Exploring goal taxonomies using the goal-based outcome tool in children and young people's mental health settings

Formulating goals in therapy may facilitate young people and parents/carers' engagement in mental health support settings. A number of goal taxonomies have been developed, which involve organising goals set at the outset of therapy into themes. Goal taxonomies are considered useful for service planning and outcome purposes. In order to build on the knowledge about what young people choose as goals, and to best support good practice, it is important to explore the links and differences between the existing goal taxonomies. A systematic review was conducted to identify goal taxonomies based on goals set using the goal-based outcome (GBO) tool. Framework analysis was conducted to investigate the extracted goal taxonomies. Overall, four core concepts were identified: “Goals targeting specific issues, symptoms, emotions, and behaviours,” “Return and engage in activities,” “Personal growth goals” and “Interpersonal goals.” Goals regarding specific issues, personal growth and interpersonal relationships were present in most studies. Using these overarching core concepts could be useful for practitioner-level, or service-level organisation of goal data, for activities such as service planning and delivery.     

Determination of visual figure and ground in dynamically deforming shapes

Figure/ground assignment - determining which part of the visual image is foreground and which background - is a critical step in early visual analysis, upon which much later processing depends. Previous research on the assignment of figure and ground to opposing sides of a contour has almost exclusively involved static geometric factors - such as convexity, symmetry, and size - in non-moving images. Here, we introduce a new class of cue to figural assignment based on the motion of dynamically deforming contours. Subjects viewing an animated, deforming shape tended to assign figure and ground so that articulating curvature extrema - i.e., "hinging" vertices - had negative (concave) contour curvature. This articulating-concavity bias is present when all known static cues to figure/ground are absent or neutral in each of the individual frames of the animation, and even seems to override a number of well-known static cues when they are in opposition to the motion cue. We propose that the phenomenon reflects the visual system's inbuilt expectations about the way shapes will deform - specifically, that deformations tend to involve rigid parts articulating at concavities.     

The motor theory of social cognition: a critique

Recent advances in the cognitive neuroscience of action have considerably enlarged our understanding of human motor cognition. In particular, the activity of the mirror system, first discovered in the brain of non-human primates, provides an observer with the understanding of a perceived action by means of the motor simulation of the agent's observed movements. This discovery has raised the prospects of a motor theory of social cognition. In humans, social cognition includes the ability to mindread, and many motor theorists of social cognition try to bridge the gap between motor cognition and mindreading by endorsing a simulation account of mindreading. Here, we question the motor theory of social cognition and give reasons for our skepticism.     

Using Counselor Training and Collaborative Programming Strategies in Working With International Students

This article offers an overview of the adjustment concerns of international students in the United States and explores venues for inclusion of this population in multicultural training and counselor competency development opportunities for graduate students. Counselor educators need to provide awareness and knowledge about the issues faced by international students within graduate course work and training models. This will ensure that counselor trainees are competent within a multicultural framework to understand the unique issues of international students and respond by providing culturally sensitive counseling services and programming. A model of programming implemented at a private university that provided a training opportunity for counselors‐in‐training is highlighted. Considerations in designing collaborative programs are also discussed. Este artículo da un resumen de las preocupaciones de ajustamiento de estudiantes intemacionales en los Estados Unidos y explora avenidas para incluir esta población en el entrenamiento y desarollo multicultural de estudiantes de consejería. Educadores de consejeros necesitan proveer consciencia e información sobre las situaciones enfrentadas por estudiantes intemacionales en el entrenamiento de estudiantes graduados. Esto asegurara la competencia multicultural de los estudiantes para que así entiendan las necesidades unicas de los estudiantes intemacionales y puedan proveer sensibilidad cultural en la consejería y programación de servicios. Este artículo describe un modelo de programación implementado en una universidad privada que entrenó a estudiantes de consejería. Además se discuten consideraciones para el diseño de programas colaborativos.