Evaluating the effectiveness of counselling intervention with final year undergraduates

This study explores the effectiveness of a short-term counselling intervention model, with final year students, in reducing psychological distress and increasing students' ability to complete their degree programmes successfully. A clinical sample (final year students who consulted he counselling Service) was monitored before and after intervention using the psychometric instrument Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) (Derogatis, 1977). A significant reduction in levels of psychological distress was demonstrated with this sample. In contrast a parallel control sample (final year students who did not consult the Counselling Service but whose initial SCL scores were in the same range) showed no significant change in levels of psychological distress over the same time period. The clinical and educational implications of these findings are discussed.     

Cognitive counselling intervention: treatment effectiveness in an Italian university centre

Offering counselling to students is increasingly considered as a key academic service. However, the reduction of resources allocated to Italian universities emphasises the need to assess the quality of interventions. This paper presents data reporting the effectiveness of a university counselling service. A sample of 45 undergraduate students completed a cognitive-relational intervention at a counselling service in a University in the North of Italy. The project focused on the development of reappraisal skills and problem-solving strategies to manage difficult situations. The results showed a significant pre and post-intervention reduction in self-reported psychopathological symptoms (measured with Symptoms Check List 90-Revised) as well as in general levels of distress (measured with Clinical Outcome in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure). A significant increase in reappraisal levels, measured with the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, was observed, which is a focal element of the counselling intervention. There were no detectable changes in the level of suppression.     

International students’ attachment and psychological well-being: the mediation role of mental toughness

This study examined the relationships of adult attachment, mental toughness (MT), and psychological well-being of international students. We hypothesized that attachment anxiety and avoidance would predict psychological well-being outcome variables and that MT would mediate the attachment-wellbeing links. The participants were 217 international students from a large public college in the United States. Structure Equation Modeling analyses were used to examine the proposed mediation effects. Result showed that MT functioned as a mediator for the paths between attachment anxiety and the two well-being latent variables of psychological distress and life satisfaction. On the other hand, attachment avoidance was found to have a more direct effect on adjustment difficulties without going through MT. Limitation and counseling implications are discussed.     

Stresses reported by UK trainee counselling psychologists

This study examined stressors and psychological distress in 109 UK counselling psychology trainees. The research focus was two-fold. What is the profile of stressors that counselling psychology trainees report about the components of training? What relationship is there between this profile, and other characteristics of trainees, including their level of current psychological distress? Data from a stress survey and from the General Health Questionnaire were examined. High stress scores were found on three aspects of the stress survey (‘academic’, ‘placements’, ‘personal and professional development’), but not–surprisingly–on the aspect, ‘lack of support systems’. Significant stress differences were reported for gender and age of participants, and highly significant positive relationships were found between General Health Questionnaire and stress scores. Overall, the results suggest actions to be taken. Further research is needed to clarify unavoidable and avoidable stressors in training, and the reduction of trainees’ experience of training stress to the necessary minimum needs to be adopted as an active target by programmes.     

Changes in Late Adolescents and Young Adults’ Attachment,Separation, and Mental Health During Wilderness Therapy

The study explored changes in young adults’ mental health, attachment, and separation from parents during a seven-week wilderness therapy program. Utilizing a longitudinal one-group design, the study examined outcomes of 157 young adults in one wilderness therapy program. From pre to post treatment, participants reported significant improvement in mental health symptoms and interpersonal relationships, as well as increases in the belief that others can be depended upon. Participants reported less resentment and anger towards mothers from pre to post treatment, but an increase in their needs for approval from fathers. The study details a link between young adults’ attachment, independence from parents, and improvement in mental health, suggesting that treatment which targets these links may provide more effective intervention.     

