FROM PAPER TO PIXELS: MOVING PERSONNEL SURVEYS TO THE WEB

Practitioners are not adequately prepared to handle concerns related to the acceptability of the online survey medium from the worker's viewpoint because the literature has only begun to address this issue. This study assessed reactions to Web-based questionnaires while moving an organization's climate survey online. Initial questions, posed via a paper-and-pencil instrument, gathered opinions concerning online surveys ( n = 437). A Web-based climate survey was then created and piloted (n = 98). Afterwards, die finalized instrument was administered ( n = 403), and a follow-up questionnaire was disseminated ( n = 175) to further gauge workers' reactions. Despite some initial anonymity concerns, most personnel were amenable to online surveying, and the Web-based medium did not appear to discourage participation from any subgroup (based on gender, race, military versus civilian classification, and workgroup size comparisons). This article, which is intended for practitioners considering the transition to Web-based surveys as well as those interested in evaluating and improving current Web-based survey processes, outlines issues regarding online survey implementation, offers a tool for evaluating survey software, and concludes with lessons learned and avenues for future research/practice.     

Marriage and Family Therapists’ Use and Comfort with Online Communication with Clients

Despite the growth in computer and Internet use, marriage and family therapists’ (MFT) use of such technologies to communicate with clients has received limited attention. The purpose of the current research was to understand the frequency and ways in which MFTs are communicating online with clients and identify their level of comfort with online treatments. We administered a survey to practicing MFTs across the US to identify the frequency with which they used online communications with their clients, and the extent to which they felt comfortable using online communications in various treatment modalities. Implications for research, training, and practice are discussed.     

The experiences of person-centred counsellors working with suicidal clients online through the medium of text

ABSTRACT

In this study, we attempt to provide an understanding of the experiences of four UK-based person-centred counsellors working with suicidal clients online using text-based therapies and the impact of their clients’ suicidal ideation upon their “way of being”. The counsellors were selected purposively; each was working as a person-centred counsellor online, was encountering suicidal ideation in their clients, and was a member of a professional organisation. A narrative approach was taken, using unstructured interviews and a stanza format of representation. We found that participants had developed a way of being online that may be distinct from their in-person practice. Challenges included being more directive, lacking physical presence, lacking confidence in assessing risk and questions about empathic understanding. Working online with risk raises specific challenges for person-centred practitioners in line with what is indicated in the little relevant research currently already available.     

Family Centred Brief Solution-focused Therapy with Chronic Schizophrenia: a Pilot Study

The purpose of the study was to pilot a family centred brief solution-focused therapy model (BSFT) with families and clients diagnosed with schizophrenia. A control group of clients and their families received traditional outpatient therapy, while an experimental group of clients and their families were treated with a BSFT model. All participants were pre-tested and then post-tested with the Family Environment Scale after five therapy sessions over a ten-week period. Significant differences between the groups were found on expressiveness, active-recreational orientation, moral-religious emphasis and family incongruence. The participation of families and clients with schizophrenia in family centred brief solution-focused therapy produced encouraging results and demonstrated the need for expanded studies using BSFT with other chronically mentally ill clients and their families.     

MFT Students’ Recount Experiences of Attending Phone and Online Overeaters Anonymous Meetings

The purpose of this study was to explore Marriage and Family Therapy students’ experiences attending Overeaters Anonymous (OA). Utilizing a qualitative survey administered in an addictions course at an institution located in a rural area of the United States, 18 marriage and family therapy (MFT) graduate students reflected on their participation in both online and telephone meetings. In this study, MFT students provided their perspectives regarding the feasible utilization of Overeaters Anonymous in clinical treatment, with an emphasis on the consideration of social support for clients who may reside in rural areas. Three major themes emerged which included (1) enlightenment through exposure; (2) OA as a viable adjunct to therapy; and (3) convenience and comfort. The study addressed recommendations for MFT education, clinical implications, and future research.     

