Marriage and family therapy education: Emerging trends and issues

The field of marriage and family therapy has enjoyed unparalleled growth during the last decade. This rapid growth has been the catalyst for several emerging educational trends that warrant close attention. This paper examines nine emerging trends in MFT education with attention devoted to a number of critical issues.     

Children's embedded figures test: an examination of item difficulty in grades K-4

Indices of item difficulty for both the Tent and the House series of the Children's Embedded Figures Test are reported from a sample of 240 children in grades K-4. Results indicate that the failure rule should be re-considered and the test shortened.     

Three Problems for the Singularity Theory of Truth

In this paper I present three problems for Simmons singularity theory of truth as he presents it in Universality and the Liar. I begin with a brief overview of the theory and then present the three problems I see for it.The first problem shows that the singularity theory is in conflict with our ordinary notion of truth. I present a set of sentences that the singularity theory evaluates differently than does our pretheoretic concept of truth.The second problem shows that Simmons theory is incomplete, in the sense that there are sentences of its object language of which it does not have the resources to evaluate.The third problem suggests that Simmons theory does not, contrary to the claim of the book, allow for semantic universality. I consider Simmons extension of the singularity theory to accommodate truth-in-a-context and show that it is inconsistent with his basic theory. Specifically I present a sentence which diagonalizes out of the basic theory.     

Reliability of the Wraparound Observation Form: An Instrument to Measure the Wraparound Process

Within the past decade, the wraparound approach has gained significant popularity in providing services to children with challenging social and family needs. While a plethora of wraparound programs have been developed and studies have been conducted to assess their effectiveness, the need to develop instruments that measure the implementation of wraparound services is clear. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the reliability of a scale that measures wraparound services. In this study, the Wraparound Observation Form (WOF), was developed to evaluate the implementation of the wraparound process in treatment planning meetings. The WOF includes 34 closed-ended items that requires the respondent to note the occurrence or non-occurrence of specific events or behaviors at treatment planning meetings. In the present study, two data collectors attended planning meetings and independently completed the WOF. The inter-rater reliability was 95%. The WOF appears to be a reliable instrument and be appropriate in evaluating wraparound services.     

Uncommon strategies for a common problem: addressing racism in family therapy

Race and racism have a profound effect on our daily lives and the practice of family therapy. Whether individual or institutional level, overt or covert, intentional or unintentional, there are a variety of ways in which racism can infiltrate the therapeutic process. Before therapists can take steps to address racism effectively within the context of family therapy, it is important to attend to the development of their racial awareness and racial sensitivity. These provide the critical foundation upon which specific skills and strategies associated with effectively identifying and responding to racism in therapy are based. This article defines racial awareness and sensitivity and provides suggestions for enhancing both. In the section that follows, three major ways in which racism can infiltrate the therapeutic process are described. Skills and strategies for addressing each of these in family therapy are presented.     

The benefits of need satisfaction depend on their relative importance for people with a unidimensional identity: an idiographic analysis

Motivation and Emotion - Self-determination theory proposes that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs is equally beneficial for everyone – the Universal Hypothesis. Equally, there...     

Counselling in primary care: a systematic review of the research evidence

Counselling in primary care in the UK is expanding rapidly, and its evidence base needs to be established. We present the rationale for conducting controlled trials of counselling in primary care, and suggest that a systematic review of controlled trials of counselling in primary care is timely. We describe the process of conducting the review in accordance with Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. The review aimed to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of counselling in primary care, by systematically reviewing cost and outcome data from randomised controlled trials and controlled patient preference trials of counselling interventions, for patients with psychological and psychosocial problems considered suitable for counselling. The search strategy, inclusion and exclusion criteria, data collection and data analysis are described. The results of the review are presented. The review included only controlled trials of counselling in which counsellors accredited by the British Association for Counselling (or equivalent) provided non-directive counselling in primary care. Four trials met the inclusion criteria. Results indicated that patients who receive counselling show a modest but significant improvement in symptom levels compared with those who receive GP care. Levels of satisfaction with counselling are high. There is very tentative evidence to suggest that counselled patients are more likely to be considered recovered than usual GP care patients. There is limited information about the cost-effectiveness of counselling. We conclude by reflecting upon the results of the review and their implications for counselling research.     

Cover-Copy-Compare and Spelling: One Versus Three Repetitions

Cover, copy, compare (CCC) has been used with success to improve spelling skills. This study adds to existing research by completing an analysis of the rewriting component of the intervention. The impact of varying the number of times a subject copied a word following an error was examined with four elementary age students. An adaptive alternating treatments design with counterbalancing was used to compare the effects of two versions of CCC and baseline during acquisition and retention 2 weeks later. During acquisition, performance in both versions of CCC was greater than that during baseline sessions. There was not an appreciable difference between versions of CCC. Retention of performance was similar for CCC1 and CCC3. Results are discussed in terms of the core components of CCC and directions for future research.     

Effects of performance anxiety on effort and performance in rock climbing: a test of processing efficiency theory

Three studies examined the effort and performance of rock climbers in the context of processing efficiency theory. Anxiety was manipulated by different means in the three studies. In each study, the effort due only to the physical exertion of climbing was controlled for. Anxiety, effort, and performance were measured via self-report, an integrated heart rate measure, and belayer observation. Consistent with processing efficiency theory, the results showed that higher levels of anxiety were usually associated with higher levels of effort and commensurately higher levels of performance. However, the results also suggested that cognitive anxiety may not be the prime determinant of the effort and performance changes observed. Finally, the results suggested that other individual difference variables may play an important part in determining the extent to which individuals may be able to make use of anxiety-induced effort.