The impact of psychological distress and university counselling on academic outcomes: Analysis of a routine practice-based dataset

Whole university approaches to student mental health and well-being increasingly involve university counselling and mental health services (UCMHSs) as key stakeholders in higher education and the fulfilment of good academic outcomes. However, previous research using routine outcome measures has focussed on psychological distress only. Research is needed to demonstrate the value of university counselling on academic outcomes. This study aimed at profiling the psychological distress of a student sample according to the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation—Outcome Measure (CORE-OM); measuring the change in perceived impact of problems on academic outcomes, and measuring the perceived impact of counselling on academic outcomes. Students from two UK university counselling services completed the CORE-OM and the Counselling Impact on Academic Outcomes (CIAO) questionnaire as part of routine practice. After counselling, 67.4% (n = 323) of students with planned endings to counselling showed at least reliable improvement on the CORE-OM. Significant reductions in the perceived impact of problems on all academic outcomes were also found. On average, 83% (n = 398) of students found counselling helpful for academic outcomes to at least a limited extent. University counselling was found to reduce psychological distress and the impact of problems on academic outcomes. Psychometric examination of the CIAO tool is warranted to strengthen its use. The need for robust data across UCMHSs is demonstrated by both the strengths and limitations of this study.     

Graduate school mentoring in clinical,counselling, and experimental academic training programs: an exploratory study

This study focused on graduate student mentoring within clinical, counselling and experimental psychology programs. A nationwide survey of 336 psychology graduate students indicated that counselling students reported higher levels of socioemotional support in their mentoring relationships, as well as higher overall levels of satisfaction, compared with clinical and experimental students. Clinical and experimental students, however, reported higher levels of selected outcome variables, such as research productivity. The relationships between mentoring qualities and several outcome variables were noted and discussed. This study adds to the developing literature concerning graduate student mentoring within professional psychology training programs.     

A follow‐up study of the long‐term effects of counselling in a primary care counselling psychology service

Despite much recent work examining the short‐term effect of counselling in primary healthcare settings, to date relatively little research has examined the effectiveness of such treatment programmes over the longer term. In this study, 58 participants underwent brief, time‐limited integrative counselling sessions, with symptoms being measured using the CORE‐OM immediately before, immediately after, and 30 months after counselling. It was found that in addition to participants reporting significantly lower levels of psychological distress immediately post‐counselling, a further significant improvement at 30‐month follow‐up was also apparent, indicating that the benefit from counselling was maintained. In addition to this reduction in symptoms post‐counselling, a significant reduction in GP visits was also detected in the 12 months following counselling when compared with the 12 months prior to counselling, indicating a lower reliance on the primary healthcare team after counselling.     

Stability and change of attachment representations during emerging adulthood: An examination of mediators and moderators of change

Using Bartholomew’s model of attachment (K. Bartholomew, 1990; K. Bartholomew & L. Horowitz, 1991), we explored stability and change of attachment in a group of young adults graduating from university and examined reasons for change of attachment. Consistent with previous research, we found that attachment dimensions were moderately stable; however, several variables predicted change. We explored the effect of changing relationship status and parental divorce on attachment and found that individuals who remained single reported lower stability of avoidance over time. Next, we tested whether distress reported before the transition would mediate stability of attachment. The results provided some support for J. Bowlby’s (1969/1982) proposal that distress would be associated with stability and change of attachment. We found that participants who reported low distress at Time 1 (T1) were more likely to report changes in attachment anxiety than participants who reported high distress at T1.     

A New Organizational and Study Skills Intervention for College Students with ADHD

The transition to college can be very challenging for individuals with ADHD. Increased task and life demands happen in tandem with deficits in time management, study skills and habits, and delaying rewards to achieve longer-term goals. Cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) holds promise for targeting these and related challenges. Psychosocial interventions exist for the general population of adults with ADHD, but not college students. Importantly, an intervention designed for college students should be manageable in terms of time and cost. We developed such an intervention specifically for college students with ADHD; organizational, time management, and planning (OTMP) skills were the focus of this largely behavioral treatment, as these most directly relate to the executive function deficits characteristic of ADHD and to the demands of college. Academic study skills and psychoeducation regarding ADHD and medication management were also included. The intervention was tested with 30 undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate students (57% biological males; M age 22.6; 83.3% White/Non-Hispanic) from two public universities in the U.S. Participants completed a battery of self-report measures of ADHD symptoms, impairment, and OTMP skills pre- and post-treatment. Most participants reported a past diagnosis of ADHD (n = 23; including possible comorbidity), with all others reporting at least 5 pre-treatment symptoms of inattention (M for all participants = 6.3). The manualized intervention consisted of 6 group therapy sessions and 2 individual sessions. Results suggested that this new treatment has promise, with t-tests comparing pre- and post-intervention scores indicating significant improvements in inattention symptoms, total ADHD symptoms, self-concept impairment, total impairment, and use of organization, time management, and planning skills. In addition, participants generally reported satisfaction with the intervention and had a very high attendance rate. Future studies of this new intervention should include a randomized controlled trial, the collection of objective outcome measures, and a more diverse sample.     

