Brief counseling to reduce AIDS risk in intravenous drug users and their sexual partners: Preliminary results

Intravenous drug users (N = 88) and their sexual partners (N = 45) were randomly assigned to either a brief counseling intervention or an information-brochure only condition (aimed at reducing behavioral risk for HIV infection). At 10 day follow-up, intravenous drug users exposed to brief counseling were more knowledgeable about risk behaviors, and reported higher levels of self-efficacy and communication skill, and more frequent use of condoms and sterilisation of needles. At 90 day follow-up, intravenous drug users were more accepting of guidelines to reduce sex-related risk and reported greater self-efficacy in relation to drugs. Sexual partners who received brief counseling showed a small reduction in unprotected sex (at 90-day follow-up), while those receiving brochures were slightly less likely to use condoms. Methodological problems of the study are discussed.     

Argumentation Schemes in Persuasive Brochures

Many public information documents attempt to persuade the recipients that they should engage in or refrain from specific behaviour. This is based on the assumption that the recipient will decide about his or her behaviour on the basis of the information given and a rational evaluation of the pros and cons. An analysis of 20 public information brochures shows that the argumentation in persuasive brochures is often not marked as such. Argumentation is presented as factual information, and in many instances the task of making argumentational links and drawing conclusions is left to the reader. However, since the information offered does follow familiar argumentational schemes, readers can, in principle, reconstruct the argument. All the brochures make use of pragmatic argumentation (argumentation from consequences),i. e.,they formulate at least certain benefits of the desirable behaviour or disadvantages of the undesirable behaviour. In addition, they make regular use of argumentation from cause to effect and argumentation from example. Argumentation from rules and argumentation from authority are less frequently used. This empirical analysis of the use of argumentation schemes is a solid base for interesting and rich hypotheses about the cognitive processing of persuasive brochures. Central processing requires the reader to be able to reconstruct argumentation from informational texts and to identify and evaluate various types of argumentation.     

The help-seeking in career counseling

This study examined help-seeking in career counseling by investigating factors that influence students’ intention to consult a career counseling center. Nine hundred and eighteen participants were given the Attitudes toward Career Counseling Scale (ATCCS), an information brochure about the career counseling center; the Intention to Consult a Career Counseling Center Scale (ICCCS), and the Counselor Rating Form-Phrases (CFR-P). The initial value ascribed by the potential client to career counseling more than the attractiveness of career counseling predicted the intention to consult a career counseling center. Some significant differences between high school and university students emerged. The results provide further incentive to continue to study help-seeking in career counseling.     

An investigation of the theoretical content of physical activity brochures

New evidence-based physical activity (PA) guidelines and recommendations for constructing messages supplementing the guidelines have been put forth. As well, recent reviews have identified theoretical constructs that hold promise as targets for intervention: self-regulation, outcome expectancies and self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine the integration of messages targeting self-regulation, self-efficacy and outcome expectancies in existing physical activity brochures. Twenty-two PA brochures from Canadian and American National Health Organizations were assessed for their use self-efficacy, self-regulatory processes and outcome expectancies. Brochures were analyzed line-by-line using a modified version of the validated Content Analysis Approach to Theory-Specified Persuasive Educational Communication (CAATSPEC; Abraham, Southby, Quandte, Krahé, & van der Sluijs, 2007). Two independent raters coded a third of the brochures (n = 7). Inter-rater reliability was acceptable for 17 of the 20 categories (rs > .79). Discrepancies in all categories were discussed and agreement was reached. The remaining brochures were coded by one of the two raters. Usage of the three key theoretical constructs accounted for only 36.43% of brochure content (20.23% self-efficacy, 10.40% outcome expectancies, 5.80% self-regulation). Brochures lacked the use of a variety of theoretical strategies, specifically goal-setting, planning and verbal persuasion and rarely highlighted the affective benefits of physical activity. In the future brochures should aim to place increased emphasis on self-regulation, self-efficacy, and affective outcome expectancies.     

Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Help for an Eating Disorder: The Role of Stigma and Anticipated Outcomes

This study examined the relationship between self‐stigma, anticipated risks and benefits associated with seeking counseling, and attitudes toward seeking counseling among college students with disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. The results of hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that self‐stigma and the anticipated risks and benefits significantly predicted attitudes toward counseling for people with disordered eating. In addition, self‐stigma had a stronger relationship with men's attitudes toward counseling than with women's, and anticipated benefits had a stronger relationship with women's attitudes toward counseling than with men's.     

Counseling in a Nigerian University

This study describes and evaluates the first two years of a student counseling center in a Nigerian university. The study revealed that the counseling center was hampered by lack of space, lack of staff, and by the ignorance and suspicions of students and lecturers. The study also indicated that there was a great need to investigate various parameters of the counseling situation to determine their effects in the Nigerian milieu.     

Innovation in Guidance: A Mobile Counseling Center

A mobile counseling center staffed by 4 counselors serves high schools in 4 counties of southern Indiana. The operation of the center is designed to enrich, supplement, and improve the quality of counseling services for secondary students of the area. The mobile center also serves as a model to stimulate the development of exemplary and innovative guidance services in regular school programs.     

Chuck Warnath: Visionary Gadfly of Professional Counseling

Charles F. “Chuck” Warnath, professor emeritus and former university counseling center director, was interviewed about his personal life, early training with Donald Super, counseling center experiences, convictions about professional counseling, dedication to issues of equality, and current struggles with the progressive effects of retinitis pigmentosa.     

The Use of Touch in Counseling: An Ethical Decision‐Making Model

Although some counselors have advocated for the limited use of touch in counseling, others have argued that touch has no place within the counseling relationship. Despite the controversy, the use of touch has been shown to have a number of therapeutic benefits; however, there are few ethical decision‐making models that are appropriate for considering the use of touch in counseling. The authors discuss the controversy surrounding the use of touch and the benefits/contraindications of touch. The 5 ethical principles of counseling are also examined; a new ordering of the principles is presented as a useful ethical decision‐making model when considering the use of touch in counseling.     

Asian and Caucasian Client Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Counseling

Questionnaire responses from 73 Asian and 255 Caucasian clients at a university counseling center compared ratings of counseling helpfulness, counselor characteristics, and other reactions to counseling. The Asians (a) rated counseling as less helpful for personal-emotional concerns and (b) rated their counselors as less competent than did the Caucasians.     

A Door to HIV‐Prevention Interventions: How Female‐Targeted Materials Can Enhance Female Participation1

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of gender on exposure to gender‐tailored HIV‐prevention brochures. During an unobtrusive observation of participants' reading of brochures, both men and women were likely to avoid gender‐mismatched brochures. However, women were more likely to selectively approach gender‐matched brochures over gender‐neutral brochures than were men. Furthermore, exposure to the female‐targeted brochure predicted accepting an HIV‐prevention video. This pattern was only the case for females and not for males or for the male‐targeted brochure. This finding implies that the gender‐tailored brochures are more useful for women than for men, and may open the door to other materials designed with preventive objectives.     

Increasing Severity of Presenting Problems in College Counseling Centers: A Closer Look

Dealing with increasing numbers of college students who present with serious psychological problems has been identified as a significant challenge for counseling centers in the current decade. On the basis of their review of research, G. L. Stone and J. Archer (1990) concluded that the level of psychopathology among counseling center clients increased during the 1980s and likely would continue to do so into the 1990s. A closer look at the research shows that there is the perception among counseling center practitioners that psychopathology is on the rise but little direct evidence to support such a trend. Although not necessarily on the increase, there is empirical evidence that certain forms of psychological disturbance are not uncommon among clinical and nonclinical college student samples. Implications for counseling center research and practice based on this literature review are discussed.     

