Accreditation Standards for University and College Counseling Centers

The accreditation standards outlined in the article are used by the International Association of Counseling Services as the basis for the formal accreditation of college and university counseling programs throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia. They reflect the program elements and practice standards that are deemed essential in a counseling center that provides high‐quality services to students.     

Latino/as, Asian Americans, and the Black–White Binary

This paper aims to contribute toward coalitionbuilding by showing that, even if we try tobuild coalition around what might look like ourmost obvious common concern – reducing racism –the dominant discourse of racial politics inthe United States inhibits an understanding ofhow racism operates vis-à-vis Latino/as andAsian Americans, and thus proves more of anobstacle to coalition building than an aid. Theblack/white paradigm, which operates to governracial classifications and racial politics inthe U.S., takes race in the U.S. to consist ofonly two racial groups, Black and White,with others understood in relation to one ofthese categories.I summarize and discuss the strongestcriticisms of the paradigm and then develop twofurther arguments. Together these argumentsshow that continuing to theorize race in theU.S. as operating exclusively through theblack/white paradigm is actuallydisadvantageous for all people of color in theU.S., and in many respects for whites as well(or at least for white union households and thewhite poor).     

Assessment and treatment of hoarding in an individual with dementia

The authors used a reinforcer assessment to evaluate possible interventions for hoarding in an older individual with dementia. The most preferred condition from the assessment (sorting activity) was compared to a staff developed treatment involving item removal and redirection. Hoarding was reduced during both interventions with a greater reduction in the sorting condition. The behavioral reductions were maintained during schedule thinning of social interactions and follow-up.     

Acceptability of interventions for aggressive behavior in long-term care settings: comparing ratings and hierarchical selection

Fifty-six active treatment team members in long-term nursing care facilities completed an online survey assessing treatment acceptability of modern behavioral, pharmacological, and sensory interventions. A traditional treatment acceptability rating scale was compared to treatment selections in a paired-options format. Unlike earlier research, there were no significant differences in acceptability between the 3 interventions on the traditional rating scale. However, ratings and selections were significantly correlated for behavioral and pharmacological interventions. The clinical significance of such relations and the implications for the use of treatment ratings is discussed.     

Parentification,Stress, and Problem Behavior of Adolescents who have a Parent with Mental Health Problems

When adolescents live with a parent with mental illness, they often partly take over the parental role. Little is known about the consequences of this so‐called parentification on the adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems. This survey study examined this effect cross‐sectionally and longitudinally in a sample of 118 adolescents living with a parent suffering from mental health problems. In addition, the study examined a possible indirect effect via perceived stress. Path analyses were used to examine the direct associations between parentification and problem behavior as well as the indirect relations via perceived stress. The results showed that parentification was associated with both internalizing and externalizing problems cross‐sectionally, but it predicted only internalizing problems 1 year later. An indirect effect of parentification on adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems via perceived stress was found, albeit only cross‐sectionally. These findings imply that parentification can be stressful for adolescents who live with a parent with mental health problems, and that a greater awareness of parentification is needed to prevent adolescents from developing internalizing problems.     

Parental Cognitive Errors Mediate Parental Psychopathology and Ratings of Child Inattention

We investigate the Depression‐Distortion Hypothesis in a sample of 199 school‐aged children with ADHD‐Predominantly Inattentive presentation (ADHD‐I) by examining relations and cross‐sectional mediational pathways between parental characteristics (i.e., levels of parental depressive and ADHD symptoms) and parental ratings of child problem behavior (inattention, sluggish cognitive tempo, and functional impairment) via parental cognitive errors. Results demonstrated a positive association between parental factors and parental ratings of inattention, as well as a mediational pathway between parental depressive and ADHD symptoms and parental ratings of inattention via parental cognitive errors. Specifically, higher levels of parental depressive and ADHD symptoms predicted higher levels of cognitive errors, which in turn predicted higher parental ratings of inattention. Findings provide evidence for core tenets of the Depression‐Distortion Hypothesis, which state that parents with high rates of psychopathology hold negative schemas for their child's behavior and subsequently, report their child's behavior as more severe.     