蒙汉族大学生父母教养方式、成人依恋与心理困扰的关系研究

通过整群抽样方法抽取了576名大学生,对其施测父母养育方式量表、亲密关系体验量表和心理困扰量表,运用结构方程模型技术,分别考察了父母养育方式的蒙汉族差异以及成人依恋模式在父母养育方式和心理困扰间的中介作用。结果表明:(1) 蒙古族父母对孩子的关爱程度和给孩子的自主性要显著高于汉族;(2) 汉族的成人依恋模式在父母过度保护与抑郁-焦虑-压力之间起着部分中介作用,而蒙古族成人依恋的中介作用不明显,但母亲的冷漠拒绝和过度保护会导致个体依恋回避和依恋焦虑,父亲的冷漠拒绝和过度保护会影响个体的抑郁和焦虑,母亲的过度保护和父亲的冷漠拒绝会影响个体的压力。     

Thinking about social situations: The moderated effects of imposing structure

Previous research indicates that people with social anxiety disorder tend to experience escalating distress when thinking about past social situations. We investigated whether such distress could be limited by either an intervention or the participant's pre-existing abilities. Participants were 38 undergraduate students who reported problematic levels of social anxiety. Participants who endorsed a poor ability to purposefully engage with thoughts about stressful social situations reported a deterioration of mood after 25 min of unstructured writing about a recent problematic social situation, whereas those who demonstrated low levels of purposeful engagement but received writing prompts (based on cognitive restructuring techniques) did not show a strong deterioration of mood. In contrast, participants who endorsed greater purposeful engagement ability did not show such deterioration. Results suggest that the negative effects of thinking about social situations might be ameliorated, for at least some participants, if they are provided with structure.     

Enhancing parental reflective functioning through early dyadic interventions: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Parental reflective functioning (PRF) is an important predictor of infant attachment, and interventions that target parent–infant/toddler dyads who are experiencing significant problems have the potential to improve PRF. A range of dyadic interventions have been developed over the past two decades, some of which explicitly target PRF as part of their theory of change, and some that do not explicitly target PRF, but that have measured it as an outcome. However, no meta‐analytic review of the impact of these interventions has been carried out to date. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of dyadic interventions targeting parents of infant and toddlers, in improving PRF and a number of secondary outcomes. A systematic review and meta‐analysis was conducted in which key electronic databases were searched up to October 2018. Eligible studies were identified and data extracted. Data were synthesised using meta‐analysis and expressed as both effect sizes and risk ratios. Six studies were identified providing a total of 521 participants. The results of six meta‐analyses showed a nonsignificant moderate improvement in PRF in the intervention group (standardised mean difference [SMD]: –0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] [–0.97, 0.04]) and a significant reduction in disorganised attachment (risk ratio: 0.50; 95% CI [0.27, 0.90]). There was no evidence for intervention effects on attachment security (odds ratio: 0.71; 95% CI [0.19, 2.64]), parent–infant interaction (SMD: –0.10; 95% CI [–0.46, 0.26]), parental depression (SMD: –1.55; 95% CI [–3.74, 0.64]) or parental global distress (SMD: –0.19, 95% CI [–3.04, 22.65]). There were insufficient data to conduct subgroup analysis (i.e. to compare the effectiveness of mentalisation‐based treatment with non‐mentalization‐based treatment interventions). Relational early interventions may have important benefits in improving PRF and reducing the prevalence of attachment disorganisation. The implications for future research are discussed.     

