  It presents a theoretical discussion of the essence of the psychotherapeutic process, which goes beyond just the remediation of pathological symptoms, and also acquaints the reader with the essence of the growth process, which enables one to continue one's personal growth beyond the removal of pathological symptoms to personal maturity, fulfillment, and self-realization.

This book is also unique in that its format approaches the understanding of the therapeutic process through the understanding of the treatment of patients with specific psychopathologies discussed by consistently successful professional psychotherapists.

This book is unique as well in that in addition to the various major neurotic and psychotic disorders, it also covers areas rarely, if ever, found discussed in other psychotherapy books, such as psychodynamics and psychotherapy of suicidal patients, psychotherapy of patients with psychosomatic disorders, psychotherapy of patients with acting-out disorders, psychotherapy of patients with sexual disorders, psychotherapy with the aged, and an entire chapter devoted to establishig some basic criteria for an effective psychotherapy process.

Essentially, this book is designed to serve as a source book or reference book for professional psychotherapists, and students studying to be psychotherapists in such fields as psychology, psychiatry and social work, and it could also be useful as a textbook for advanced courses in psychotherapy, as well as a supplemental text for basic introductory courses in psychotherapy.  Each of the contributors has deliberately taken the pains to try to communicate in a way that will be intelligible to the student, as well as offer material that will be new, informative, and challenging to the more sophisticated clinician. This book goes beyond being what may be called a how-to-do-it type primer. It is not meant to be a structured "cookbook" or set of formulas blueprinting the course of psychotherapy.

Each contributor to this book is a renowned authority  in the area of the treatment of the specific disorder  about which he is writing, and he shares with the reader his understanding of the basic nature of the disorder, along with the therapeutic  considerations and insights that he has found to be most valuable in dealing effectively and successfully with persons with this particular kind of pathology. Case illustrations are appropriately supplied in order to help clarify  for the reader how this contributing therapist deals with the particular kinds of patients under discussion.  However, the suggestions made by each contributor should in no way be interpreted as the only way such problems can be approached and resolved. Rather, it only represents the way that one outstanding clinician tends to deal with the special problems involved in the treatment of persons with the particular disorder under discussion, and it is meant to serve only as a helpful guide for the reader.

As the reader may have already gathered,  the emphasis in this book is primarily focused on the professional and practical aspects rather than on the academic aspects of psychotherapy.  It is meant to fill a void and be consistent with a growing trend today in which professional clinicians and students studying to be psychotherapists want material to study that will provide them with the necessary skills most relevant to exactly what they will be doing in their professional career, rather than the strongly academic emphasis to which they have been exposed at most educational institutions.

This book recognizes that effective psychotherapy is not something that can be learned by being exposed only to theories, techniques, or research findings. Psychotherapy is not just a doing, or a predetermined set of techniques, as such, and, therefore, there is no formula, or systematic defined procedure, that has to be mastered. Rather, it involves an empathically sensitive, genuinely caring, engaged, being-with or intimate experiential communion, and the understanding of patients that naturally arises from that, from which then flows the therapist's appropriate responses. One has to truly, and deeply, here before one can act appropriately and meaningfully. Thus, the best way for one to really come to learn anything significant about effective psychotherapy is to have those clinicians who are truly masters of the art and science of psychotherapy share with others their sensitive and profound understanding of the nature of psychotherapy with patients with particular pathological symptoms.

