Circular Discernment in Completely Extensive Structures and How to Avoid such Circles Generally

In this journal, D. Rizza [11] (p. 176) expounded a solution of what he called ??the indiscernibility problem for ante rem structuralism??, which is the problem to make sense of the presence, in structures, of objects that are indiscernible yet distinct, by only appealing to what that structure provides. We argue that Rizza??s solution is circular and expound a different solution that not only solves the problem for completely extensive structures, treated by Rizza, but for nearly (but not) all mathematical structures.     

Choosing Assessment Instruments for Depression Outcome Research With School‐Age Youth

Using effect size results from Erford et al.'s (2011) meta‐analysis for treatment of depression in school‐age youth, the authors analyzed 6 commonly used instruments for practical and technical strengths and weaknesses. Effect size estimates from these 6 instruments were compared to indicate likely results when used in future depression outcome research.     

Determinants of patient satisfaction with the medical consultation

Abstract

This study assessed patient satisfaction with the medical consultation in ambulatory settings. A multistage sampling method, stratified by geographical location in metropolitan Sydney and type of medical practice, was employed. Two hundred and seventy-two patients attending medical consultations completed a brief questionnaire and interview immediately following a medical consultation with either a general practitioner or a medical specialist. Factor analysis of the questionnaire indicated that 58% of the variance in patient satisfaction ratings was accounted for by the level of interpersonal warmth and respect and the amount of information communicated by the doctor. Other factors impacting on satisfaction included the number of patient requests perceived to be met by the doctor, and the characteristics of the medical encounter, such as the length of the consultation and whether the visit was a first or subsequent consultation. There was no association between level of satisfaction and gender of doctor or the type of medical practice attended.     

Histrionic Managers Wreak Havoc in the Workplace: Identifying the Phenomenon

Histrionic thinking and behavior derive more from emotion than from reason, creating a condition that causes problems for both those who display this emotional style and those they interact with. When histrionic people “manage” others in the workplace, a destructive dynamic often supervenes as employee and manager pursue the goals of work, frequently at cross purposes. In a naturalistic study, three incidents from my experience with histrionic managers are described and the underlying phenomenon of the histrionic manager is identified. This phenomenon is postulated to be universal, which is to say that managers with a histrionic style will be found wherever work is done.     

Structural Ecosystems Therapy for HIV+ African‐American Women and Drug Abuse Relapse

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience ( http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp ). This report examines the effect of Structural Ecosystems Therapy (SET) for (n=143) HIV+ African‐American women on rate of relapse to substance use relative to both a person‐centered approach (PCA) to therapy and a community control (CC) group. A prior report has shown SET to decrease psychological distress and family hassles relative to these 2 comparison groups. In new analyses, SET and CC had a significant protective effect against relapse as compared with PCA. There is evidence that SET's protective effect on relapse was related to reductions in family hassles, whereas there was not a direct impact of change in psychological distress on rates of relapse. Lower retention in PCA, perhaps caused by the lack of a directive component to PCA, may have put these women at greater risk for relapse. Whereas SET did not specifically address substance abuse, SET indirectly protected at‐risk women from relapse through reductions in family hassles.     

Avoiding Colonizer Positions in the Therapy Room: Some Ideas About the Challenges of Dealing with the Dialectic of Misery and Resources in Families

Some authors have argued that certain acts of family therapists—despite their best intentions—may represent a form of colonizing the family. When acting as a colonizer, a therapist is understood as becoming overly responsible for the family and focusing too strongly on change. In so doing, the therapist disrespects the family's pace, and neglects their own resources for change. This paper aims to highlight the need for therapists to be hypersensitive both to the resources of families entering therapy as well as to the impact of prevailing ideologies on their own positioning in the session. The kind of sensitivity advocated here is dialectical in the sense that every family is understood as having potentials promoting dynamism, happiness, and well-being as well as potentials contributing to stagnation, unhappiness, and misery. In this article, using illustrations from clinical practice, we present some ideas for resisting the tendency by the therapist to assume a colonizing position as a professional solver of problems for families. Our main aim here is to redirect the therapist toward connecting with the family's suffering, as well as with the resource repertoire it has developed for navigating and negotiating its way through life.     

Reasonable Hope: Construct, Clinical Applications, and Supports

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full-text page on Wiley InterScience ( http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp ).
Hope may be the most laden shorthand term of all time. Everyone wants it; few know how to articulate what it is. Although family therapists frequently work to restore hope with hopeless families, they have contributed little to the abundant literature on hope. I present a new conceptualization of hope—reasonable hope—that reflects how family therapists think and practice. By subscribing to reasonable hope, clinicians enhance their ability to offer accompaniment and bear witness to clients. I describe clinical practices that, informed by reasonable hope, also facilitate its cocreation. Finally, I suggest supports for clinicians who practice reasonable hope.