Reducing Disparities in Cancer Screening and Prevention through Community‐Based Participatory Research Partnerships with Local Libraries: A Comprehensive Dynamic Trial

Reduction of cancer‐related disparities requires strategies that link medically underserved communities to preventive care. In this community‐based participatory research project, a public library system brought together stakeholders to plan and undertake programs to address cancer screening and risk behavior. This study was implemented over 48 months in 20 large urban neighborhoods, selected to reach diverse communities disconnected from care. In each neighborhood, Cancer Action Councils were organized to conduct a comprehensive dynamic trial, an iterative process of program planning, implementation and evaluation. This process was phased into neighborhoods in random, stepped‐wedge sequence. Population‐level outcomes included self‐reported screening adherence and smoking cessation, based on street intercept interviews. Event‐history regressions (n = 9374) demonstrated that adherence outcomes were associated with program implementation, as were mediators such as awareness of screening programs and cancer information seeking. Findings varied by ethnicity, and were strongest among respondents born outside the U.S. or least engaged in care. This intervention impacted health behavior in diverse, underserved and vulnerable neighborhoods. It has been sustained as a routine library system program for several years after conclusion of grant support. In sum, participatory research with the public library system offers a flexible, scalable approach to reduce cancer health disparities.     

Mediating Factors in Literacy Instruction: How Novice Elementary Teachers Navigate New Teaching Contexts

This longitudinal study, framed by activity theory, examines what seven novice teachers’ talk and actions reveal about their literacy teaching practices then delves into mediating influences of the teaching context. Utilizing collective, multi-case methods, data sources included interviews, observations, and artifacts. Findings indicate novices navigated school contexts by following existing practices, adjusting to conditions, and pushing back. Mediating influences, internal and external, were factored how novices applied knowledge from teacher preparation programs. Authors employed the metaphor of paddling a constantly changing river to convey novices’ actions for meeting students’ literacy learning. Recommendations for teacher educators and policymakers are suggested.     

Sexualization in U.S. Latina and White Girls’ Preferred Children’s Television Programs

Master narratives, or prevailing cultural storylines, of motherhood provide a framework for new mothers to make sense of their experiences and to develop a coherent maternal identity. The present mixed methods study developed a theory-driven methodology to systematically identify a master narrative and examined whether one is present in 32 U.S. first-time mothers’ accounts of developing feelings for, and connection to, their newborns. In coding these mothers’ 95 episodes, we found that just over half of the mothers exclusively described positive feelings/connection toward their babies that were present in pregnancy or at birth (“At First Sight”; AFS), whereas 31 % exclusively described feelings/connection that took time to develop, or were negative, questioned, and/or tentative (“It Took Time”; ITT). To identify the presence of a master narrative, we compared these groups’ accounts on several theoretical indicators; the episodes of mothers who exclusively described ITT experiences were longer, more often contained talk of expectations, and were more likely to have a mismatch between expectation and experience than those of mothers who exclusively described AFS experiences. This suggests that ITT experience accounts countered a master narrative that mothers should have overwhelming, positive, and immediate feelings for/connection to their babies (AFS). Using discursive analysis, we then examined how the master narrative was actually invoked in the accounts of two mothers, one who positioned her experiences as aligned with, and one who positioned her experiences as counter to, the master narrative. Implications for supporting mothers in making meaning of their experiences, whether by aligning with the master narrative or co-constructing an empowering counter-narrative, are discussed.     

Pilot study evaluation of suicide prevention gatekeeper training utilising STORM in a British university setting

Recent years have seen increasing awareness of the wide range of mental health problems faced by students. Gatekeeper training has been shown to have a positive impact on knowledge and attitudes about suicide prevention, although the evidence for skills acquisition is limited. We utilised the STORM® training package in an exploratory study to determine explore whether skills training could be successfully implemented in an educational establishment in the United Kingdom. In a pilot study assessing competence before and after the intervention there was evidence of acquisition of skills, improved attitudes and increased confidence. Further research should include a randomised controlled trial of such training.