Application of Personality Theories and Counseling Strategies to Clients With Physical Disabilities

This article describes how certain relevant theoretical concepts, intervention methods, and criteria for determining therapeutic change, which are borrowed from several personality theories and counseling approaches, can be useful in counseling people with physical disabilities. The clinical utility of each discussed personality theory is explored in the context of the efforts directed at (a) gaining insight into the psychosocial impact of physical disability, (b) counseling for personal adjustment to the disability, and (c) becoming familiar with theory-specific guidelines for assessing therapeutic changes. It is argued that counselors who serve clients with disabilities ought to choose those interventions most congruent with their own theoretical orientation, academic training, work setting, and nature of the disability condition.     

Collaborative Consultation and Program Evaluation

The article describes how consultants, working with school personnel, can use an action research approach to implement a program of value‐driven needs assessment. The presentation is focused on a collaborative consultation model of program evaluation. A case example illustrates the collaborative development of instruments for assessing the effectiveness of a school guidance and counseling program.     

The American Counseling Association Practice Research Network (ACA‐PRN): A New Research Tool

In an era of increasing accountability, there is a need to provide data on counseling outcomes. That is, there is a need to substantiate the claim that counseling works. This article describes the American Counseling Association Practice Research Network (ACA‐PRN), which is designed to provide data on evidence‐based counseling.     

Diffusion of Innovation Theory: A Bridge for the Research‐Practice Gap in Counseling

This article presents a diffusion of innovation theory‐based framework for addressing the gap between research and practice in the counseling profession. The author describes the nature of the research‐practice gap and presents an overview of diffusion of innovation theory. On the basis of the application of several major postulates of diffusion of innovation theory to the research‐practice gap, several theory‐based research practices and questions are proposed.     

The Best Kept Secret in Counseling: Single‐Case (N = 1) Experimental Designs

Counselor education has been repeatedly faulted for failing to adequately train counselors in research methodology, generally, and practice‐relevant methods, specifically. Continued emphasis and education in the use of group experimental design methodology, which is by definition insensitive to the exigencies of everyday practice, will have little effect on counseling practice. It is ironic that single‐case (N = 1) design developed for use in practice settings continues to be the “best kept secret” in counseling. Single‐case (N = 1) designs offer a scientifically credible means to objectively evaluate practice and conduct clinically relevant research in practice settings. A 7‐component model for establishing the use of single‐case design research methods in counseling programs is presented.     

African-American Women and the Male-Female Relationship Dilemma: A Counseling Perspective

This article focuses on the historical origin of the African-American male-female relationship dilemma and contemporary forces that have an impact on opportunities for intimacy and marriage among African-American women. Specifically, loss, communication, and stereotypes are examined as counseling issues that are relevant to African-American women in relationships. Implications for counseling and research are also discussed.     

Counseling for Wellness With Older Adults

Resulting from the assumption that older adulthood is a time of decline, there is a dearth of research on the application of wellness counseling with older adults. This article reviews the literature on wellness and older adults, synthesizes wellness with adult development theory, and describes wellness counseling with older adults.     

Workaholism: Bridging the Gap Between Workplace,Sociocultural, and Family Research

This article attempts to narrow the gap between the studies of workaholism and human relations/organizational development and workaholism and cross‐cultural research and family counseling. Important studies on workaholism in the cross‐cultural and family counseling fields, which are typically absent in the organizational and career research literature, are reviewed. Recommendations for future research considerations also are presented.     

Dream Interpretation: Practical Methods for Pastoral Care and Counseling

This article outlines a simple, straightforward set of practical dream interpretation methods which pastoral caregivers can use any time a client's dream becomes relevant to the counseling situation. The article describes seven elements to the successful interpretation of a dream, offers a brief illustration of how dream interpretation works in practice, and explains how to test the validity of an interpretation.     

Rigor,Relevance, and Counseling Research: On the Need to Maintain Our Course Between Scylla and Charybdis

This article suggests that a construct called experience-nearness determines the relevance of research to practice. A mixture of experience-near (relevant) and experience-far (rigorous) research is needed to optimally advance knowledge in, counseling.     