This research seeks to investigate Clients’ Experiences of Family Constellations
(FC) in Psychological Healing. The qualitative research model of heuristic inquiry is used. The phases of the research model that were utilized are initial engagement, immersion, incubation, illumination, explication, and creative synthesis. The collection of data was done via an interview process to allow for exploration of the meanings and essences of client’s experiences of Family Constellations in psychological healing, an increase in the knowledge and possibilities of the approach, and to best serve and support clients and those around them. Co-researchers’ experiences are explicated through the following themes in hopes to better understand their lived healing experiences using FC, and increase their awareness of self and relationships with others and the world: (1) experiences of healing; (2) somatic experiences; (3) experiences of emotion; (4) experiences of connection; (5) changes in perception and understanding; and (6) impact on relationships and self. It is anticipated that this study will give a voice to this approach to psychological healing. Clinically, the expectation is that the findings of this study could be used to further understand the essence of the challenges of psychological suffering, its impact on the family system and the individual, the clients who are challenged by it, and to inform future psychological treatments. This study may give the mental health, and maybe other professions, another instrument to use with clients. Since there is also a shortage of research on this topic, it is hoped that this study helps bridge the gaps between studies and experiences, and may further explore the efficacy of Family Constellations in working with individuals.

This milestone text provides a comprehensive and state-of-the art overview of perfectionism theory, research, and treatment from the past 25 years, with contributions from the leading researchers in the field. The book examines new theories and perspectives including the social disconnection model of perfectionism and the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism. It also reviews empirical findings, with a special focus on stress, vulnerability, and resilience, and examines perfectionism in specific populations. Finally, it considers how perfectionism relates to physical health and psychophysiological processes and introduces new approaches to effective prevention and treatment. By increasing our understanding of perfectionism as a complex personality disposition and providing a framework for future explorations, this landmark publication aims to promote further research in this field. It will be invaluable reading for academics, students, and professionals in personality psychology, clinical and counselling psychology, applied psychology and related disciplines.

Perceived racial microaggressions by White supervisors were examined through a qualitative analysis of 10 self-identified Black doctoral supervisees in counseling and clinical psychology. Results indicated 7 microaggression themes directed toward this group: (a) invalidating racial–cultural issues, (b) making stereotypic assumptions about Black clients, (c) making stereotypic assumptions about Black supervisees, (d) reluctance to give performance feedback for fear of being

This downloadable PDF is designed to give to students or others being trained as counselors. There is a compehensive list of essential knowledge and skills for counselors focused on engagement with challenging clients with substance use and coexisting mental health issues.

Presenting ideas into what underlying causes could have manifested using four different therapeutic approaches. A hypothetical case that involves a forty-year old Hispanic female. The theoretical approaches I will be presenting are: "Person-Centered Therapy" developed by Carl Rogers, "Existential Therapy" developed by Viktor Frankl, "Gestalt Therapy" developed by Fritz and Laura Perls along with Paul Goodman.

All counselors need to be prepared to appropriately address client setbacks in with engagement in view. The following is a guide for counselors when addressing setbacks with challenging clients, with a view toward maintaining rapport and positive engagement in treatment

The vast majority of people in this world have heard about the idea of "hitting bottom" when it comes to addiction and making positve changes,  which can be a reality, but often can be a fallacy. "Topping Out" may be a more crucial consideration for young people who find themselves caught up in a lifestyle of drug and alcohol use, abuse and misuse

Anormal Psikoloji kitabı, ruhsal bozukluklar alanında çalışan tüm profesyoneller, psikiyatristler, klinik psikologlar, psikologlar, psikolojik danışmanlar, hekimler, sosyal hizmet uzmanları, psikiyatri hemşireleri ve bu alanlarda öğrenci yetiştiren akademisyenler ile eğitim alan öğrenciler için temel bir başvuru kitabıdır.
2013 yılının Mayısı ayında yayımlanan DSM-5 ölçütlerine göre ruhsal bozukluklarla ilgili sunulan bilgilerin güncellemesinin de yapıldığı bu kitap, tüm dünyada pek çok üniversitenin psikiyatri ve psikoloji bölümlerinde ders kitabı olarak okutulmaktadır.
Kitabın her bölümünde, ilk olarak ruhsal bozukluklarla ilgili vakalar sunulmakta, daha sonra bozuklukların klinik tanıları yapılmakta ve DSM-IV-TR’den farklı olan DSM-5’te yapılan değişikliklere yer verilmektedir. Ayrıca, DSM-5’teki tanı ölçütleri, bozuklukların etiyolojisi ve epidemiyolojisi, bozukluklar üzerinde kalıtımın ve çevrenin etkileri, biyolojik ve sosyal ve kültürel etkiler, en güncel araştırmalardan elde edilen verilerle harmanlanarak sunulmaktadır. Ruhsal bozuklukların tedavisinde etkili olacak terapi yaklaşımları ve ilaçla yapılan tedaviler hakkında da bilgiler veren kitap, sahip olduğu zengin içeriği ile eşsiz bir kaynaktır.
Anormal Psikoloji kitabının; profesyoneller ve öğrenciler için önemli bir rehber olacağına, yardıma ihtiyaç duyan insanların sorunlarının çözümüne, ruhsal bozuklukların tanı ve tedavisinde önemli katkılar sağlayacağına inanıyoruz.

