Ego Development and a General Model for Counseling and Psychotherapy

Swensen describes a general model within which various techniques of counseling and psychotherapy may be integrated. This model is based on Lewin's formula, B = f (P, E), that is, behavior is a function of the person and the environment. Therapists should assess both the personality of the client and the environment. Client assessment is based on the concept of ego development. The behavior of clients who are at simpler levels of ego development is determined largely by reward and punishment in the environment. As a consequence, professionals should direct therapy with these clients toward changing the reinforcement contingencies in the environment. On the other hand, behavior of clients at more complex levels of ego development is more self-controlled. Therefore, therapy with these clients should concentrate on self-directed and self-controlled change.     

Integrating Spirituality and Religion Into Counseling: A Guide to Competent Practice

Book reviewed in this article: Craig S. Cashwell and J. Scott Young, Eds. (2005). Integrating Spirituality and Religion Into Counseling: A Guide to Competent Practice.     

Integrating Positive Psychology Into Counseling: Why and (When Appropriate) How

Counseling psychology has a historical commitment to enhancing human strengths, a focus that has enjoyed broader interest with the recent emergence of positive psychology. However, theory and evidence linking strength enhancement to counseling goals are still relatively nascent. The authors outline rationales and practical strategies for integrating strength promotion into counseling practice. Forgiveness and spirituality are used as examples illustrating the opportunities, limitations, and challenges of making strength promotion practical (and reimbursable) in counseling.     

The Ways Paradigm: A Transtheoretical Model for Integrating Spirituality Into Counseling

Research suggests that an emphasis on spirituality and religion in counseling has increased awareness but not translated into changes in practice. The authors contend that part of this challenge is the lack of a broad, heuristic model for integration that seeks to embrace the complex, fluid, and negotiated nature of spirituality and religion. Cheston's ( 2000a ) Ways Paradigm for teaching counseling theory provides such a model, leading to new perspectives on counselor education, research, and practice.     

Values in Counseling and Psychotherapy

The purpose of this article is to consider the various ways that values enter into counseling or psychotherapy, with particular attention to the goals of the process and the methods or procedures by which the counselor or therapist implements the process.     

A Review of Integrating Spirituality and Religion Into Counseling: A Guide to Competent Practice

Book reviewed in this article: Craig S. Cashwell and J. Scott Young, Eds. (2005). Integrating Spirituality and Religion Into Counseling: A Guide to Competent Practice     

Interpersonal Assessment in Counseling and Psychotherapy

This article provides a review of some of the major instruments, methodologies, and strategies available to assess clients' interpersonal functioning. The focus is on instruments that provide characterizations of clients' and counselors' overt interpersonal behavior and covert reactions translated onto interpersonal circle models. A suggested interpersonal assessment battery is presented, and how the information obtained from this battery can be applied to assist in conceptualization and treatment efforts is described.     

Integrating Hip‐Hop Culture and Rap Music Into Social Justice Counseling With Black Males

In this article, the author suggests that Hip‐Hop culture and rap music, in particular, can be integrated into individual counseling interactions with Black male clients to discuss the social injustices (e.g., hypercriminalization) they face. Literature examining the history of Hip‐Hop culture and how rap music has been used therapeutically with Black males is presented. The article concludes with a vignette illustrating how Elligan's ( 2000 ) rap therapy framework can help explore experiences Black male clients encounter.     

Integrating Counseling Research and Practice

The current research-practice gap in the counseling profession poses a number of significant challenges to practitioners, researchers, and the profession as a whole. This introduction to the special feature, “Counseling Outcome Research: Implications for Practice,” identifies the important issues regarding the systematic integration of counseling research into practice.     

Integrating Collectivist Values Into Career Counseling With Asian Americans: A Test of Cultural Responsiveness

Asian American undergraduates received career counseling from European American female counselors using either a collectivist or an individualist orientation. Counselors using the collectivist approach were perceived as more cross‐culturally competent but equally credible as counselors using the individualist approach. Implications for culturally competent career counseling with Asian Americans are discussed. Los estudiantes universitario Americanos Asiáticos recibieron consejos de carrera de consejeros femeninos, Americanas, y Europeas que utilizan o a un colectivista o a una orientación de individualista. Los consejeros que utilizan el enfoque colectivista fueron percibidos como más transculturalmente competentes pero igualmente creíbles como consejeros que utilizan el enfoque individualista. Las implicaciones de carrera para aconsejar culturalmente competente con Americanos Asiáticos se discuten.     

Integrating Spirituality and Religion Into Psychotherapy: Persistent Dilemmas,Ethical Issues,and a Proposed Decision-Making Process

Religion and spirituality are important aspects of the lives of most psychotherapy clients. Unfortunately, many psychotherapists lack the training to effectively and ethically address these issues with their clients. At times, religious or spiritual concerns may be relevant to the reasons clients seek treatment, either as areas of conflict or distress for clients or as sources of strength and support that the psychotherapist may access to enhance the benefit of psychotherapy. This article reviews persistent ethical issues and dilemmas relevant to providing psychotherapy to clients for whom issues of religion and spirituality are clinically relevant. Ethical considerations include assessment, advertising and public statements, informed consent, competence, boundary issues and multiple relationships, cooperation with other professionals, and how to effectively integrate religious and spiritual interventions into ongoing psychotherapy. A decision-making process is presented to guide psychotherapists in their clinical work with clients for whom religious and spiritual issues are salient or clearly linked to their presenting problems.     

Psychological Aspects of Genetic Counseling. X. Advanced Counseling Techniques

Four procedures commonly used by experienced counselors are described: simple interview formulations, helping clients think through their problems, reframing, and role playing. Each procedure is illustrated by examples. Among other things, the goal of these procedures is to promote the autonomy and self-directedness of clients and thus are particularly valuable in circumstances requiring a nondirective stance. The need is underscored for a more active counseling stance appropriate to the psychological and problem-solving needs of genetic counselees.     

Group Counseling and Group Psychotherapy with Rehabilitation Clients

An instrument designed to measure components of two distinct alcoholism aftercare treatments was developed and evaluated for reliability and validity. Trained judges reliably rated audiotaped samples of coping skills and interactional group therapy sessions. Coping skills groups engaged in significantly more education and skill training, problem solving, and role playing. Interactional groups showed more interpersonal learning, expression/exploration of feelings, and here-and-now focus. Groups that employed more education and skill training, less expression and exploration of feelings, and less her e-and-now focus were associated with fewer members reporting subsequent drinking-related problems. None of the ratings of group activities was related to abstinence.     

Counseling and Psychotherapy: Strange Bedfellows or Cohabitants

Administrators in the employment service (and in other agency settings) frequently admonish counselors that they are to “counsel,” not to “do therapy.” Yet, the terms counseling and psychotherapy (or therapy), are both widely used, often more or less interchangeably. Although there appears to be general agreement that the two are not exactly synonymous, there does not seem to be that same general agreement concerning the differences between them. This article endeavors to present the three basic positions established in the literature and to suggest an alternative position for consideration by practitioners of the art (or science).