Mapping and/or Discovering Meaning in Family Therapy: An E-Mail Conversation

Editor's Note: Because of the provocative and stimulating nature of the study reported on by Steven Kogan and Jerry Gale in their article "Decentering Therapy," I have invited one of our Advisory Editors, Chris Beels, to provide some comments about the study and its implications. However, rather than use the standard for mat of a formal "Commentary," followed by an "Authors' Response," Beels, Kogan, and Gale have instead carried out a series of e-mail exchanges, with reactions and responses going back and forth in the form of a dialogue. What follows is a slightly edited version of their conversation. As you will see, this exchange has afforded Beels, Kogan, and Gale the opportunity not only to critique each other's ideas, but also to raise questions and to puzzle together about the linkages that might be forged between the Kogan and Gale study and earlier therapy process research carried out by Beels using Scheflen's context analysis techniques. The use of a conversation format seemed more consonant with the research being discussed, research that urges a stance of openness and curiosity rather than formal hypothesis testing and closure. Hence my decision to endorse this experiment in "commentary as conversation," rather than "commentary as debate." What follows is the first three rounds of this "conversation," with the "roughess" of ordinary e-mail communications retained, but with some minor editing in order to facilitate clarity and narrative flow .     

An Effective Career Development Program for Parents

This article is a comparative review of career development programs in Switzerland and the United States, with emphasis on the degree of parental involvement. Investigators visited schools and interviewed parents in both countries. This article offers ideas for improving the effectiveness of career development programs in the United States. Among the useful ideas from Switzerland are greater use of community resources such as departments of employment services, specific career training in schools, and school-based job placement programs.     

Chaos and Christianity: A Response to Butz and a Biblical Alternative

This article responds to M. R. Butz's (1995) fundamental conclusion regarding chaos and Christianity, briefly discusses the compatibility between the two perspectives, and offers a biblical model for counselors in assisting Christian clients in embracing chaos.     

The Transition to Parenthood: III. Incorporation of the Child into the Family

The major focus of this article is the relationship of the parents' marital relationship structure to the incorporation of the child into the family. Our central hypothesis is that couples who have evolved more competent marital structures prenatally are more likely to incorporate the child successfully into the family.     

PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF JOB APPLICANTS AND SUCCESS IN SCREENING INTERVIEWS

Although there is substantial evidence that personality constructs are valid predictors of job performance, there is less systematic evidence of how personality characteristics relate to success in the interviewing process. Measures of the Big Five personality markers were obtained from a sample of graduating college seniors (n = 83) who were engaged in a job search. At a later time these students reported the strategies used in the job search and success in generating follow-up interviews and job offers. Extraversion, Openness to Experience, and Conscientiousness were positively related to the use of social sources (e.g., talking to others) to prepare for interviews. Conscientiousness was positively related to the use of non-social preparation. Use of social sources for preparation for initial interviews was positively related to the likelihood of receiving follow-up interviews and job offers. The results suggest that personality is related to interviewee's success in part through actions taken well before the interviewing process begins and in part through the interviewers' inferences of the applicants' personality during the interview.     

Counselors and the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide

With the shift in Americans' beliefs regarding legalizing physician-assisted suicide for the terminally ill, counselors must be prepared to counsel clients who have decided to end their lives. For counselors to avoid violating the ethical guidelines established by the American Counseling Association (ACA) regarding counseling these clients, a reevaluation of the ACA ethical standards may be needed.     

Parental Involvement in Children's Career Decision Making

This article presents findings of a survey of English, Swiss, and American parents regarding their involvement in their children's career decision-making process. A questionnaire was developed and a pilot survey was conducted. Although the results must be interpreted with caution, this study suggests that these parents exhibited some marked educational and career choice bias. Furthermore, these differences may reflect the nature of the educational systems of the countries represented. It seems that effective systems for career development and employment counseling result in parents who are confident in helping their children with career decision making.