Maneviyat, insan deneyiminin önemli unsurlarından biridir. Psikoloji ve başta psikolojik danışma olmak üzere alt alanlarında maneviyat, maneviyat ile ilişkili yapı ve davranışlar iyi oluş açısından yadsınamayacak bir potansiyele sahiptir. Manevî deneyimi, hem olumlu hem de olumsuz yönleriyle, insan işlevselliğinden ayırmak mümkün değildir. Psikoloji alanındaki uygulamalı ve kuramsal birçok çalışmada, alanın oluşumunun ilk yıllarından beri maneviyatın insan bilişi, davranışı ve duygusal süreçlerinde nasıl bir işlev gördüğü merak edilmiş ve incelenmiştir. Özellikle son yıllarda uygulamalı psikoloji araştırmalarında ve psikolojik yardım alanlarında da maneviyat psikolojik iyi oluş ve işlevsellik açısından potansiyel bir kaynak olarak ele alınmaya başlanmış ve psikolojik yardım sürecinde maneviyatı hesaba katan birçok yaklaşım ve yöntem geliştirilmiştir. Kitap, psikolojik danışma kuramlarının manevî boyutlarından çeşitli dini geleneklerin manevî psikolojik danışma ile ilişkilerine danışanların manevî açıdan değerlendirilmesinden kurumlarda manevî danışma hizmetleri oldukça kapsamlı bir içerikle Türkiye'de alanda ilk olma özelliğini taşımaktadır. Başta PDR ve Psikoloji olmak üzere tüm ruh sağlığı alanında eğitim gören öğrenciler ve hizmet veren çalışanlar için insanın aşkın boyutuna ışık tutmayı amaçlayan kitap, vaka örnekleri ile zenginleştirilmiştir.

Fifteen counseling center supervisors were interviewed about 3 instances related to important feedback with an intern supervisee: 1 in which the feedback was given easily, 1 in which it was given reluctantly or with difficulty, and another in which it was not given. Supervisors indicated that easy feedback was most often about clinical problems, was given directly, had positive effects, and was facilitated by supervisee openness. Difficult feedback was most often about clinical, personal, and professional issues, was given indirectly, had mixed impact, and was characterized by a lack of supervisee openness. Feedback not given was typically about personal and professional concerns and was hindered by a lack of supervisee openness. Supervisors indicated that there were negative effects of not having given the feedback and indicated that they would do it differently if they could.

Many meta-analyses of comparative outcome studies found a substantial association of researcher allegiance (RA) and relative treatment effects. Therefore, RA is regarded as a biasing factor in comparative outcome research (RA bias hypothesis). However, the RA bias hypothesis has been criticized as causality might be reversed. That is, RA might be a reflection of true efficacy differences between treatments (true efficacy hypothesis). Consequently, the RA-outcome association would not be indicative of bias but an epiphenomenon of true efficacy differences. This meta-analysis tested the validity of the true efficacy hypothesis. This was done by controlling the RA-outcome association for true efficacy differences by restricting analysis to direct comparisons of treatments with equivalent efficacy. We included direct comparisons of different versions of trauma-focused therapy (TFT) in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). RA was measured from the research reports. Relative effect sizes for symptoms of PTSD were calculated. Random effects meta-regression was conducted. Twenty-nine comparisons of TFTs from 20 studies were identified. Initial heterogeneity among relative effect sizes was low. RA was a significant predictor of outcome and explained 12% of the variance in outcomes. The true efficacy hypothesis predicted the RA-outcome association to be zero; however, a substantial association was found. Thus, this study does not support the true efficacy hypothesis. Given findings from psychotherapy research and other fields that support a biasing influence of researcher preferences, RA should be regarded as a causal factor and conceptualized as a threat to the validity of conclusions from comparative outcome studies.

