Model Legislation for Licensed Professional Counselors

State legislated licensure for professional counselors is a critical aspect of the evolution of the counseling profession. Model licensure legislation will help promote a unified view of the profession. Model legislation for licensed professional counselors, along with a rationale for the content of said legislation, is presented.     

The Uses of Juvenile Fiction and Self-Help Books With Stepfamilies

This article advocates the use of bibliotherapy as an adjunct to counseling with stepchildren and remarried adults. Information to guide the selection and use of fiction and self-help books for children and adolescents is provided. Also mentioned are other audiences and uses for the adolescent fiction.     

Conceptualization and assessment of disengagement in romantic relationships

Research examining relationship distress and dissolution highlights the importance of romantic disengagement. Nevertheless, prior conceptualizations and measures of romantic disengagement have tended to combine disengagement with related but distinct constructs hindering the study of romantic disengagement. The present research used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to clarify the conceptualization of romantic disengagement and to develop a novel measure—the Romantic Disengagement Scale (RDS). The RDS demonstrated adequate fit across samples of dating individuals (n = 203), married couples (n = 77), and women in physically aggressive relationships (n = 42) from the Midwestern United States. The RDS also demonstrated strong divergent and incremental validity. The discussion focuses on implications for enhancing conceptual models, research methodology, and clinical interventions.     

A general model of relationship commitment: Evidence from same‐sex partners

A model of relationship commitment previously validated with data from both partners from dating heterosexual couples was tested with survey data obtained from both partners from 304 same‐sex couples cohabiting in the United States. The model posits that commitment is influenced by factors that are ordered along a proximal–distal continuum. From most distal to most proximal, these factors are personality traits, support for the relationship from family members and friends, effective arguing, and dependence on the relationship. Of the 25 predicted effects, 23 were significant (p < .05). Findings support the use of the model for understanding commitment processes for diverse types of dyadic relationships.     

THE MEASUREMENT OF TRUST AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO SELF-DISCLOSURE

This study examined the relationship of trust to self-disclosure. A measure of individualized trust was developed and used in conjunction with a multidimensional measure of disclosure to reassess the relationship between the two. A modest, linear relationship between individualized trust and various dimensions of self-disclosure was discovered. Moreover, a higher level of trust (as opposed to lesser trust as well as distrust) was found to be associated with more consciously intended disclosure and a greater amount of disclosure.