Increasing correct participation in an exercise class for adult day care clients

Facilities which provide services to the elderly offer a wide variety of activities to engage their clients. In many cases, however, clients do not participate in these activities, or they do not participate in ways which are likely to provide them with benefits. This study sought to increase meaningful participation in an exercise class by four elderly clients attending an adult day care program; in these four cases, the quality of their participation was seriously inadequate. Participants were praised when they participated correctly in an exercise, verbally prompted if they did not participate, and physically assisted to participate if they did not participate following verbal prompting. To show experimental control over exercise behaviors, a single subject multiple baseline design was used. The results suggest that clients attending facilities such as an adult day care program may be easily recruited to participate correctly in exercise sessions through the use of prompts and social reinforcers. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A change in frame and countertransference experiences: Transitioning from face-to-face to telepsychotherapy

Unprecedented changes in traditional psychotherapeutic practice arose from the lockdown restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes to practice included the imposed change to the therapeutic frame when transitioning clients from face-to-face meetings to delivery of psychotherapy sessions via videoconferencing (defined here as telepsychotherapy). The current study conducted qualitative interviews with 16 Australian psychologists who transitioned their existing adult psychotherapy clients from face-to-face therapy to telepsychotherapy and explored their novel experiences associated with countertransference reactions during this period. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed several unique findings. The type of countertransference reactions towards existing clients was consistent across both face-to-face and online meetings; however, the felt intensity of countertransference reactions was reduced. Psychologists reported an increased hesitance to work with intense emotions during telepsychotherapy sessions and felt increased pressure to work harder during online sessions when compared to face-to-face meetings. Exposure to their clients' personal and home environments during telepsychotherapy sessions elicited several novel reactions towards their clients. These findings on countertransference and telepsychotherapy are informative for future practice and training. Awareness of these unique countertransference experiences is recommended prior to engaging in telepsychotherapy or when transitioning clients to this modality.     

Attorney- client decision- making in criminal cases: Client competence and participation as perceived by their attorneys

The authors employed a structured interview to ascertain public defenders' perceptions of their clients' competence and the degree of their participation in the defense. In a sample of 122 randomly selected, non-dismissed felony cases, attorneys had doubts about the competence of 14.8% (n = 18) of their clients. Attorneys reported that clients whose competence was doubted were less involved in decision-making and, overall, were passive participants in their cases. Nearly one-half of these clients were not referred for assessment by a mental health professional. The authors compare the practices of attorneys faced with clients of suspected competence with those of mental health clinicians treating patients with impairments in decision-making capacity.     

Development and effects of client trust in criminal defense attorneys: preliminary examination of the congruence model of trust development

The present study examines the relation between client participation in attorney-client relationships, the development of client trust in criminal defense attorneys, and client satisfaction with attorneys and case outcomes. The congruence model of trust development (CMTD) is proposed to explain the relation between desired participation by clients, allowed participation by attorneys, and the development of client trust in attorneys. The CMTD predicts that clients who trust their attorneys will subsequently be satisfied with their attorneys and case outcomes. A sample of 96 experienced criminal defendants currently in prison completed the Attorney-Client Trust Scale (ACTS: Boccaccini and Brodsky, 2002) and provided information about their experiences with their most recent criminal defense attorneys. Findings were generally consistent with the CMTD in suggesting that (i) allowed participation is associated with trust in attorneys, and (ii) trust is associated with satisfaction with attorneys and case outcomes.     

Using personal digital assistants (PDAs) for the collection of safety belt use data in the field

