Meeting the Psychological Needs of Gifted Black Students: A Cultural Perspective

In the literature, one finds rich analyses of the psychological, emotional, and social needs of gifted people. The data on the specific psychological needs of gifted minority children, however, are lacking; one finds even less information on their cultural needs. This article examines the psychological and social difficulties confronting gifted Black students. Racial identity development theory is described briefly, including the significance of culture on achievement and psychological well-being. Finally, recommendations are made for counselors who wish to work effectively with gifted Black students.     

Revisiting the California Southeast Asian Mental Health Needs Assessment Data: An Examination of Refugee Ethnic and Gender Differences

This study examined the ethnic and gender differences in the levels and predictors of distress among Vietnamese (N = 867), Cambodian (N = 590) and Laotian (N = 723) refugees. The findings showed that for all 3 groups, refugee women reported a significantly higher level of psychological distress than their male counterparts. Although there were similarities in the predictors of distress among refugee women and men, the results also found significant gender differences within and between the different cultural groups. Implications for counseling practice and research are discussed in light of the findings.     

The Nurturing Program: An Intervention for Parents of Children with Special Needs

Evidence-based psychosocial family interventions enhancing empathy and empowerment are particularly beneficial to families of children who have developmental disabilities. This study assessed the effectiveness of an intervention called the Nurturing Program for Parents and Their Children with Special Needs and Health Challenges (SNHC). Eighty-seven families were enrolled and randomly assigned to a control or treatment group. Forty-six families in the control group received individualized case management (CM) services and forty-one families in the treatment group were assigned to 12 sessions of the SNHC curriculum along with case management services. Before and after the intervention, participants in both conditions completed the Adult and Adolescent Parenting Index-2 assessing parents’ attitudes toward child rearing and the Family Empowerment Scale (FES) measuring family empowerment. Caregivers in the intervention condition improved in empathy towards children’s needs, F(1, 54)?=?4.52, p?=?.04; and all families, both control group and treatment group, improved their attitudes towards the use of corporal punishment by posttest, F(1, 54)?=?6.56, p?=?.013. Also, all caregivers increased in their empowerment over the course of the intervention, F(1, 50)?=?13.28, p?=?.001. Attrition, 22–26% among CM and 51–56% among SNHC+CM, limited generalizability as did participants not completing all SNHC sessions. Despite these limitations, findings suggest that early interventions catering to families of children with developmental disabilities have a positive impact on parenting. To varying degrees, both conditions provided caregivers with tools that positively affected the quality of the parent–child relationships and promoted empowerment.     

Character Assessment: An Examination of Leadership Levels

This paper discusses character assessment from a leadership level perspective. The organization studied is developing a leadership model for the next century. One of the leadership traits identified as essential was character. Approximately one thousand managers in the company were given two character assessment instruments via a Web-based medium. Significant differences were found between early-, mid-, and mature-level managers with an increasing trend in character traits across the levels. This research is consistent with Katz and Kahn's (1976) levels of leadership research.     

Premarital Education: An Assessment of Program Efficacy*

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a premarital educational program, with the secondary goal of determining if the structure (conjoint versus group) and the participants’ gender influenced program effectiveness. Data were collected from 29 heterosexual couples. Couples were placed in one of three conditions: (1) premarital education in a group format, (2) premarital education as an individual couple, or (3) the comparison group (no premarital education). The goal of the 8-week intervention was to improve couples’ readiness and preparation for marriage as measured by the PREP-M. The findings suggested that the educational program achieved its stated goal. *The authors would like to acknowledge Aaron Mathney, Dr. Joe Turner, Dr. Kathy Rettig, Sarah DeJean, and Dena Wyum for their assistance with this project.     

Masculinity and Cognitive Age Perception: An Examination of their Relationship and Implications for Advertising Persuasion

This paper explores whether gender and sex role orientation, in terms of masculinity and femininity, may be associated with older cognitive age among young people. It predicts that masculinity should be associated with an older cognitive age. Two surveys (N?=?254 respondents aged 18–22 years and N?=?327 respondents aged 18–55 years), conducted in Taiwan, generally support this prediction. Moreover, this study predicts that masculinity influences people’s responses to media information that contains age cues, such as ads featuring models of various ages. The findings of another experiment (N?=?141 respondents) in Taiwan show that young participants who are more masculine like relatively older models to a greater degree, and the degree to which they like the model influences their attitudes toward the advertised brand.     

Examination of the Salutogenic Model,Support Resources,Coping Style,and Stressors Among Israeli University Students

The author investigated A. Antonovsky's (1979) concept of the sense of coherence (SOC) in relation to social support, coping styles, and the stress experiences of college students. A multivariate model was used to assess the relationships between the psychosocial resources, perceived stress, and the effect of different coping styles among 261 undergraduate students in three Israeli institutions of higher education. Results of a multivariate analysis of variance revealed that younger students used more emotional strategies and perceived having greater social support from friends than did older students. Students who did not work reported experiencing higher levels of stress associated with daily life and work-related issues. Women used more emotional and avoidance coping strategies. The findings of the regression analysis demonstrated that task-oriented and emotional coping modes, work stress, and family support explained 30% of the variance of SOC. These results increase our understanding of the salutogenic model of students within university settings and suggest focusing on the students and their interaction with the environment, using the concepts of stress, coping, and social support as inseparable characteristics of systems models.     

