Self-Reflection Counselling as an Instrument in Organisational Learning

Self reflection is an important factor in the relationship between individual and organisational development, but until recently, it has gone unnoticed. Reviewing the significance of self reflection through analysis of three vital areas of organisational development—leadership, women-in-management, and organisational survival—it is argued that there is a vital case to be made for the development of counselling strategies aimed at encouraging and assisting self-reflective practice among organisational participants. Reflecting upon the authors' own practice among managers, a number of strategies and potential strategies for reaching people in the work-place are outlined.     

Adolescents' reactions to counseling interviews

Fifty subjects aged 12 to 16 were interviewed according to one of five counseling techniques: Modeling 1, Modeling 2, reflecting, probing, and a control condition; and were seen either individually or in a group. Interviews were 30 minutes for five sessions during which a theme was discussed. It was questioned whether low-intimate or medium-intimate themes would be more facilitative of self-expression. It was hypothesized and confirmed that subjects are stimulated to disclose though the modeling intervention and group conditions. However, the question was asked as to the adolescents' feelings and opinions during these interviews. At the end of the last session all subjects were given a questionnaire probing their reactions. The individual control subjects indicated a nonsignificant technique effect, and likewise disclosure was not facilitated during the interviews. Sixty-eight percent of the subjects seen individually preferred these conditions whereas 92 percent of the group participants were satisfied. The most interesting topic was of low-intimacy value. Statistical analyses of the subjects' quantity of self-expression by techniques, individual and group conditions, and themes corresponded to their reported reactions to these variables. Results were explained in terms of the importance of the interview conditions in meeting the adolescents' developmental needs.     

Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Training for Therapists: Outcomes,Acceptability, and Impact of Support

The objectives of the present study were to assess the effects of online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) training for therapists on measures of CBT knowledge, skills, confidence, and utilisation; to determine what differences might exist between a group supported by regular telephone contact and an independent group who undertook online training without additional support; and to determine the acceptability of CBT online training among rural and remote mental health professionals. Mental health practitioners were randomly allocated to a supported training group (six sessions of 15‐min support) or an independent group. They undertook a 12‐week online CBT training program. The two groups showed similar gains on an objective test of knowledge of CBT, and on self‐report measures of knowledge, skills, confidence levels, and utilisation of skills. However, the supported training group had a significantly higher program completion rate than the independent group. Participants evaluated the program favourably. The results suggest that online CBT training represents a promising and cost‐effective approach to training the mental health workforce, and may be particularly attractive for those who live in regional, rural, and remote communities. A challenge is to determine the most cost‐effective ways to enhance program completion rates and trainee skills.     

Bidirectional Associations Among Sensitive Parenting,Language Development,and Social Competence

Rapid changes in language skills and social competence, both of which are linked to sensitive parenting, characterize early childhood. The present study examines bidirectional associations among mothers' sensitive parenting and children's language skills and social competence from 24 to 36 months in a community sample of 174 families. In addition, this study examines how these developmental pathways vary by child sex. Findings indicate stability across time in sensitive parenting, expressive language skills, and social competence, as well as positive main effects of sensitive parenting on expressive and receptive language skills for girls and boys. We find mixed evidence over time of reciprocal links between social competence and sensitive parenting. Further, boys' receptive language skills at 24 months uniquely contribute to increases in mothers' observed sensitive parenting from 24 to 36 months. These findings highlight the utility of applying transactional frameworks to the study of sex‐based differences in early developmental processes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluating the accuracy of facial expressions as emotion indicators across contexts in dogs

Animal Cognition - Facial expressions potentially serve as indicators of animal emotions if they are consistently present across situations that (likely) elicit the same emotional state. In a...     

Why do People Disagree? Explaining and Endorsing the Possibility of Partiality in Judgments

The current study examines developing changes in children's intuitions about why disagreements about decisions might occur, focusing on what children understand about partiality and how it may vary depending on the context. Eighty children ages 6 to 13 years old and 20 adults were presented with stories in which there was a disagreement with the judge about who the winner of a contest should be. Participants were asked to generate their own explanations for why the disagreement may have occurred and to evaluate the plausibility of different explanations provided by the experimenter. Even 6-year-olds generated and endorsed partiality as a possible explanation for disagreement, although they did so at a lower rate than older children. A richer understanding of how context influences both the reasons for disagreement and the likelihood of partiality seems to develop over childhood.