From 1975 through 2003, because of the use of safety belts, an estimated 180,000 deaths from traffic crashes have been prevented. In order to assess the gains that have been made in safety belt use across the U.S., in individual states, and in communities, belt use surveys are conducted at regular intervals to determine use rates. The most valid method for surveying safety belt use is through direct observation. Direct observation surveys are conducted along roadways by trained researchers looking into passing vehicles and recording safety belt use. This method of data collection has been effective in the past through the use of paper-and-pencil data recording, yet it could be improved through the use of electronic and communication technology. Reported here is a study designed to compare electronic data collection, using personal digital assistants (PDAs), with collection using the traditional paperand-pencil method during the annual statewide survey of safety belt use in Michigan that we have been conducting since 1984. The goals of the study were to develop a PDA database program for data entry in the field, to directly compare the PDA data collection process with the paper-and-pencil method on both accuracy and speed, and to assess mechanical and environmental factors, such as battery life, screen visibility, and reaction to adverse weather, that may act as limitations to the PDA method, in comparison with the paper-and-pencil method. In a direct comparison of methods, two observers collected data at the same roadway intersections, one using paper and a pencil and one using a PDA equipped with our custom software. The study showed that the PDA method was as fast and as accurate as the paper-and-pencil method. There were no adverse effects on the PDA caused by environmental conditions. The PDA was superior to the paper-and-pencil method in rainy weather and for data collector supervision. In addition, the use of the PDA obviated the need for entry of paper-recorded data into an electronic format. We conclude that the use of PDAs for safety belt field data collection is superior to the paper-and-pencil method. A Web address is given where the custom PDA safety belt data collection software can be obtained free of charge.     

Sex differences of parental phubbing on online hostility among adolescents: A moderated mediation model

To explore the relationship between parental phubbing (PP) and adolescent online hostility and its' psychological mechanism, 689 Chinese adolescents were recruited to complete a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. We took cyber flaming (CF) as an overall category for hostile online communication to investigate the relationship between PP and CF and the mediating role of perspective-taking (PT) in this relationship and examined whether there is a sex difference in this process. After controlling the average daily online time, the results showed that PP predicted adolescent CF positively. The relationship between PP and CF was partially mediated by PT. The effect of PP on PT was moderated by sex, with the result being significant only for boys. Related findings and future directions were discussed.     

Paper-and-pencil or online? Evaluating mode effects on measures of emotional functioning and attachment

The viability of using the World Wide Web to collect data from three widely used instruments by clinicians and researchers was investigated. The instruments were the Inventory of Parental and Peer Attachment, the Negative Mood Regulation Scale, and the Trait Meta-Mood Scale. Data were collected from two comparable groups of college students, and differences in response patterns on paper-and-pencil and World Wide Web versions of the measures, at both the item level and scale score level, were documented. Although mode of administration effects were statistically significant, the magnitude of the effects was in general very small. The basic similarity of the properties of the measures using paper-and-pencil and online Internet modes of administration suggests the viability of the Internet for assessing these and other psychological phenomena.     

MEASURING CLIENT GAINS FROM STAFF-IMPLEMENTED PROGRAMS

Confidence in the adequacy with which staff implement training programs requires an analysis of the impact on the client. In two experiments, measures were devised to reflect this impact. In the first, a measure of the consistency with which clients participated in a toilet-training program revealed their participation to be erratic. Consistent participation occurred after a public display of the consistency of participation was introduced. In Experiment II, detailed measures were devised to reflect the client's performance during the implementation of two physical-therapy programs: range-of-motion and ambulation. Additionally, standardized measures of the benefits that accrued from their participation in these programs were devised. Improvements in both measures were slight and unstable during a condition of immediate feedback (supervisor praise) to staff but substantial improvements were obtained with the addition of a public display of the client's performance.     

Clients’ perceptions of personal psychotherapy or counselling for therapists

The purpose of this study was to examine clients’ opinions of therapists’ personal use of psychotherapy or counselling. Participants in this study, a nationwide sample of clients recruited through Amazon’s MTurk system, were asked to complete an online survey assessing their attitudes towards treatment use by therapists as well as their general attitudes towards psychological help-seeking and perceptions of stigma (social and self) with psychological treatments. In this study, we found that clients generally had positive views about therapists’ personal use of psychotherapy or counselling. Although overall positive attitudes were found, the results from repeated measures ANOVAs indicated that attitudes depended somewhat on whether the therapist had sought out treatment as part of a training requirement for self-enrichment, or for the treatment of a psychological problem. In addition, participating clients were less supportive of therapists disclosing a treatment use history with their clients. Regression analyses also indicated that attitudes towards treatment use by therapists were significantly predicted by general help-seeking attitudes and perceptions of stigma (social and self), but attitudes towards disclosure were not. The findings from this study have important implications regarding therapist treatment use and disclosure in practice.     

