Fiduciary Duty and Boundaries: Acting in the Client's Best Interest

The task of defining boundaries and boundary violations in the therapeutic relationship is examined from several perspectives. This paper reviews the ethical rules of the major mental health associations and the American Medical Association to determine the professions' ethical positions with regard to boundary maintenance and boundary violations. It also analyzes judicially sanctioned causes of action for recovery by clients for damages suffered as a result of boundary violations. The authors examine the ways in which fiduciary theory is used in the formulation of the ethical rules and to support the imposition of civil liability for boundary violations. The authors conclude that fiduciary theory provides a useful paradigm for setting and evaluating boundaries that acknowledge and address the fiduciary nature of the therapist–client relationship. The authors point out that measuring boundary violations with the yardstick of fiduciary duty serves the interests of both the client and the therapist. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Community Perspectives on Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Little is known about community attitudes toward adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and what factors lead to more positive attitudes. Using a cross-sectional design with a quantitative correlational approach, 60 adults were surveyed regarding experiences, knowledge, and comfort with adults with ASD living in the community. Most participants reported having encountered a person with ASD. Among these participants with personal experience, knowledge about ASD was relatively high. Amount of experience was the only variable associated with comfort. Results suggest that increasing exposure to people with ASD may be more effective in improving community acceptance compared to informational campaigns.     

A prologue to nostalgia: savouring creates nostalgic memories that foster optimism

How are nostalgic memories created? We considered savouring as one process involved in the genesis of nostalgia. Whereas nostalgia refers to an emotional reflection upon past experiences, savouring is a process in which individuals deeply attend to and consciously capture a present experience for subsequent reflection. Thus, having savoured an experience may increase the likelihood that it will later be reflected upon nostalgically. Additionally, to examine how cognitive and emotional processes are linked across time, we tested whether nostalgia for a previously savoured experience predicts optimism for the future. Retrospective reports of having savoured a positive event were associated with greater nostalgia for the event (Study 1). Retrospective reports of savouring a time period (college) were associated with greater nostalgia for that time period when participants were in a setting (alumni reunion event) that prompted thoughts of the time period (Study 2). Savouring an experience predicted nostalgia for the experience 4–9 months later (Study 3). Additionally, nostalgia was associated with greater optimism (Studies 2-3). Thus, savouring provides a foundation for nostalgic memories and an ensuing optimism.     

Ecological Validity as a Key Feature of External Validity in Research on Human Development

This issue addresses the topic of ecological validity in research in human development across the life span. Although recent developments in study design, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques have greatly advanced researchers’ ability to collect large amounts of data on large groups of individuals in natural settings, it is important to approach these data with a reflected understanding of their ecological validity. Just because data were collected using everyday and familiar stimuli or ecological momentary assessment methods does not mean automatically that the ecological validity of these data is guaranteed and can go unquestioned.     

Quantification in Some Non-normal Modal Logics

This paper offers a semantic study in multi-relational semantics of quantified N-Monotonic modal logics with varying domains with and without the identity symbol. We identify conditions on frames to characterise Barcan and Ghilardi schemata and present some related completeness results. The characterisation of Barcan schemata in multi-relational frames with varying domains shows the independence of BF and CBF from well-known propositional modal schemata, an independence that does not hold with constant domains. This fact was firstly suggested for classical modal systems by Stolpe (Logic Journal of the IGPL 11(5), 557–575, 2003), but unfortunately that work used only models and not frames.     

