A qualitative and serial analysis of social problem solving in aggressive boys

Social problem solving skills in 84 elementary school aged boys were assessed to identify those responses most salient in the prediction of ratings of aggressive and socially withdrawn behavior. Aggressive and socially withdrawn boys did not differ from the control group in the number of effective first solutions generated to the hypothetical stories. The control group generated significantly more effective solutions as second alternatives to the stories than did the aggressive or socially withdrawn boys. In addition, the number of effective second responses generated significantly predicted both aggression and social withdrawal after controlling for verbal problem solving. Results are discussed in terms of differences in cognitive processes as well as implications for treatment.This research was partially supported by a grant to the first author from the Charles Rieley Armington Foundation on Values in Children. The authors wish to thank Dennis Drotar, Douglas Detterman, and Met Evans for their assistance with this project.     

Personal Versus Vocational Focus in Career Counseling: A Retrospective Outcome Study

In this archival study the authors sought to determine the relationship, if any, between counseling outcomes and the topical focus in career counseling. Twenty-two counselors saw 46 adult clients at a community-based clinic for an average of eight sessions. Counseling outcome and topical focus (the extent to which the actual content of counseling sessions reflected relatively more vocationally or personally focused topics) were assessed from follow-up questionnaires to former career clients and from trained raters' evaluations of the counselors' written progress notes. Results showed that, from the counselors' perspective, outcomes were better when the focus of the sessions was relatively more vocational than personal and when relatively more interviews were held. Client satisfaction, on the other hand, was predictable only from the counselor's level of experience. Satisfaction with occupational status was not associated with any of the client, counselor, or treatment factors. Discussion focuses on the contribution of the results to career counseling practice and on the feasibility and validity of retrospective, archival research.     

Perceived impact of socially anxious behaviors on individuals' lives in Western and East Asian countries

The current study compared the predicted social and career impact of socially withdrawn and reticent behaviors among participants from Western and East Asian countries. Three hundred sixty-one college students from 5 Western countries and 455 students from 3 East Asian countries read hypothetical vignettes describing socially withdrawn and shy behaviors versus socially outgoing and confident behaviors. Participants then answered questions following each vignette indicating the extent to which they would expect the subject of the vignette to be socially liked and to succeed in their career. Participants also completed measures of their own social anxiety and quality of life. The results indicated significant vignette-by-country interactions in that the difference in perceived social and career impact between shy and outgoing vignettes was smaller among participants from East Asian countries than from Western countries. In addition, significant negative correlations were shown between personal level of shyness and experienced quality of life for participants from both groups of countries, but the size of this relationship was greater for participants from Western than East Asian countries. The results point to the more negative impact of withdrawn and socially reticent behaviors for people from Western countries relative to those from East Asia.     

Driving anger and other driving-related behaviors in high and low ADHD symptom college students

This study examined differences between college students with high and low symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Fifty-nine introductory psychology students completed ADHD diagnostic measures and were compared on measures of driving anger and driving anger expression; accident-related, aggressive, and risky driving behaviors; general anger; and general anger expression. Results indicated high ADHD symptom college students experience more driving anger, display such anger in more hostile/aggressive ways, are more aggressive and risky on the road, experience more crash-related outcomes, are more generally angry, and tend to display anger in socially unacceptable ways. Results are discussed in regard to the understanding and treatment of ADHD.     

TEACHING SOCIAL LANGUAGE TO MODERATELY HANDICAPPED STUDENTS

Three students with moderate handicaps were taught to initiate and expand on conversational topics. The teaching procedure used stimuli generated from actual conversations with nonhandicapped peers. Generalization was assessed by audiotaping conversations between the handicapped students and their peers in natural school contexts without adult supervision. Results indicated that training generalized to natural contexts. These results were socially validated by undergraduate special education students, who rated tapes of two of the students' conversations during training phases as more socially competent than during baseline. Results are discussed in terms of the evaluation of complex social behavior as multioperant behaviors.     

The predictive validity of teacher nominations: A five-year followup of at-risk youth

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive validity of a teacher nomination procedure for identifying at- risk children. Two hundred and twenty-five children were nominated by their teachers as well- adjusted (n= 75), socially withdrawn (n=76), or socially aggressive (n=74) during the fourth grade. Five years later, 198 of these children (88%) were located and their adjustment evaluated. Significant differences among the nominated children were found on a variety of measures, including academic grades, sociometric status, and social behavior. In addition, differences in school dropout and delinquent offenses were noted. Results are discussed in terms of the validity of teacher nomination procedures and their utility in identifying at- risk youth.     

