Individual and Family Growth: A Gestalt Approach

Gestalt therapy is described as a comprehensive framework of theory and techniques for experiential family therapy. Like other experientially oriented therapies, it is systems-oriented, immediate-experience-oriented, and affect-oriented. Unlike others, this method regards the client system's emergent processes as the central focus, and it emphasizes that growth occurs as the family and its members are helped to greater self-awareness and responsibility for their own functioning.     

Questioning the “Slippery Slope”: Ethical Beliefs and Behaviors of Private Office-Based and Church-Based Therapists

Counselors and other mental health professionals whose primary office is in a church building often face unique challenges in maintaining appropriate client-therapist boundaries. A sample of 497 Christian counselors responded to an 88-item survey of their ethical beliefs and behaviors. Of the respondents, 148 reported a church as their primary work setting and 162 reported a private office as their primary work setting. Survey results were factor analyzed, then church-based therapists were compared with private office-based therapists regarding their views of ethical behaviors. Although church-based therapists take greater liberties with multiple-role relationships than private office-based therapists, they appear similar with regard to other ethical beliefs and behaviors. Results suggest that church-based therapists who take liberties in nonsexual multiple-role relationships are no more likely than other therapists to violate other ethical standards.     

CALCULATING EEO STATISTICS IN THE TEMPORARY HELP INDUSTRY

The temporary workforce has experienced tremendous growth in the past decade. Given the number of individuals employed by temporary help firms, it is surprising that so little attention has been given to EEO issues in this industry. The calculation of flow statistics in the temporary help industry presents some unique concerns because of the multiple status states (e.g., active, placed) an individual might hold. Difficulties in calculating compliance figures are illustrated with data from one temporary services firm. Record keeping recommendations are detailed.     

The Dream in Terminal Illness: A Jungian Formulation

It is a central assumption of Jungian theory that psychical transformation occurring during the critical developmental stages of the life cycle is anticipated, inspired, and orchestrated by the archetypal symbol. In this way, archetypal dreams are afforded particular significance during these transitional stages. The present paper purports to consider the clinical and theoretical implications of this understanding with reference to the dying process. The concepts discussed are illustrated by a series of dreams of a terminally ill cancer patient, which are elucidated by way of the method of amplification. Thematic analysis of the dream series supports Jung's conceptualization of death and dying as being a critical stage of the individuation process, characterized by profound psychical development of a specific and purposeful nature. The value of using dreams in the psychotherapeutic care of dying patients and their families is discussed, with case illustrations. It is suggested that such an approach may foster creative development, assist patients to integrate meaningfully subjective experiences pertaining to dying, and counteract the sense of isolation experienced by the terminally ill. The need for further research and the development of specific treatment modalities is highlighted.     

The Structure of Family Perceptions Among Adolescents and Their Parents: Individual Satisfaction Factors and Family System Factors

This study examined the underlying structure of self-reports of family functioning by adolescents, mothers, and fathers (N of individuals = 360) from intact families. Participants completed a multidimensional self-report measure of family functioning, and their responses were entered into a factor analysis with the family as the unit of analysis (N of cases = 120). The results indicate two types of factors: individual satisfaction factors and family system factors. The findings are consistent with the view that different types of characteristics assessed in self-report measures of the family may be stored as different kinds of memories. The findings also provide preliminary data toward understanding the linkages between family system factors and satisfaction with the family based on family roles as adolescents, mothers, and fathers.     

EVALUATING DEVELOPMENTAL ASSESSMENT CENTERS AS INTERVENTIONS

This study addresses the question of whether developmental assessment centers are effective interventions. Career outcomes of assessment center participants ( n = 151) were evaluated with respect to center ratings, developmental activity, and acceptance of feedback. Although comparison between a subgroup of assessees ( n = 113) and a naturally occurring control group of non-assessees ( n = 167) showed no differences in terms of career advancement, findings within the assessee sample did show that developmental activity related to advancement. Findings also showed that assessors' ratings of career motivation, rather than ratings of knowledge or skill (KS) dimensions, predicted both developmental activity and career advancement.     

Assertiveness Training and Christian Values

Assertiveness training, like any psychotherapeutic procedure, requires an understanding and tolerance of various values of clients. Studies exploring the relationship between religious values and assertiveness are reviewed. Ideological obstacles in assertion training with religious clients are considered, and appropriate therapeutic strategies suggested. The importance of presenting a rationale for treatment and of understanding the client's value system is emphasized.     

The Use of Counselor Profanity in Counseling

In this article the author reviews some of the literature on counselor profanity and provides guidelines for its use in counseling.     

Career Counseling: Those Powerful Beginning Counselor Leads

This article partially fills an expressed void in our professional literature: articles illustrating effective career counseling techniques.