Latino immigrants are the largest source of immigrant workers in the United States. In this study, 11 first-generation Latino immigrants (8 men, 3 women) living in the Midwest were interviewed about their work experiences. Interview data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research methods (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997). Five domains associated with the data included work for survival and power, work for social connections, work as self-determination, work barriers in the Midwest, and access to work in the Midwest. We identify ways in which vocational psychologists can intervene to work effectively with Latino newcomers seeking employment in the United States and to support their transition into new settlement communities. Suggestions for future research with immigrant workers are discussed.

The Career Decision-Making Profiles questionnaire (CDMP; Gati, Landman, Davidovitch, Asulin-Peretz, & Gadassi, 2010) uses a new model for characterizing the way individuals make decisions based on the simultaneous use of 11 dimensions. The present study investigated which pole of each dimension is more adaptive. Using the data of 383 young adults who were about to make a career choice, we assessed the individuals' decision status and the associations of the dimensions Emotional and Personality-related Career decision-making Difficulties (EPCD; Saka, Gati, & Kelly, 2008) and personality factors (NEO Personality Inventory-Revised; Costa & McCrae, 1992). The results suggest that, as hypothesized, comprehensive Information gathering, analytic Information processing, a more internal Locus of control, more Effort invested, less Procrastination, greater Speed of making the final decision, less Dependence on others, and less Desire to please others were more adaptive in making career decisions. However, contrary to our hypotheses, high Aspiration for an ideal occupation was more adaptive for the decision-making process, Willingness to compromise was not associated with more adaptive decision making, and the results regarding Consulting with others were mixed. Gender differences in the CDMP dimensions and counseling implications are discussed.

Some researchers believe that important tenets of attachment theory are culturally universal, whereas others claim that key constructs are rooted in Western values and should not be generalized further. To explore possible cultural differences in adults, undergraduates from Taiwan (n ϭ 280) and the United States (n ϭ 268) were asked in the present study to complete a self-report measure of adult attachment, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (K. A. Brennan, C. L. Clark, & P. R. Shaver, 1998), as they believed "an ideally emotionally and psychologically healthy person of your own gender in your culture" would respond. Findings suggested significant differences by cultural group, gender, and Gender ϫ Culture interactions. Taiwanese women and men endorsed more avoidance in beliefs about ideal adult attachment than their U.S. counterparts, and Taiwanese men endorsed more anxiety than U.S. men. These cultural differences were not explained by group differences in independent and interdependent selfconstrual.

When individuals seek career counseling, they have stories to tell about their working lives. The aim of career construction theory is to be comprehensive in encouraging employment counselors to listen for a client's career story from the perspectives of actor, agent, and author. Taking multiple perspectives on career stories enables counselors to offer clients a fitting intervention, whether it is vocational guidance for action, career education and coaching for agency, or career counseling to construct meaning.

Asians and Latinos are the 2 fastest growing immigrant populations in the United States. In this 3-year longitudinal study, we explored trajectories of mental health symptoms (withdrawn/depressed and somatic symptoms) among 163 first-and second-generation Asian (n ϭ 76) and Latino (n ϭ 97) adolescents. The focus of the study was to examine how ethnic identity and U.S. identity, as 2 separate processes of identity development, affect mental health symptoms, and whether these relationships are moderated by ethnic group, Asian or Latino. Participants were recruited when they entered 10th grade, and 2 additional waves of data were gathered at 12-month intervals. Results revealed that somatic and depressed symptoms decreased over time for both groups. Similarly, for both groups, U.S. identity and ethnic identity increased over time. Ethnic identity was associated with lower levels of withdrawn/ depressed symptoms for both Latino and Asian youth. Ethnic identity was associated with lower levels of somatic symptoms for Asian youth, but not for Latino youth. U.S. identity was not associated with reduced levels of somatic or withdrawn/depressed symptoms for either group. Implications for clinicians are discussed.

