Actors in the Classroom: The Dramatic Pedagogy Model of Counselor Education

Role playing is a fundamental component in the training of counselors to use counseling skills. However, role play activities commonly involve counseling students as clients or actors and hence have notable limitations. One training method widely practiced in the medical profession is the use of professional actors as patients. Although there are some examples in the literature of studies that have used actors for counselor training, most address only a specific topic or skill set. In this article, the authors propose the dramatic pedagogy model (DPM) as a comprehensive model for implementing client actors into the education of counselors. The DPM includes a set of pedagogical techniques and a structure for preparing actors and curriculum.     

The role of visual occlusion in altitude maintenance during simulated flight

The use of visual occlusion as a cue to altitude maintenance in low-altitude flight (LAF) was investigated. The extent to which the ground surface is occluded by 3-D objects varies with altitude and depends on the height, radius, and density of the objects. Participants attempted to maintain a constant altitude during simulated flight over an undulating terrain with trees of various heights, radii, and densities. As would be predicted if participants used occlusion, root-mean-square error was related to the product of tree height and tree density (Experiment 1) and to the product of tree radius and tree density (Experiment 2). This relationship was also found for simulated terrains with a more realistic mixture of tree heights (Experiment 4). The authors present a modification to an occlusion model (T. Leung & J. Malik, 1997) that can be used to approximate occlusion in the context of LAF, and they evaluate the modified model using the present LAF data. On a practical level, simulating 3-D objects is computationally expensive. The present results suggest that performance may be maintained with fewer objects if their size is increased.     

Associations between Maternal Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Parenting

Mothers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for an ADHD diagnosis themselves, which is likely associated with impairments in parenting. The present study utilized a multi-method assessment of maternal ADHD and parenting to examine the extent to which maternal ADHD symptoms are associated with maladaptive parenting. Participants included 70 6–10 year old children with DSM-IV ADHD and their biological mothers. Results suggested that mothers with higher levels of ADHD symptoms reported lower levels of involvement and positive parenting and higher levels of inconsistent discipline. During observed parent–child interactions, maternal ADHD symptoms were negatively associated with positive parenting, and positively associated with negative parenting and repeated commands before giving the child an opportunity to comply. Given prior research suggesting that maladaptive parenting behaviors are risk factors for the later development of conduct problems among children with ADHD, these findings have important clinical implications for family-based assessment and treatment of ADHD.     

Stigmatization,Culture and Counseling A Commentary on Growing Up and Living with NF1: a UK–Bangladeshi Case Study—by Santi Rozario

Rozario's presentation of the cultural manifestations of stigma experienced by a British Bangladeshi woman with Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is unusual in its detail of one woman's account of others' interactions with her and the impact on her life. It raises issues that are readily recognisable to genetic counselors and are familiar themes in the literature on the psychology of appearance. We draw on the genetics literature and on a body of expertise in research on the psychology of visible difference to consider the role of the genetic counselor in response to expressions of stigmatization or poor self-esteem by those with a visible difference caused by a genetic condition.     

The Supernatural and the Miraculous

Both intention-based and causation-based definitions of the miraculous make reference to the term ‘supernatural’. Philosophers who define the miraculous appear to use this term in a loose way, perhaps meaning the nonnatural, perhaps meaning a subcategory of the nonnatural. Here I examine the aetiology of the term ‘supernatural’. I consider three outstanding issues regarding the meaning of the term and conclude that the supernatural is best understood as a subcategory of the nonnatural. In light of this clarification, I argue that a prominent causation-based definition of the miraculous should be revised so as not refer to the supernatural. I further argue that authors of intention-based definitions of the miraculous need to consider whether or not they should continue to refer to the supernatural, in their definitions of the miraculous, in light of the conclusions discerned here.

Shelter Staffs' Perceived Knowledge and Skill Level Regarding the Addictive Process

This study examined domestic violence shelter workers' perceptions about their knowledge, skills, and training interests regarding the addictive process. More experienced workers perceived themselves as having less knowledge and fewer skills than did less experienced workers. Shelter workers expressed overall interest in training, and authors present recommendations for such training.