EVALUATION OF A TRAINING MANUAL FOR THE ACQUISITION OF BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT INTERVIEWING SKILLS

Two procedures were used to teach behavioral assessment interviewing skills: a training manual and one-to-one instruction that included modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. Two graduate students and two advanced undergraduates were trained with each procedure. Interviewing skills were recorded in simulated assessment interviews conducted by each student across baseline and treatment conditions. Each training procedure was evaluated in a multiple baseline across students design. The results showed that both procedures were effective for training behavioral interviewing skills, with all students reaching a level of 90%-100% correct responding. Finally, a group of experts in behavior analysis rated each interviewing skill as relevant to the conduct of an assessment interview and a group of behavioral clinicians socially validated the outcomes of the two procedures.     

Taiwanese University Students' Conceptions of Counseling

The purpose of this study was to describe and discuss Taiwanese university students' conceptions of counseling. A qualitative method was used to analyze 60 in-depth interviews from 30 male and 30 female students at a national university in central Taiwan. Results indicated that Taiwanese university students recognized the importance of counseling services to students and citizens, even though most of them were unfamiliar with counseling. Thematic patterns emerged from Taiwanese university students' conceptions of counseling, which suggested implications for clinical practice, education, and research. Namely, accessibility, familiarity, credibility, and effectiveness of counselors seemed to enhance students' willingness to seek counseling. Results also suggested that counseling services should implement a combination of educational, preventive, and therapeutic functions.     

Forgive and Forget? Forgiveness,Personality, and Wellness Among Counselors‐in‐Training

Forgiveness as a method of addressing “wounds” has been linked to enduring aspects of personality and improved physical and mental health outcomes. The aim of this study was to understand the effects of forgiveness on counseling students’ overall wellness. Counseling students (N= 115) from 5 universities completed self‐report measures of forgiveness, wellness, and personality. Results indicate that, when personality factors are controlled, forgiveness contributes a significant proportion (10%) of the variance in wellness for counseling students. Implications for counselor training and counseling are discussed.     

Using Popular Film to Teach Multicultural Counseling: A Constructivist Approach

The use of popular film as an experiential teaching tool in multicultural counselor education has been well documented. However, existing research has been limited. The purpose of this study is to implement a unique pedagogic intervention using popular films and to study how counseling students experience the activity as part of their multicultural counseling training. The researchers utilized the popular films Crash and Precious to stimulate student dialogue and reflection on topics pertaining to race, culture, privilege, and social justice. The findings indicate that popular films, when implemented in conjunction with reflective learning activities, are effective in promoting students’ multicultural and social justice counseling competencies. Participants reported that the pedagogic activity was effective in bringing to life the multicultural course concepts and stimulating difficult but necessary conversations about race, ethnicity, privilege, and power. Finally, implications of this study could further inform the field of multicultural counselor education.     

Peer Victimization, Aggression, and Their Co-Occurrence in Middle School: Pathways to Adjustment Problems

An ethnically diverse sample of 6th-grade students completed peer nomination procedures that were used to create subgroups of students with reputations as victims, aggressors, aggressive victims, and socially adjusted (neither aggressive nor victimized). Self-report data on psychological adjustment, attributions for peer harassment, and perceived school climate were gathered. In addition, homeroom teachers rated participating students on academic engagement and students' grades were collected from school records. Victims reported the most negative self-views, aggressors enjoyed the most positive self-views, and aggressive victims fell between these two groups, although their psychological profile more closely resembled that of victims. However, all three subgroups encountered more school adjustment problems when compared to their socially adjusted classmates. Different pathways to school adjustment problems for aggressors and victims were examined. For victims, characterological self-blame for victimization and psychological maladjustment were the key mediators, whereas for aggressors, the significant pathway was mainly through perceived unfairness of school rules. Analyses by ethnicity revealed that African American boys were most likely to be perceived as aggressive and as aggressive victims and they were doing most poorly in school. Implications for intervention with subgroups of problem behavior youth and the particular vulnerabilities of African American adolescents were discussed.     

Employment counseling and organizational ethical values

Employment counseling is commonly used in companies to assist employees with various personal and professional challenges that are confronted in the workplace. Such guidance could affect the degree to which employees believe a company proactively supports an ethical orientation; the purpose of this study was to explore this issue. A self‐report survey was used to collect data from 105 working students who were attending business classes at the University of Wyoming. Results suggested that perceptions of organizational ethical values were higher among students who were employed in companies that offered employment counseling than were the perceptions of those working in companies that did not offer employment counseling.     

Online counselling in secondary schools: would students seek help by this medium?