The study aims to outline the current view of the scientific production on counseling psychology from the analysis of theses and dissertations defended in the postgraduation program within the Brazilian context. The searches were carried out in the Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations at USP along with CAPES theses database. Thirteen dissertations were recovered and five theses were defended between 1989 and 2012. Master studies prevail in the existential-phenomenological approaches as well as person-centered with professional experience testimonials developed mainly in the services of higher public teaching institutions. It is recommended a greater researching variety, theoretical references also area interventions, thus strengthening the application of theoretical and technical assumptions in different contexts and populations.

Is an offender with mental health problems fully responsible for their offences? Should certain criminal behaviors be treated with incarceration and rehabilitation—or counseling and psychotherapy? Mad or Bad? asks these questions, and more. It is a cutting-edge text that provides a comprehensive introduction to mental health problems and criminal behavior, and considers the most common and effective therapeutic approaches for working with offenders and victims of crime. - Part 1 explores the predominant tensions between forensic and therapeutic agendas; - Part 2 considers how criminal and ‘insane’ identities and careers may be considered gendered, classed, culturally, and age-dependent experiences, and be related to power and oppression; - Part 3 examines issues around sex and sexuality in forensic and therapeutic settings; - Part 4 introduces a range of therapeutic approaches for working with offenders and victims of crime; - Part 5 covers forensic and therapeutic practices, includ...

This longitudinal study examines the effects of Israeli counselors' and clients' ratings of their working alliance on clients' career exploration (CE), using a sample of 94 three-session career counseling processes. Results reveal that both clients' and ...

The belief that rigidity across relationships is related to greater symptoms and poorer functioning commonly informs the practice of many psychodynamic and interpersonal therapists. Using a profile correlation approach, we tested this hypothesis in a sample of 250 clients and 90 undergraduate control participants. Symptoms and functioning were assessed with the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP), Global Assessment of Functioning scale, and Brief Symptom Inventory. A revised version of the empirically-derived Central Relationship Questionnaire (CRQ) was used to measure interpersonal patterns. Revisions were made to the CRQ to increase the interpersonal dimensions it captured, reduce its length, and model a higher-order factor structure. The psychometric properties of the revised CRQ were found to be adequate. Rigidity as measured with the CRQ was not related to rigidity measured with the IIP (amplitude) and did not differ significantly among individuals with different interpersonal problems or DSM-IV diagnoses. Contrary to theory, however, greater rigidity across relationships was related to fewer symptoms and interpersonal problems. These relations did not appear due to the valence or the extremeness of the interpersonal patterns used in the estimation of rigidity.

The purpose of this brief note is to present a discussion of the first two sessions of a poetry group conducted with moderately to severely cognitively impaired adults in a nursing home. Exercises and techniques used with this population are discussed. Poetry groups such as this may provide joy those who suffer, a chance to re-experience memories, to connect to others, and the creation of moments of increased value and meaning.

Perfectionists have shown increased negative affect after failure compared to nonperfectionists. However, little is known about how perfectionists react to repeated failure. This study investigated the effects of two forms of perfectionism—self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism—on 100 university students’ reactions to repeated failure (versus repeated success) examining three negative emotions: anxiety, depression, and anger. Results showed that socially prescribed perfectionism predicted increased anxiety, depression, and anger after initial failure and further increased anger after repeated failure. In contrast, self-oriented perfectionism predicted increased anxiety, but only after repeated failure. The findings suggest that both self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism are vulnerability factors predisposing individuals to react with increased negative affect after repeated failure.

