Occupational Therapy Students' Development of Therapeutic Communication Skills During a Service-Learning Experience

This qualitative study examined the effect community-based service-learning experiences had upon occupational therapy students' therapeutic communication skills and their application of theoretical concepts. After their semester-long course was completed, six students de-identified and voluntarily submitted their weekly reflective journals for retrospective analysis in accordance with Giorgi's strategies (1985 Giorgi , A. ( 1985 ). Phenomenology and psychological research . Pittsburgh , PA : Duquesne University Press . [Google Scholar], 1997 Giorgi , A. ( 1997 ). The theory, practice, and evaluation of the phenomenological method as a qualitative research procedure . Journal of Phenomenological Psychology , 28 , 235 – 261 .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Two analysts identified eight themes: developing trust, establishing boundaries, communication, client-centered care, breakdown of preconceptions, increased self-awareness, power of pride, and power of occupation. Educators are urged to use service-learning experiences to facilitate student interpersonal skill development and integration of theoretical knowledge.     

Conjoint measurement of gloss and surface texture

The image of a material's surface varies not only with viewing and illumination conditions, but also with the material's surface properties, including its 3-D texture and specularity. Previous studies on the visual perception of surface material have typically focused on single material properties, ignoring possible interactions. In this study, we used a conjoint-measurement design to determine how observers represent perceived 3-D texture ("bumpiness") and specularity ("glossiness") and modeled how each of these two surface-material properties affects perception of the other. Observers made judgments of bumpiness and glossiness of surfaces that varied in both surface texture and specularity. We quantified how changes in each surface-material property affected judgments of the other and found that a simple additive model captured visual perception of texture and specularity and their interaction. Conjoint measurement is potentially a powerful tool for analyzing perception of surface material in realistic environments.     

Nearest neighbor analysis of point processes: Simulations and evaluations

Tversky, Rinott, and Newman (Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 1983, 27, 000) examine the asymptotic behavior of a measure of the centrality of the nearest neighbor relation. The applicability of their conclusions when the number of dimensions (d) and the number of points (n) take on the small-to-moderate values commonly encountered in the analysis of proximity data is investigated. The results suggest that convergence is fast when n is large relative to d and slow when d is large relative to n.     

The use of children's drawings in multiple family group therapy

This paper describes the advantages, difficulties and techniques of including young children in multiple family group therapy (MFGT). Multiple family group therapy consists of weekly sessions where three or more families meet conjointly with a therapist or cotherapists. Clinical vignettes demonstrate how to use children's drawings with parents to improve family communication. The efficiency of MFGT is compared to family therapy or individual therapy. The effective use of this modality with some children under 10 years is discussed.This research was supported in part by Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration Psychiatry Education Branch Grant MH 13882 from the National Institute of Mental Health.     

The Influence of a Community-Based Service-Learning Experience on the Development of Occupational Therapy Students' Feelings of Civic Responsibility

This qualitative study examined the influence of service-learning on the development of Students' feelings of civic responsibility while involved with a community-based organization. Occupational therapy students involved in a semester-long service-learning experience maintained weekly reflective journals. Six such reflective journals were randomly selected for analysis. Findings revealed that while engaged in service-learning the six participants voiced themes of increased self-awareness, awareness of homeless individuals as persons, awareness of social issues, and professional self-efficacy. These developing competencies are associated with the skills required for health care professionals to participate in civic engagement and client advocacy.     

Effects of aging on the magnitude and accuracy of quality-of-encoding judgments

Age invariance in monitoring associative learning has been the norm in numerous investigations concerning how accurately people predict future recall, predictions that are based partly on people's beliefs about forgetting. In this study, we obtained a measure of monitoring that is minimally influenced by beliefs about forgetting. Participants made quality-of-encoding (QUE) judgments by rating how well each item had been encoded. In 2 experiments, older and younger adults studied 60 paired-associate items; immediately after studying each one, they made a QUE judgment. Each item was presented at a 4-s or 8-s presentation rate. QUEs from both age groups were sensitive to the production of different strategies, presentation rate, and item characteristics. Reliable age differences in the correlation of QUEs and subsequent recall were found for related items but not for unrelated items. The outcomes indicate similar processes for generating QUE judgments by older and younger adults, but they also suggest the possibility of an age-related deficit in the accuracy of monitoring encoding in some experimental conditions.     

Assessment of Social Competence of Boys with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Problematic Peer Entry,Host Responses,and Evaluations

Anecdotally and empirically, there is clear evidence that children with the Combined subtype of Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience disturbed peer relations, yet the field has not clearly established the origin of these difficulties. This is the first known investigation to examine the role of peer entry as a means to determine the social competence of boys with ADHD as they joined lab-based games played by age-mates who were good friends but unfamiliar with entry boys. Observational data of entry boys and their hosts, plus coders’ ratings, indicate that 7- to 12-year-old boys with and without ADHD did not differ in the use of competent entry strategies known to lead to acceptance from peers. However, boys with ADHD relied more heavily on incompetent entry strategies (e.g., disruptive attention-getting) known to exacerbate negative peer reputation. In addition, they failed to apply a frame-of-reference that was relevant to host boys’ ongoing activity. As such, host boys considered boys with ADHD less likeable as they spent more time with them. This pattern of findings has theoretical implications and informs the foci of social skills interventions for children with ADHD.     

Polishing the Mirror: Mental Health from a Bahá’í Perspective

While various authors have explored multiple religious theories of mental health in an effort to become more responsive to clients’ needs, there is a dearth of information on the Bahá’í conception of this important subject despite the faith’s growth across the world. This article will present a Bahá’í perspective on mental health by examining the faith’s basic tenets and teachings, its affinities and dissimilarities with various traditional psychotherapeutic theories, its views on psychological functioning, and its sources of healing. Common therapeutic issues of Bahá’ís will also be explored to aid counselors in conceptualizing and treating these clients.Michelle Maloney is a licensed clinical professional counselor and adjunct faculty at the University of Great Falls. She is a doctoral student at North Central University.     

Toward a Bahá'í Concept of Mental Health: Implications for Clinical Practice

The author highlights the emerging interest in understanding religious beliefs as a resource for more fully conceptualizing clients' psychological functioning. Although various authors have explored religious theories of mental health in an effort to increase understanding of clients' problems, there is a dearth of information on the Bahá'í client and how this particular religion conceives of mental health. The purpose of this article is to create an initial formulation for a Bahá'í concept of mental health and to discuss its clinical implications to aid in counseling Bahá'í clients.