The Incarcerated Female Felon and Substance Abuse: Demographics,Needs Assessment,and Program Planning for a Neglected Population

Incarcerated women (203 of 237) completed a needs survey designed by an inmate steering committee. The typical inmate was a European American mother of 2 children. Relevant programming (substance abuse education classes, self-study programs, didactic groups and workshops) is discussed.     

Preschool Assessment: Implications for Counselors

Paget, K.D., & Nagle, R.J. (1986). A conceptual model of preschool assessment. School Psychology Review, 15, 154–165. Wilson, C.C. (1986). Family assessment in preschool evaluation. School Psychology Review, 15, 166–179.     

The PACE Employment Program: An Inmate-Employer Mutual Development Strategy

The PACE Employment Program, funded by the Office of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, brings together potential employers and employees in a jail setting. The program is administered by the PACE Institute, a private educational organization housed within the Cook County Jail (Chicago). The program seeks to strengthen the nontechnical employment skills of inmate-students, while also sensitizing prospective employers to the value and employment potential of these students. This is done by having both groups participate in a variety of exercises related to the development and strengthening of personal and interpersonal skills.     

Racial Microaggressions Against Black Americans: Implications for Counseling

Racial microaggression themes were identified using a focus‐group analysis of self‐identified Black participants. Six categories of demeaning and invalidating messages reflected beliefs of White supremacy that were unintentionally conveyed by perpetrators. Implications for counselors and the counseling process are discussed.     

An Analysis of Self: The Development and Assessment of a Measure of Selfobject Needs

Based on the psychoanalysis of adults with borderline and narcissistic personality disorder symptoms, Kohut (1971 Kohut, H. (1971). The analysis of the self. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. [Google Scholar], 1977, 1980, 1984) formulated a theory of self psychology that emphasized the importance of early developmental experiences; most centrally, the empathic attunement of caregivers as key ingredients for fostering the capacity for healthy self-regulation and interpersonal relations. Kohut elaborated 3 critical selfobject needs (i.e., idealizing, mirroring, and twinship) that were ideally satiated by these early experiences, deeming the fulfillment of these needs as essential for developing a healthy sense of self. The research presented here sought to develop a self-report measure, titled the Arble Estimate of Selfobject Pursuits (AESOP), capable of assessing the selfobject needs identified by Kohut. Across 2 studies involving 686 and 672 respondents, participants completed the AESOP. In the first study, an exploratory factor analysis supported the theorized 3-factor structure. In the second study, a confirmatory factor analysis indicated adequate-to-strong model fit and cluster analysis with theoretically related measures supported the AESOP's discriminant and convergent validity. Further research is encouraged to elaborate the implications of these preliminary findings.     

An Integrative Review of School-Based Mental Health Interventions for Elementary Students: Implications for Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy for children and youth experiencing mental health conditions is often overlooked in current school-based services, as the traditional role within the system is often limited to physical health issues. The purpose of this integrative review is to investigate current psychosocial interventions within school settings to understand the effects of services provided and to determine potential roles for school-based occupational therapists. The findings of this review support occupational therapists in facilitating interventions that target mental health in school settings. Psychotherapy presented the strongest evidence for reducing psychosocial symptoms in school settings.     

An Exploration of Black Teens' Experiences of Their Own Racial Identity Through Photovoice: Implications for Counselors

Multiculturally competent counselors and researchers are called to understand individuals’ worldviews and experiences (Ratts, Singh, Nassar‐McMillan, Butler, & McCullough, 2016). Therefore, in this study, the authors explored Black teens’ experiences of their own racial identity using a qualitative participatory action research method called photovoice. Eight participants ranging in age from 14 to 17 took part in this study. Three themes emerged from the data: places you don't belong, comfort places, and strengths/concerns. The authors address implications for counselors. Consejeros e investigadores multiculturalmente competentes están llamados a entender los cosmovisiónes y experiencias de los individuos (Ratts, Singh, Nassar‐McMillan, Butler, & McCullough, 2016). Por lo tanto, en este estudio, los autores exploraron las experiencias de adolescentes negros sobre su propia identidad racial, usando un método cualitativo de investigación‐acción participativa llamado fotovoz. Ocho participantes de edades comprendidas entre los 14 y 17 años tomaron parte en este estudio. De los datos obtenidos surgieron tres temas: lugares a los que no perteneces, lugares de comodidad y fortalezas/preocupaciones. Los autores abordan las implicaciones para consejeros.