All work and no play: A focus on leisure time as a means for promoting health

In a study of 294 participants the relationship between attitude to leisure time and engagement in leisure activities and psychological and physical health was investigated Using questionnaire methods a consistent and significant relationship was found in that individuals with more positive attitudes towards and engagement in leisure activities experienced less general psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and hostility. They also experienced higher levels of positive affect and reported feeling physically healthier. Leisure measures were also related to levels of achievement motivation. The data points to leisure time behaviour as a rich source of information about coping styles and the positive use of leisure counselling as a therapeutic intervention.     

The Effects of Hurricane Katrina on Females with a Pre-Existing Fear of Storms

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Hurricane Katrina on those with preexisting storm fear. Participants were divided into two groups, those with a fear of storms and control participants with no reported fears of any specific stimuli. Differences were examined on measures of exposure to and distress from trauma, fear, coping self-efficacy, and demographic variables. The participants were 62 female undergraduate college students who completed an online survey examining the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Despite no differences in the overall occurrence of trauma between the two groups, storm-fearful participants reported significantly more overall distress from their exposure when compared to the non-fearful participants. Those with storm-fears also reported significantly poorer coping self-efficacy following the storm than those who were not fearful. Overall, individuals with a fear of storms reported experiencing greater psychological impact and poorer coping self-efficacy from the same degree of storm exposure.     

A Forgiveness Intervention for Taiwanese Young Adults with Insecure Attachment

In this study we tested the effectiveness of a forgiveness intervention for young adults with insecure attachment to their mothers. Twenty-seven students from four universities in Taiwan were recruited and assigned to either a forgiveness intervention or an alternative treatment control group. Dependent measures were administered at pretest, posttest, and 8-week follow-up. Within-group analyses demonstrated the participants in the forgiveness intervention showed greater improvement on measures of attachment security, forgiveness, trait anxiety, hope, and self-esteem than the participants in the alternative treatment group. Effect sizes were in the medium to large range. Implications for research and practice with families are discussed.     

The effectiveness of university counselling for improving academic outcomes and well-being

The work discusses the effectiveness of the counselling treatment to enhance student academic success. The participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (66 students who had completed counselling treatment) or a wait-list comparison group (44 students). The Adult Self Report (ASR) by Achenbach and Rescorla [2003. Manual for the ASEBA adult forms & profiles. Burlington, VT: Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families, University of Vermont] and the Outcome Questionnaire 45 (OQ-45) by Lambert and Hill [1994. Assessing psychotherapy outcomes and processes. In A. E. Bergin & S. L. Garfield (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change (pp. 72–113). New York: John Wiley] were applied before and after the counselling sessions. Data show statistically significant decrease in the ASR clinical scales for both internalising and externalising problems after counselling as well as in the OQ-45 scores for distress symptoms and relationship difficulties. Compared with the control group, the students who received counselling exhibited a significant recovery regarding their progress with their studies.     

An outcome evaluation study of a psycho‐educational course in a primary care setting

Rationale: To date relatively little research has examined the effectiveness of psycho‐educational courses provided in a primary care setting to adults with mild‐to‐moderate mental health concerns. Aims: To determine whether group psycho‐education could be a viable alternative to individual counselling by (1) assessing the clinical effectiveness of an 8‐week psycho‐educational course, and (2) examining the group outcomes in comparison with individual treatment outcomes from a previous study in the same counselling service. Method: A total of 57 participants attending a psycho‐educational course provided data over a 36‐month period, using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation – Outcome Measure (CORE‐OM) pre‐ and post‐intervention. A comparison was then made with the data of 58 previous participants of individual counselling evaluation, using the same CORE‐OM system. Results: Participants reported significantly lower levels of psychological distress after attending the course and these results are comparable to outcomes measured in the same service for individual counselling, indicating that group interventions could be considered a legitimate alternative to individual counselling, thus increasing cost effectiveness and reducing waiting times. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and further investigation are considered.