A descriptive study of e-counsellor attitudes,ethics, and practice

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine questions related to the process, perceived outcomes, and ethics of therapists who provide counselling and therapy online. Method: An online survey was conducted (N=93) with identified e-counsellors with at least a Master's Degree. Questions included demographic information and Likert-type scales related to extent of practice, theoretical orientation, training and supervision, attitudes about appropriate practice, referral, legal and ethical issues, practice difficulties, and therapist satisfaction. Results: Overall, e-counsellors are satisfied with their practice and believe it is effective. They generally do not have formal training or supervision in online practice. Current e-counselling appears to be a part-time, supplemental practice with little overlap to FTF practice. There was little agreement among respondents on attitudes, practice, ethical issues, and knowledge of regulations related to e-counselling. Discussion: Lack of consensus about ethical obligations and practice suggest the need for formal training in e-counselling by professional programmes and international cooperation in formulating practice ethics. Areas for further research are discussed.     

Developmental changes in the recognition and comprehension of facial expression: implications for frontal lobe function.

Children aged 6-15 years old and adults (over 18) were given three tests designed to test perception and comprehension of facial expression. In the first test subjects were given two composite symmetrical faces made from the left or right half of a normal face, the subjects' task being to indicate which composite more closely resembled the original face. In the second test the subjects matched a series of photographs from Life magazine with key photographs of one of six distinct emotions (sad, fear, happy, anger, disgust, surprise). In the third test the subjects chose a key photograph that was appropriate for the face of a faceless character in a cartoon. On the composite faces test the subjects in all groups exhibited a preference for the left visual field composite, implying that all age groups were processing the faces in a similar manner. The results of the other two tests showed that there was an improvement in the perception of facial expression between the ages of 6 and 8 years, little change until about 13 years, and then a second improvement to adult performance at about 14 years. The performance of the 8- to 13-year-old children was similar to that of adult patients with frontal lobe injuries, which could be taken as evidence that the regions of the frontal lobe involved in the performance of these tasks may not be mature until about 14 years of age.     

The role of two emotion regulation tendencies across two waiting periods

Motivation and Emotion - The distress associated with uncertainty differs in important ways from distress over clear and present stressors. Emotion regulation (ER) tendencies—namely...     

Jail‐based competency treatment comes of age: Multi‐site outcomes and challenges to the implementation of an evidence‐based forensic continuum

The jail‐based competency treatment (JBCT) model has become an established forensic practice across the country. From the perspective of implementation science and the three core elements of the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Service (PARiHS) framework, the JBCT model is a remarkable example of how context (an unrelenting and overwhelmingly strong demand for forensic beds) has driven multiple state governments to facilitate implementation of a methodology in the absence of empirical evidence supporting its efficacy. This 7‐year study of outcomes from four JBCT program sites provides this much‐needed evidence by showing that JBCT restored 56% of 1553 male and 336 female patients over an average of 48.7 days. At the same time, the study highlights how variations in JBCT models, methods, and preadmission stabilization time present challenges to planned and effective implementation of evidence‐based practice at the statewide system level. By identifying differential responsiveness to JBCT treatment by diagnosis and other factors, the study suggests preliminary implementation ideas for what types of patients are well served by the JBCT model as part of a continuum of restoration options that includes inpatient, outpatient and diversion. Significant findings showed that JBCT patients were restored at a higher rate and in a shorter time if they were female, < 20 years old (highest restoration rate; those < 60 years old also significantly better rates), free of co‐occurring intellectual and cognitive deficits, and malingering. Of the major diagnoses, schizoaffective disorder required a significantly longer length of JBCT treatment for restoration, and lower restoration rates than schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, although this was moderated by a significant interaction with abuse of amphetamines.     

Pigeons are attracted to a perceived gain without an actual gain

Reference dependence refers to the reduced value of a reward that is less than expected, or the added value of a reward that is greater than expected. There is evidence that when pigeons are offered an alternative that has 1 pellet versus an alternative that has 2 pellets, but one of the two pellets offered will be removed, the pigeons prefer the originally presented 1 pellet (loss aversion). In the present research, we tested for the opposite effect (gain attraction). In Experiments 1 and 2, pigeons could choose between 2 pellets, each one on a distinctive background. If they chose the optimal alternative, they received a second pellet. In Experiment 2, the second pellet obtained was the one not initially chosen (a task sometimes referred to as the ephemeral reward task). Pigeons learned to choose optimally in both experiments. In Experiment 3, we tested the pigeons for reference dependence. Pigeons were given an alternative that offered them one pellet or two pellets, if they chose the one-pellet alternative, they received an additional pellet, and if they chose the two-pellet alternative, they received the two pellets. In keeping with the reference dependence hypothesis, the pigeons preferred the 1-pellet alternative that gave them an extra pellet. These effects are related to similar findings with humans, including the endowment effect.

     

Effects of neonatal treatment with 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-lodophenyl)-2 aminopropane HCI (DOI) and ritanserin on agonistic behavior in adult male and female rats

The role played by the neonatal 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) system in the organization and sexual differentiation of adult agonistic behavior was investigated in rats. Focus was on the 5HT2 receptor subtype, which has been demonstrated to be involved in agonism control in the adult. 5HT2 activity was experimentally manipulated by administration of a specific agonist [1-(2, 5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane HCl (DOI)] or antagonist (ritanserin) during the second week of life, when serotonin is known to concur to anatomical and behavioral sexual differentiation. Interactions between early 5HT2 activity, genetic sex, and neonatal circulating testosterone (T) were studied by administering the ligands to males, females, and androgenized females. At adulthood, the animals were tested for both aspects of agonism, i. e., aggression and defense, in a 20-min confrontation with an unfamiliar conspecific of the same sex, age, body weight, and social experience. Neonatal administration of the 5HT2 antagonist ritanserin increased aggression independently of sex; it also increased defense, but this effect was confined to males. The agonist DOI had no effect on aggression, but enhanced defense in males and androgenized females, with an effect which depended therefore more on neonatal T than genetic sex. Females appeared in general less sensitive to neonatal 5HT2 manipulation than both androgenized females and males; this suggests that neonatal T is crucial for experimental modifications of neonatal 5HT2 activity to have any consistent effect on adult agonistic behavior. On the other hand, effects observed in males and androgenized females were dependent on the behavior considered and the drug administered. This was especially evident for defense, enhanced by ritanserin in males only, and in both males and androgenized females by DOI. Neonatal 5HT2 activity seems therefore to play a role in the modulation of adult agonistic behaviors, which depends on the behavior considered and is under multiple control of genetic sex and hormonal neonatal substrate. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.