Evidence-based practice has become an important approach to social work practice. This paper highlights some of the ethical dilemmas which may be implicated by this approach, and encourages social workers and social work researchers to carefully consider these potential quandaries.

The study in this article investigated school counselor involvement in school-family-community partnerships and factors that influence such involvement. Participants were 235 members of the American School Counselor Association. Factor analyses of responses to the survey designed specifically for this study defined a set of factors that were used to examine variations in school counselor involvement in partnerships. Regression analyses revealed that (a) collaborative school climate, (b) school counselor role perceptions, (c) school counselor confidence in ability to build partnerships, and (d) school counselor attitudes about partnerships were significantly related to the counselors' involvement in school-family-community partnerships. Implications for school counselor training, practice, and research are discussed.

Addressing the opportunity gap may be a more effective way to address the achievement gap that currently exists in urban schools. Focusing on the achievement gap allows for short-term solutions as opposed to addressing long-term underlying problems (Ladson-Billings, 2006). We believe that the issues related to the lack of achievement with African American males exist because of opportunity gaps, which then lead to gaps in achievement. In essence, achievement gaps exist because of gaps in opportunities. It is important to note that we do not discount the very real issue of the systemic inequalities built on a foundation of race that continues to permeate the American school systems. Indeed, we agree with other scholars who assert that Black male students are hindered in achievement academic success due to the many social, psychological, and cultural problems they must face on a daily basis in the schools (Henfield, 2013; Ladson-Billings, 2006). However, we do believe that one way to increase the academic achievement of urban Black males is by using school-family-community partnerships to buffer the negative effects of inequitable access to education. Recent reports and initiatives on Black male achievement and funding initiatives for Black males highlight the importance of partnerships. Two groundbreaking reports from the Foundation Center (2012, 2014) Where Do We Go From Here? Philanthropic Support for Black Men and Boys, and Building a Beloved Community: Strengthening the Field of Black Male Achievement, emphasize the need for partnerships to coordinate programs and activities and leverage resources aimed at Black male achievement. Partnerships provide systemic, holistic, and preventative solutions to the systemic challenges facing African American/Black males.

Zusammenfassung: Über die `Träume und Visionen´ von Kultmitgliedern und die damit oft verbundenen Ängste der Angehörigen soll zu einem `Drei-Stufen-Modell´ geführt werden, das eine adäquate Vorgehensweise in der psychotherapeutischen Arbeit mit Kultmitgliedern bzw.-aussteigern aufzeigt.
Die unmittelbar mit einem Kultausstieg verbundenen Symptome - vergleichbar mit der Spitze eines Eisbergs - können im Wesentlichen innerhalb der Stufen I und II bearbeitet werden. Der größere und nicht-sichtbare Teil des Eisbergs befindet sich unter der Oberfläche und kann, erst nachdem Stufe I und II durchlaufen wurden, innerhalb der Stufe III bearbeitet werden. Die jahrelange Erprobung dieses Interventionsansatzes zeigt, dass erst dann, wenn alle diese drei Stufen - von oben nach unten - durchlaufen wurden, der Klient/die Klientin dazu befähigt werden konnte seine/ihre Kulterfahrung zu verstehen und zu verarbeiten, um schließlich zu einer selbst-akzeptierenden Grundhaltung zu gelangen.
Abstract: The `dreams´ and visions of cult members often cause anxiety and fear within their families. An adequate style of practice in psychotherapeutic work with ex-cult/cult members shall be represented by an `Three-Step-Model´. The symptoms which are immediately associated with leaving a cult - compared with the tip of an iceberg - can essentially be dealt with by using Steps I and II. The larger, invisible part of the iceberg which is situated under the surface can be dealt with within Step III, but only following the completion of Steps I and II. Years of testing this attempt in intervention has shown that only when these three steps have been completed, the client is potentially capable of understanding, overcoming and integrating his/her cult experience, in order to finally reach self-acceptance.