Physical Activity and Exercise: Implications for Counselors

The authors address current recommendations for physical activity and health, physical activity and mental well‐being, and implications for counselors and the counseling profession. Specifically, they review a recent article (P. M. Dubbert, 2002) published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and examine in detail the resulting implications for counselors and the counseling profession.     

Meta‐Analysis: A Systematic Method for Synthesizing Counseling Research

The authors provide a template for counseling researchers who are interested in quantitatively aggregating research findings. Meta‐analytic studies can provide relevant information to the counseling field by systematically synthesizing studies performed by researchers from diverse fields. Methodologically sound meta‐analyses require careful planning, diligent literature searches, detailed coding of study information, and knowledge of meta‐analytic approaches to statistical analyses. The authors provide steps to guide counseling researchers in conducting meta‐analytic reviews.     

An Approach to Teaching Ethics Courses in Human Services and Counseling

This article presents multiple facets of a team approach to teaching and facilitating an ethics course for undergraduate human services students and a graduate ethics course for students majoring in counseling. Starting with general points, this article describes a specific, week‐to‐week approach to a 1‐semester course, concluding with sample student evaluative comments and an experienced professor/author's processing of the experience of preparing and teaching this course for many years.     

Carl Rogers's Life and Work: An Assessment on the 100th Anniversary of His Birth

This article summarizes the life and work of America's most influential counselor and psychotherapist, Carl Rogers. He developed the client‐centered, person‐centered approach; popularized the term client; pioneered the recording of counseling cases; conducted landmark research on counseling and psychotherapy; and was a leader in the humanistic psychology movement, and more. Later, he applied the person‐centered approach to resolving intergroup and international conflict. Work on the client‐centered approach continues, and current research validates many of Rogers's earlier contributions.     

Comprehensive School Counseling Programs: A Review for Policymakers and Practitioners

This article describes components of effective school counseling programs that have emerged from 30 years of empirical research and professional standards. Results are summarized in seven sections: core principles of school counseling programs, program resources, program interventions, program evaluation, program renewal, written policies, and program climate.     

20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling: The New Consensus Definition of Counseling

With the promulgation of the 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling consensus definition of counseling, there is finally profession‐wide clarity as to what it means to engage in professional counseling. This article describes the development and discusses the implications of the definition: “Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.” This consensus definition has been endorsed by 29 major counseling organizations.     

Transforming a Past into a Future: Counseling Psychology in South Africa

Cet article décrit une analyse SWOT de la profession de psychologue du counseling en Afrique du Sud. Deux sources d'information constituent la base de cette investigation: une revue de la littérature sur la profession et l'analyse thématique d'une enquête réalisée auprès de psychologues du counseling pratiquants ou en formation. Il apparaît que cette profession cherche à se constituer une identité pertinente qui serait en prise avec les problèmes spécifiques relevant de l'histoire sociopolitique et socioéconomique de l'Afrique du Sud. On envisage différentes pistes esquissant une vision d'avenir de la profession aussi bien dans un contexte national qu'international.
This article describes a SWOT analysis of the counseling psychology profession in South Africa. Two sources of information formed the basis for the analysis: An examination of the literature on the profession and a content theming of a survey conducted with practising counseling psychologists and those in training. The analysis suggests that the counseling profession is struggling to establish a relevant identity that will address the inherent problems created by South Africa's sociopolitical and socioeconomic history. Several suggestions are made for creating a future vision for the profession within both a national and an international context.     

Guidance and Counseling in New Zealand

This article describes guidance and counseling in multicultural New Zealand as a professional service facing social change and supported by training, research, and a national association.     

A Model of Stress and Counseling Interventions

Current popular interest in stress and its effects on physical and psychological functioning has implications for counselors and clients. Although many counselors have not been trained in the physiological and medical aspects of stress, they do have skills that can be appropriately applied to the alleviation and modification of environmental and internal sources of stress. This article describes a model to aid counselors in understanding stress and in designing and implementing counseling interventions to mediate its effects.     

Culturally Sensitive Dementia Caregiving Models and Clinical Practice

Family caregiving for individuals with dementia is an increasingly complex issue that affects the caregivers' and care recipients' physical, mental, and emotional health. This article presents 3 key culturally sensitive caregiver models along with clinical interventions relevant for mental health counseling professionals.