Applying the principles and techniques of solution-focused therapy to career counselling

Career counselling aims to help clients become more effective agents in solving problems in their vocational aspects of life. To achieve this goal, theorists and practitioners are called upon to form useful helping approaches that can help clients in a more efficient and effective manner. This article proposes an alternative model toward this end by considering and adopting principles and techniques from the solution-focused therapy in career counselling practice. After a very brief introduction of the basic features of the solution-focused counselling, the paper reviews some key theoretical principles of the solution-focused therapy, and connects these principles to career counselling context. It then illustrates several solution-focused counselling techniques that are particularly applicable to career counselling intervention.     

Counselling in organisations: What is the experience of the lone counsellor?

Aims: To explore and understand lone counsellors' experiences of working in organisations, and to indicate means of enhancing this. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants and subjected to a qualitative, grounded theory analysis (Glaser, 1992; Glaser, 1998). Findings: Lone counsellors felt lonely, isolated and stressed in the workplace. The ‘lone battling’ behaviour adopted in an attempt to seek acceptance within the organisation and meaningful relationships with likeminded others in the counselling community was only partially successful. The lone counselling experience is understood to be a product of the tension inherent in organisational dynamics. Discussion: The findings help to confirm the belongingness hypothesis proposed by Baumeister and Leary (1995) that states that the need to belong is a fundamental motivation. Implications: The relevance of these findings to the training and employment of counsellors and other lone workers is discussed as well as areas for further research.     

传统中国文化处理心理健康问题的三种思路

近年来 ,从中国文化的角度进行心理健康问题的研究越来越多 ,但是从文化整体的角度对这一问题的研究尚嫌不够。本文认为 ,虽然传统中国文化没有现代心理学意义上的心理健康的说法 ,但是由于人的存在的共同性 ,传统中国文化客观上具有处理心理健康问题的功能。这表现为三种思路 :信仰—养性的思路 ,养生—治身的思路 ,迷信—功利的思路。它们各自对心理健康有自己的见解和做法。文章分析了这三种思路的基本情况和特征 ,并进一步讨论了它们对当代心理健康研究的启发     

Introducing counselling in secondary schools: A case study with reference to frame issues

Abstract

I am a deputy headteacher in a comprehensive school. I believe that the widespread re-introduction of counselling into secondary schools offers possibilities for great benefit, both in terms of the personal well-being and emotional health of students, and also in terms of academic results and other educational indicators. It is my view that, currently, this may particularly be true for boys.

This paper is a double case study: first, of the failure of a student to cope with ordinary schooling because of his emotional difficulties; and, second, of the establishment of a counselling service which resulted from his permanent exclusion from the school.

I allude to some of the theoretical issues which meshed with the practical details of establishing the counselling service, and offer some tentative conclusions about the rationale for counselling in secondary schools and the kind of model which seems most likely to be beneficial.     

中医骨伤科技术特点及文化分析

通过对中医骨伤科技术的历史进行系统研究,发现中医骨伤科诊疗技术丰富,然而大多数技术属于自发的实践经验所得,没有形成自己独特的理论基础,也没有随着时代的演进出现实质性的突破,始终处于经验性、实用性的发展态势,没有走上科学的发展道路.此外,虽然中国传统文化赋予了中医骨伤科技术发展的构架,但是其直观体验思维模式及只重求实不重求知的思想又制约了中医骨伤科技术的发展.可能,只有摆脱中国传统文化带来的思维定势和消极影响,中医骨伤科技术才能走上科学的发展道路.     

Understanding the role of hope in counselling: Exploring the intentional uses of hope

In this paper we look at various conceptual models of hope and research evidence for the integral role that hope plays in counselling. We recognize hope as a dynamic process during which counsellor and client interact in ways that can be mutually influencing and we review research that explores this reciprocal process. A model for the intentional use of hope in counselling that recognizes both implicit and explicit approaches is offered. Metaphors for hope-work that position and re-position both counsellor and client in ways that may foster hope are explored. Finally, we provide suggestions for initiating conversations in which hope can be an explicit therapeutic focus.     

Tracking trends: A longitudinal look at internship placements in counselling psychology in the United States

Efforts to track trends in internship placements across time serve the field of counselling psychology in a number of ways. But this research is qualified by its reliance upon a single source of data: the Council of Counseling Psychology Training Program (CCPTP) annual survey. This paper provides a review of the concerns related to this over-reliance, and addresses these concerns by supplementing this data source with the comprehensive data collected by the Association of Psychology and Post-doctoral Internship Centers (APPIC). Findings provide a longitudinal look at the supply and demand issue concerning internship placements, track the nature of pre-doctoral internship placements across a 30-year period of time, and generally support the validity of the CCPTP data by documenting their close correspondence to recent APPIC data.