The complexities of undertaking counselling evaluation in the workplace

There is a long-standing debate over whether evaluation is an art or a science (Barker et al.: Research Methods in Clinical and Counselling Psychology, Chichester, John Wiley?&?Sons, 1994). The “science” camp argues for scientific rigour in methodology, whilst the “art” camp maintains that evaluation should be tailored to the specific circumstances under evaluation. The compromise proposed by Barker, Pistrang,?&?Elliot (1994 Barker, C, Pistrang, N and Elliot, R. 1994. Research methods in clinical and counselling psychology, Chichester: John Wiley?&?Sons.  [Google Scholar]) suggests that evaluation should be as systematic as possible within the practical and organizational constraints inherent in service settings. The aim of this paper is to present a review of the literature on evaluation and workplace counselling. The paper initially reviews the literature in the counselling/psychotherapy field, and then explores studies on employee assistance programmes. The themes that are explored are the relationship between research and practices; the interactions with stakeholders in the field; the use of control groups and the economic side of counselling.     

Humanizing Psychotherapy

The essence of the humanistic and existential approaches to psychotherapy is a commitment to conceptualizing, and engaging with people in a deeply valuing and respectful way. Hence, within these approaches, there is an emphasis on viewing clients’ behaviors as meaningful and freely chosen; and there is also a belief that clients have the capacity to become aware of the reasons for their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Phenomenological exploration is thus a central element of many existential and humanistic psychotherapies, and this requires psychotherapists to put to one side their therapeutic techniques and interpretative assumptions and to listen to clients in an in-depth, non-analytical way. From an existential and humanistic standpoint, however, this valuing of human beings also extends to the psychotherapist's own humanity. Hence, within these approaches, there is an emphasis on the psychotherapists themselves being genuine in the psychotherapeutic encounter, and being willing to meet their clients at a level of “relational depth.” Existential and humanistic practices may not be appropriate for all clients and all psychotherapists, but it is concluded that the principles underlying these approaches are of universal relevance to the practice of psychotherapy.

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Silence speaks volumes: the effectiveness of reticence in comparison to apology and denial for responding to integrity- and competence-based trust violations

Prior research on responses to trust violations has focused primarily on the effects of apology and denial. The authors extended this research by studying another type of verbal response that is often used to respond to trust violations but has not been considered in the trust literature: reticence. An accused party may use reticence in a sincere and even legitimate attempt to persuade a trustor to withhold judgment. Yet, by considering information diagnosticity and belief formation mechanisms through which verbal responses influence trust, the authors argue that reticence is a suboptimal response because it combines the least effective elements of apology and denial. Specifically, reticence is a suboptimal response to an integrity violation because, like apology, it fails to address guilt. And reticence is a suboptimal response to a competence violation because, like denial, it fails to signal redemption. Results from 2 laboratory studies, simulating different contexts and using research participants from 2 different countries, provide support for the prediction. The results offer important implications for those who might use reticence to respond to a perceived trust violation and also for those who must judge another's reticence.     

Development and validation of the HIV Medication Readiness Scale

Excellent medication adherence (>95%) is required for optimal HIV treatment success. This study aimed to develop and validate a brief scale to assess psychological readiness for successfully starting and adhering to HIV medications. HIV-positive men and women (N = 142) from an HIV outpatient clinic completed the proposed HIV Medication Readiness Scale (HMRS) prior to starting HIV medications. The 10-item HMRS demonstrated high internal consistency (alpha = .90), test-retest reliability (r = .83), and sensitivity to change following a standardized 4-session psychoeducational intervention designed to increase readiness for successful adherence. Predictive validity was supported by higher readiness scores on the day starting HIV medications, predicting higher treatment adherence at 1-month follow-up. The HMRS is a brief, easy-to-use, clinically relevant tool that can assist in identifying people living with HIV at high risk of nonadherence, who might benefit from tailored readiness counseling prior to initiating HIV medications.     

Factors affecting psychological well-being of three groups of suicide-prone prisoners

Being imprisoned appears to lead some individuals to commit suicide whereas others appear to suffer little stress. Previous research has identified three groups of male prisoners (young remand, young sentenced and those serving life sentences) where the incidence of suicide is high. The present study examined institutional and individual factors that were related to levels of anxiety, depression and psychological well-being within these groups. A psychiatric history, religious faith, feelings of guilt, lack of close friends outside prison, or disinclination to take part in sport, training or hobbies were found to be associated with high levels of anxiety, depression and psychological morbidity. So too were the severity of environmental hassles and worries. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Age differences in coping and locus of control: a study of managerial stress in Hong Kong.

The present study involved data collection from 3 samples of Hong Kong managers to examine mechanisms by which age would relate to work well-being. A total of 634 managers was drawn by random sampling and purposive sampling methods. The results showed that age was positively related to well-being (job satisfaction and mental well-being). Furthermore, older managers reported fewer sources of stress, better coping, and a more internal locus of control. Multiple regression analyses suggested that the relations of age with 2 well-being indicators can be attributed to various combinations of coping, work locus of control, sources of stress, managerial level, and organizational tenure.     

Structural and Community Change Outcomes of the Connect‐to‐Protect Coalitions: Trials and Triumphs Securing Adolescent Access to HIV Prevention,Testing, and Medical Care

Connect to Protect (C2P), a 10‐year community mobilization effort, pursued the dual aims of creating communities competent to address youth's HIV‐related risks and removing structural barriers to youth health. We used Community Coalition Action Theory (CCAT) to examine the perceived contributions and accomplishments of 14 C2P coalitions. We interviewed 318 key informants, including youth and community leaders, to identify the features of coalitions’ context and operation that facilitated and undermined their ability to achieve structural change and build communities’ capability to manage their local adolescent HIV epidemic effectively. We coded the interviews using an a priori coding scheme informed by CCAT and scholarship on AIDS‐competent communities. We found community mobilization efforts like C2P can contribute to addressing the structural factors that promote HIV‐risk among youth and to community development. We describe how coalition leadership, collaborative synergy, capacity building, and local community context influence coalitions’ ability to successfully implement HIV‐related structural change, demonstrating empirical support for many of CCAT's propositions. We discuss implications for how community mobilization efforts might succeed in laying the foundation for an AIDS‐competent community.     

Avatar-based therapy within prison settings: pilot evaluation

The paper presents an introduction of a newly developed, avatar-based virtual reality therapy, as an addition to the therapeutic programme, within a therapeutic community prison in the UK. The participants had six group sessions facilitated by a counsellor. The aim of the project was to investigate whether this approach would improve mental health outcomes for the prisoners, interpersonal relationships within the prison and facilitate the achievement of personal goals for the prisoners. The sample size (n?=?4) was insufficient to make firm conclusions about the mental health outcomes. However, the qualitative analysis showed a strong engagement with the programme in addressing personal issues, the development of insight and empathy, and improvements in relationships within the participants and with the counsellor. Further research with a larger sample is needed to establish efficacy of this type of therapy with the prison population.