Students in secondary schools experience problems that can impact on their well-being and educational outcomes. Although face-to-face counselling is available in most Australian secondary schools, many students, particularly boys, do not seek appropriate help. Research suggests that online counselling can be effective and increase engagement. This study of 215 secondary school students sought to assess students' intention to use online counselling if it was made available in schools. The results found no gender difference in the likely intentions to seek online help though year level was significant and students experiencing psychological distress had a preference for online counselling. If students did use online counselling it was more likely they would discuss sensitive topics rather than for career issues. Implications for school counselling are discussed.     

Post-migration Growth Scale for Chinese International Students: Development and Validation

There has been a significant paradigm shift in recent acculturation research from a psychopathological perspective to a resilience framework. However, one indicator of positive adaptation outcomes in acculturation—measurement of personal growth in migration—is lacking. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Post-migration Growth Scale (PMGS) for Chinese international students. A 14-item scale was developed through in-depth interviews, item analysis and factor analysis. The scale was initially validated in a sample of 400 mainland Chinese students studying in Hong Kong. Exploratory factor analysis suggested two factors (interpersonal growth and intrapersonal growth), which were cross-validated in an independent sample of Chinese international students in Australia from mainland China (n = 154) by confirmatory factor analysis. The PMGS showed satisfactory internal consistency reliability and concurrent validity. The PMGS can thus be a reliable and valid instrument to measure Chinese international students’ personal growth from overseas study experiences. Limitations were discussed and implications were suggested.     

International student-focused counseling research: A 34-year content analysis

With the rapid growth of the international student population in the United States and internationalization of the counseling field, there is an increasing need to understand how this population is represented in counseling psychology research. To this end, this study provides a content and methodological analysis of 85 international student-focused empirical articles published in journals related to counseling psychology from 1980–2014. Publication trends revealed that of the total number of published empirical articles (N = 6191, 1980–2014), only 1.37% of empirical articles focused on international students. And yet, it appears that the percentage of empirical articles increased from .77% (1980) to 1.75% (2014), indicating a growth of 127% in the number of published empirical articles on international students. Results revealed 10 content categories, of which cultural adjustments, psychological health, and help utilization were the most common topics of inquiry. Methodological trends suggested that quantitative methodologies and convenience sampling were used most frequently and the majority of the sample consisted of international students from Asian countries. Limitations of and recommendations for future research are addressed.     

叙事取向团体辅导对大学生自我认同的干预研究

自我认同的发展与大学生心理健康水平及其今后的社会适应关系密切。本研究用叙事取向团体辅导对大学生自我认同进行干预。结果发现,叙事治疗强调的好奇、尊重、珍惜的态度,为成员创设了安全、温暖、支持的团体氛围;外化和解构使成员与问题拉开距离,探讨问题的影响力;寻找并丰厚特殊意义事件,让成员看到自身的正向力量和资源;局外见证人团队,进一步巩固成员身上的正向力量。结论：叙事取向团体辅导是促进大学生自我认同发展的有效途径。     

Client Reaction to Counselor's Use of Self-Experience

This study sought to determine if counselor use of self-experience may be useful in increasing self-confidence, self-disclosure, perceived genuineness, and empathic understanding. Volunteer graduate students in education interested in participating in a series of group counseling sessions structured to deal with problems of the graduate student were used in this study. 30 graduate students were divided into 6 groups of 5 each. 3 groups were experimental groups and 3 groups were control groups. In the control groups self-experience examples were not used by the counselor, but in the experimental groups they were used extensively. Questionnaires, taped sessions, and post-counseling interviews were used in evaluation of results. The experimental groups perceived the counseling relationship as less genuine than the control groups. The results of the study did not support the use of counselor self-experience examples in group counseling.     

Teaching communicative alternatives to socially withdrawn behavior: An investigation in maintaining treatment effects

This study examined the effectiveness of a contextual intervention strategy paired with an existing packaged intervention on the ability to produce increased and durable social involvement among children who displayed socially withdrawn behavior and their peers. Using a multiple baseline design across three socially withdrawn subjects, results indicated that the combination intervention effectively increased social interactions. Results also indicated that the effects of the intervention maintained two months after intervention termination. General implications for the use of the contextual intervention strategy to produce durable treatment outcomes are discussed.     

Does treatment modality affect career counseling effectiveness?

This meta-analysis involved the direct comparison of treatment modalities used in career interventions. In general, interventions that did not involve a counselor were found to be less effective than other modalities. Results also indicated that workshops or structured groups tended to produce better outcomes than non-structured career counseling groups. Furthermore, participants who used a career computer system supplemented by counseling had better outcomes than those who just used a computer system. Many of the comparisons involved comparing counselor-free interventions to other counselor-free interventions; however, this analysis did not find any significant moderators to effect size variation. There was also significant variation in workshops/structured groups and additional research is needed to analyze workshop content and client attributes.