Client Precounseling Preparation in an Employment Service Setting

It is hypothesized that vocational clients who receive precounseling preparation adopt a role in counseling that is more realistic and effective than the role adopted by clients who do not receive such preparation. Twenty-four Ss who were given a precounseling lecture-discussion were compared to twenty-three control Ss. The hypothesis was verified. Other implications of the study are discussed.     

The Value of the U.S. Employment Service Automated Reporting System to Employment Counselors

This article discusses the value of the Employment Service Automated Reporting System, which assists labor market planners in employment and training agencies in developing necessary programs for reducing unemployment at the local level. It is postulated that more states should use the data from the system but be careful to avoid misleading approaches.     

The Fully Functioning Employment Service Counselor

Fully functioning employment service counselors are individuals who feel personally and professionally significant and who use personal and professional competencies to foster an accurate image of themselves with clients and other professionals within the employment service. They are aware of the changing demands and the expanding scope and goals of employment counseling occurring over the past 10 years, although many others in the employment service, including training and supervising counselors, are not. These counselors must take the responsibility for bringing others into their scope of awareness: They must define, through their own actions, their developing identity.     

Accountability Systems in the Employment Service

Counseling services often culminate in various positive outcomes, many of which are difficult to adapt to a system of accountability. If counseling is to continue to develop, then it must become responsive and accountable to priorities determined by management policies. In the employment service this means how well counseling services relate to clients being placed in meaningful jobs. This article discusses the issues of accountability in the counseling profession, provides information on the basic employment service computerized data systems, and introduces two analysis and planning forms which can be used to derive meaningful data from these systems. Information from these sources will enhance budget and resource planning and evaluation of performances as well as provide other information which state and local offices can profitably use in developing a more standardized and accountable counseling program.     

Gender Differences in Depression in an Employment Setting

This study extends the literature on sex differences in depression to an employment setting, using Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI; T and raw scores) and Depression (D) 30 measures. In contrast to previous findings, no gender differences remained on any of the measures after the effects of salary, age, education, and job classification had been taken into account. Findings replicated earlier results showing depressed males to have greater difficulty with concentration and motivation than depressed females. Data suggest that MMPI sex-based T-scores may overcorrect for sex differences in raw scores. Possible explanations for the findings are discussed, including a general improvement in women's well-being associated with changes in social conditions such as employment, or the possibility of a self-selection bias in our sample.     

A Systems Approach to Priority Setting of Interventions in Groups

The author provides an overview of self-help groups in terms of their origins, growth, scope, and effectiveness, and then compares these groups with professionally conducted psychotherapy groups. A framework for evaluating group helping systems is proposed which includes five principal dimensions: the helping group as a social microcosm; technological complexity/simplicity; psychological distance/closeness between helper and helpee; specificity/generality of help methods; and differentiation versus nondifferentiation among participants. The author concludes his article by recommending four strategies for how group therapists can contribute to self-help groups.     

The Counseling Service in the Administrative Setting: Problems and Possible Solutions

Friction between counseling personnel and administrators affects the work of each. Background reasons for difficulties in working together are explored. Four areas offering possible remedial measures are examined: the nature of compromise, problems in communication, emotional health, and a framework for understanding behavior. Aspects of a program model are provided. Suggestions are made for specific areas in which data are needed and proposals for method are offered.     

New Approaches in Delivery in the Canadian Employment Service

This article discusses some of the recent changes to client interventions and counselor training in the Canadian federal government delivery of the employment counseling service, with special focus on the introduction of electronic tools.     

The Reduction of Adverse Impact in an Employment Setting Using a Short-Term Memory Test

Research suggests that less adverse impact should result from the use of employment tests assessing memory abilities than is obtained from tests assessing cognitive abilities. To test the application of this principle, a Short-Term Memory test and a Reading Comprehension test were administered as part of a selection battery for entry level police. Subjects were 1423 police officer applicants for a Midwestern city in the U.S. The results for the overall sample showed a smaller standardized difference between the scores of Blacks and Whites on the Short-Term Memory test than on the Reading Comprehension test, a difference which was further reduced when a subsample of Blacks and Whites was created which had been matched on gender, years of education and age.     

The U.S. Employment Service Occupational Test-Development Program

The U. S. Employment Service conducts a test-research program for developing testing tools useful in vocational counseling. This article outlines the organization, underlying concepts, accomplishments, and current efforts of the test-research program.     

The Values and Lifestyles of Idiocentrics and Allocentrics in an Individualist Culture: A Descriptive Approach

A considerable degree of research in cross‐cultural consumer psychology has focused on the effects of individualism–collectivism on consumer preference for advertising appeals. Recently, psychologists have demonstrated a growing interest in the individual‐level manifestations of individualism–collectivism. Idiocentrism refers to person‐level individualism, whereas allocentrism refers to person‐level collectivism. Drawing on individualism–collectivism theory, in this article we look at the lifestyle of idiocentrics and allocentrics. Our findings suggest a convergence between the etic‐ and emic‐level approaches, thus strengthening individualism–collectivism theory. The emic‐level findings of this study also suggest additional questions to be explored at the etic level. Finally, we make suggestions for applications in consumer communication.     

Using the Verifiability lie Detection Approach in an Insurance Claim Setting

In this experiment, we tested the verifiability approach in an insurance claim setting. Core of the verifiability approach is that truth tellers give more details that can be verified than liars. Fifty undergraduate students took part, who produced true and false insurance claim statements related to theft, loss, or damage. These statements were coded in terms of verifiability (the number of details that could be checked by an investigator) and witness factors (friends, police, other officials and CCTV cameras). Truth tellers provided more verifiable details than liars and liars provided more unverifiable details than truth tellers. In addition, truth tellers (versus liars) more frequently informed their friends about the incident or referred to CCTV footage of the incident. The potential and limitations of using the verifiability approach in insurance settings are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Alpha-1 Association Genetic Counseling Program: An Innovative Approach to Service

In an era of specialty medicine, genetic counselors are becoming increasingly focused in their service provision. The Alpha-1 Association Genetic Counseling Program, established in September 2007, specializes in confidential toll-free genetic counseling provided by a certified genetic counselor for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin deficiency, a co-dominant condition associated with lung and/or liver disease. The program received more than 600 callers in its first 2 years. Sixty-seven percent of new callers were family members, carriers, or health professionals. The number of callers increased between the first 2 years, with the greatest increases being family members and health professionals. Testing options and explanation of results encompassed 60% of initial reasons for calls. Seventy-two percent of referrals came from family and friends, test result letters, and the Alpha-1 Association. Between year 1 and 2 family member referrals showed the largest increase. This disease-specific genetic counseling program provides a model that may be useful for other rare disease communities.     

The Importance and Place of Neuroticism in Predicting Burnout in Employment Service Case Managers

This study investigated the ability of neuroticism to explain variance in burnout scores obtained from a sample of Australian case managers who work with individuals experiencing unemployment. Using a longitudinal survey methodology, 70 case managers completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI; Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996) on 2 occasions. Case managers also completed the Work Environment Scale (Moos, 1994) and the short form of the revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1991) on the first occasion. In a series of hierarchical regression analyses, neuroticism added significantly to the explanation of variance in all 3 MBI subscales after summary scores describing work stress and work relationships had been entered at an earlier step. An investigation of whether emotional exhaustion mediated the influence of neuroticism on depersonalization found that emotional exhaustion satisfied the criteria for complete mediation.