Internet-based questionnaire assessment: appropriate use in clinical contexts

Use of internet-mediated questionnaire assessment is growing in behavioural telehealth provision. Literature on web-based psychological testing indicates that--while tests used online should be validated for online use--such measures can be reliable and valid. However, use of normative data (especially data from paper-and-pencil samples) presents problems. Studies have shown score distributions may differ across testing media, even when comparisons are made between equivalent samples. Data from 3 different projects illustrate such (substantive) differences, and the errors that would result from using established norms to interpret internet-mediated assessments. Given representativeness issues with "internet norms", it is recommended that if online tests are used for clinical purposes, this should currently be done in a manner that does not rely on normative data.     

Scaling questions: asking and answering them in counselling1

Solution-focused counsellors use “scaling questions” to construct understandings of clients’ concerns and solutions to them. We examine how these questions are asked and answered, offering evidence of what is constructed from within counselling discourse. Also, clients and counsellors offer their retrospective accounts of their participation in question and answer sequences in their dialogues. We conclude by speaking to the implications we see from this research as it relates to collaborative and resourceful dialogue between counsellors and clients.     

Continuity of Spiritual Care

Using a study in which clients were visited by the same chaplain at many points throughout the cycle of their care, the author demonstrates the benefits of consistent spiritual care. Positive collaboration with the total treatment team and access to information systems made it possible to achieve continuity of spiritual care. The chaplain had an enlarged perception of the efficacy of the spiritual care offered and increased job satisfaction as well.     

Differences in paper-and-pencil versus computerized line bisection according to ADHD subtype and hand-use

Two versions of the line bisection task, paper-and-pencil and computerized, were administered to non-medicated children (5-12 years) with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Fifteen children were classified with ADHD-Inattentive type (ADHD-I), 15 were classified with ADHD-Combined or Hyperactive-Impulsive type (ADHD-C), and 15 children served as controls. During the paper-and-pencil task, and irrespective of hand-use, participants with ADHD-C bisected lines with a right bias, whereas participants with ADHD-I showed a leftwards bias. Interestingly, during the computerized version, an opposite pattern of hemineglect was observed with a leftwards bias for participants with ADHD-C and a rightwards bias for participants with ADHD-I. These findings suggest that different task demands are associated with the paper-and-pencil and computerized tasks. The findings also suggest that the two subtypes differ according to their cognitive profile, and possibly differ as to their underlying neural impairment.     

Participation in decision-making by staff in community mental health programs

Staff participation in decision-making was examined in 22 community mental health programs in Michigan. A questionnaire was completed by 164 practitioners employed at least half time. The response rate was 94%. For virtually every work-related decision examined, the practitioners wanted significantly greater participation in decision-making than they currently have. Also, those working in programs where practitioner participation was high reported greater job satisfaction, less role ambiguity, greater use of their skills, better communication among staff, and greater goal clarity and attainability. Practitioner participation was lowest in programs serving more disturbed, less successful populations, such as inpatient, mental retardation, and drug-abuse programs. Para-professional practitioners in all programs reported less participation in their jobs than professional practitioners. Finally, practitioners who typically interact more with clients also reported lower levels of participation.     

Role taking in online "classrooms": what adolescents are learning about race and ethnicity

Adolescents recruited from chat rooms were interviewed via instant messaging about their interracial and interethnic experiences online. The types of messages participants sent and received about race on the Internet were identified using thematic analysis. Of particular interest within these online exchanges was what and how participants learned about racial issues. Data revealed that racialized role taking--the adoption and enactment of race-related identities--was a primary means of learning about race in the online settings adolescents visited. Participants assumed these identities in 6 capacities: as sympathizers, advocates, discussants, witnesses, targets, and friends. In doing so, they learned a wide range of information from their interracial and interethnic interlocutors, including various cultural practices and belief systems, the consequences of racial prejudice, and the ways in which racial oppression affects the lives of people of color. Participants were also exposed to negative stereotypes and racial prejudice against their own and other ethnic groups online. Findings underscore the need to counter online racial prejudice and promote the more positive aspects of what adolescents learn about race and ethnicity online.