The readability of educational materials written for parents of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Health-care providers are relying increasingly on printed materials to educate patients and their families about varous aspects of their health or mental health conditions. For the target audience to be able to read and understand health brochures, they should be written at or about the 8th-grade level and incorporate variables that facilitate comprehension. The purpose of this study was to analyze brochures related to Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to determine (a) if they were written at a level appropriate for the target audience, and (b) the extent to which they incorporated variables identified in the research literature as facilitating comprehension. The results showed that the brochures were written at a reading level beyond that of the target audience. Further, although the brochures incorporated a large number of variables which facilitate comprehension, many were not used to the extent necessary to ensure that readers would be able to understand the brochures. These results clearly indicated the need for health care materials to be written in such a way that they can be read and understood by the target audience.     

The role of religious beliefs and thoughts of holy defence veterans in accepting the difficulties of imposed war

This study has surveyed the physical, emotional, psychological, educational, vocational, family, social and economic problems of 100 veterans of Iraq's imposed war on Iran. It has examined veterans’ reasons for the acceptance or non acceptance of the difficulties of being a veteran. It has also sought their opinions as to the necessity and usefulness of an active counseling center for facilitating veterans’ problems. One of the most important findings is that 82% of the veterans have easily accepted the problems associated with being a veteran. The most significant factor helping them to accept their various problems has been their religious beliefs. Fifty percent of them did not even know whether the Veterans’ Foundation had a counseling center or not. Sixty four percent of them have considered an active counseling center as necessary and useful, provided that the center (clinic) is independent and not related to the Veterans’ Foundation.     

Noncognitive Predictors of Counseling Center Use by International Students

International students (N= 230) completed the Noncognitive Questionnaire (NCQ) prior to matriculation as freshmen. Results indicated that noncognitive variables, shown previously to be predictive of academic success for international students, also were predictive of their utilization of counseling center services over a 4-year period. The three noncognitive variables that significantly (p<.05) predicted counseling center use were understanding and ability to deal with racism, preference for long-term goals over short-term, immediate needs, and non-traditional ways of acquiring knowledge. Implications for designing outreach and counseling services for international students are discussed.     

Problems Expressed by Career and Non-Career Help Seekers: A Comparison

Students seeking help at a university counseling center were asked to mark on a problem checklist what type of career, educational, personal, or social problems they experienced at the time. Few differences in endorsement were found between counseling center help seekers with career concerns and counseling center help seekers without career concerns, but both types of help seekers indicated concerns with study habits, emotional distress, and relationships. These issues also significantly correlated with help seekers' degree of clarity and stability of career goals. When compared with non-help-seeking students, significantly more help seekers with career concerns indicated worrying about issues concerning emotional distress, decision making, independence, and eating problems. Suggestions regarding conceptualizations of career problems as well as career guidance are offered.     

Evaluating educational—vocational counseling: a model for change

This study sought to assess students' reactions toward their vocational and educational counseling at a university counseling center. Students receiving educational-vocational counseling during the 1968-69 academic year served as subjects whose responses to a 29-item questionnaire were used to determine their reactions to counseling. The majority of clients who were counseled by advanced trainees or doctorate level staff viewed their counseling experience positively. A large percentage of the clients of beginning practicum students viewed their counseling negatively. The findings suggested weaknesses in vocational counseling facilities, in counselors' skills, and in training of beginning practicum students. Implications for change are suggested and the need for assessment in counseling agencies is emphasized.     

Assessing and Constructing a Meaningful System: Systemic Perspective in a College Counseling Center

The author describes an application of family systems therapy to treatment in a college counseling center. This approach organizes treatment around the “meaningful system” rather than the family system and includes nonfamily significant others in treatment. Using the Brief Therapy model of the Mental Research Institute, the author addresses special considerations in providing systemic treatment in a college counseling center, assessment and construction of a meaningful system, and specific working procedures. Two case illustrations are provided.     

Counseling in a Government Agency: Interventions for Employees and Supervisors

This article describes an organizational counseling and career development program that serves both employees and their supervisors. Program components include counseling, workshops, and a career resource center.