Help yourself by helping others: The joint impact of group member organizational citizenship behaviors and group cohesiveness on group member objective task performance change

This paper examines how a group member's individual‐targeted citizenship behavior (OCBI) and organization‐targeted citizenship behavior (OCBO) interact with a salient group‐level contextual variable, group cohesiveness, to foster positive change for that group member, starting with job self‐efficacy change, and followed by objective task performance change. Over a span of 6 months, we engaged in multilevel, multisource, multistage data collection and surveyed 587 members in 83 work groups. Our results indicate that a group member's OCBI, in comparison with OCBO, is more positively related to his or her job self‐efficacy change. Group cohesiveness was found to attenuate the relationship between a group member's OCBI and job self‐efficacy change, and conversely, to accentuate the relationship between a group member's OCBO and job self‐efficacy change. Furthermore, a group member's job self‐efficacy change mediated the interactive effects of the group member's OCBI and group cohesiveness (as well as the group member's OCBO and group cohesiveness) on his or her objective task performance change.     

Connected: Recommendations and Techniques in Order to Employ Internet Tools for the Enhancement of Online Therapeutic Relationships. Experiences from Italy

The article explores the different types of therapeutic relationship that can evolve both on- and offline, thanks to the use of tools, such as software and applications, which enable therapists and patients contact outside of the traditional setting. Given the premise that it is practically impossible today to maintain a relationship without the use of internet and telephones, it becomes necessary to question the ways in which the online space can become a useful extension of the therapeutic setting. The authors, starting from a consideration regarding the specificity of the online therapeutic relationship, analyze the best ways to use text and email messaging with patients. Furthermore, specific interactions via group chats are presented, for example, to coordinate a therapeutic team involving several professionals. Further, video chat settings are discussed through a clinical case presentation. Lastly, the therapist’s management of social networks is debated, underscoring the importance for the therapists that his or her online identity be consistent with the offline image which patients are introduced to in the traditional setting of the therapy room.     

The Role of Masculinity/Femininity, Values, and Occupational Value Affordances in Shaping Young Men��s and Women��s Occupational Choices

Gender differences in occupational values have been well-established, yet little research has examined the predictive qualities of individual difference variables such as self-perceived masculinity/femininity on values and these constructs?? predictive role in the traditionality and perceived value affordances of future occupations??or the values persons expect a job to fulfill. Undergraduates (185 males, 401 females) from the Eastern, Southern, and Midwestern United States reported their occupational values, self-perceived masculinity/femininity, expected occupations, and the perceived value affordances of these jobs. Results indicated significant relationships among self-perceived masculinity/femininity, value endorsements, and the perceptions of value affordances. Results also indicated some differences among the three subsamples as well as gender differences across subsamples. Also, value endorsements mediated the relationships between self-perceived masculinity/femininity and traditionality and self-perceived masculinity/femininity and perceived value affordances. Thus, the values associated with jobs and personal value endorsements are important variables in career choice. The implications of these findings are discussed, and it is suggested that perceptions of occupational value affordances may be an entry point for intervention when trying to reduce occupational gender segregation.     

In-Home Training for Fathers of Children with Autism: A Follow up Study and Evaluation of Four Individual Training Components

Literature regarding fathers of children with autism remains sparse, and because mothers are the more common intervening parent, few training methods have focused on fathers. Thus, we sought to evaluate effects of in-home training directed at fathers and their ability to train mothers in the same manner in which they were trained. Fathers were taught four skills commonly associated with in-home training interventions for parents of children with autism: following the child’s lead, imitation with animation, commenting on the child, and expectant waiting. Father skills were evaluated twice a week for 12 weeks during videotaped in-home father–child play sessions. Analyses included visual inspection of graphed data and statistical analyses of father skill acquisition, mother skill acquisition, and child behaviors with both parents. A multivariate repeated measures analysis of 18 dyads revealed significant increases in frequencies of fathers’ imitation with animation, expectant waiting, and commenting on the child. Child initiating rates increased significantly as did frequencies of child non-speech vocalizations. Analysis of mothers revealed significant increases in frequencies of imitation with animation, expectant waiting, and following the child’s lead. Child behaviors had similar results for father and mother sessions. Findings are consistent with those from our first study indicating that fathers can effectively implement skills that promote father–child social interactions and that children respond positively to this approach.