According to the two-factor model of perfectionism, perfectionism is comprised of two higher-order dimensions — perfectionistic strivings (PS) and perfectionistic concerns (PC) — that typically show different, often opposing relationships with adaptive and maladaptive outcomes. Consequently, if we define perfectionism as the combination of PS and PC, it would be important to know what the “combined effect” of perfectionism is, and whether the combined effect is adaptive or maladaptive. Following the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism (Gaudreau & Thompson, 2010), we define the combined effect of perfectionism as the difference between mixed perfectionism (the combination of high PS and high PC) and non-perfectionism (the combination of low PS and low PC). Applying the regression approach for testing the 2 × 2 model (Gaudreau, 2012), we show how the combined effect may be computed, and then illustrate combined effects for different patterns of correlations of PS, PC, and an outcome Y. In addition, we present examples from the research literature where PS and PC show zero, adaptive, and maladaptive combined effects. We conclude the article by discussing how our concept of a combined effect can be extended to perfectionism models with more than two factors, and also address limitations and open questions.

Abstract
In 2010, a coroner’s inquest was held into the 2007 suicide of Ms Charmaine Dragun, an Australian television news anchorwoman. The main findings were that if Ms Dragun had been diagnosed with bipolar II disorder and prescribed a mood stabilizer, her suicide could have been prevented; that the “cross-tapering” treatment by her psychiatrist, and the clinical management by her healthcare professionals were inadequate; and that the incorporation of meditation and mindfulness in therapy was inappropriate. In this article, I examine the coroner’s findings and recommendations alongside the evidence tendered at the inquest. I also discuss a) whether bipolar II disorder is under or overdiagnosed; b) the responses to the coroner’s findings on bipolar II disorder; c) the impact of the coroner’s findings and recommendations on healthcare professionals and the public; d) my personal reflections and e) my recommendations for making suicide prevention programs more effective: increased open-minded and respectful collaboration among professionals, the importance of educating legal professionals about the reality of clinical practice, and promoting recognized suicide prophylactic measures. For healthcare professionals worldwide, especially clinicians, this “Australian Story” provides important insights and lessons.
Keywords: Coroner’s inquest; suicide & suicide prevention; bipolar disorder; diagnoses; clinical management, mindfulness. 


One of the reviewers of the article, an American psychologist and an experienced clinician from John Hopkins University School of Medicine wrote the following review:

Khong focuses her story on the verdict of the coroner whose primary conclusion is that, if a bipolar 2 diagnosis had been given and medication (presumably the so-called "mood stabilizers") prescribed, this tragedy could have been averted.

This is pure nonsense. By drawing from the reports of several clinicians who evaluated Charmaine Dragun, Khong shows us that the majority of clinical opinion was against the bipolar diagnosis. There is no evidence to support the idea that her depressive illness had a hypomanic or manic component, or that her "mood swings" were anything other than what would be expected from someone who had the character pathology—paralyzing anxiety, obsessiveness, compulsion, perfectionism, low self-esteem, excessive worry, etc.—that characterized so much of her clinical picture. We even get a glimpse of her rather harsh early upbringing, and the domineering influence of her mother and grandmother, which very likely was the foundation of the character pathology she displays as an adult, which ultimately led to her undoing.

Back to the coroner's report. Another absurd suggestion: that a precipitant of [Dragun’s] suicide was "serotonin syndrome," an excess of serotonin rarely seen in patients taking SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), that was caused by the cross tapering of Efexor and the initiation of Lexapro, both serotonin-altering drugs. No evidence is offered for this idea. The somatic symptoms of the serotonin syndrome include autonomic instability (decided changes in BP, heart rate and body temperature), of which there is no mention. It is as if someone just pulled this nonsense out of a hat! Serotonin syndrome, which can be a life-threatening medical condition, is very rare. I evaluated over 3,000 psychiatric patients, many of whom were on SSRIs and not a small number of whom had taken a deliberate excess of one or more of these drugs, in the ER during a 10-year period and saw no definitive case of this malady.... The primary diagnosis is unipolar major depression, severe.