The Nearing Death Process and Pastoral Counseling

Philosophic concepts of death are pervasive throughout all societies as shared values, differing in particulars, but similar in general. So, too, is the prospect of a death a consideration for every person, an eventual reality brought most forcefully to mind as it nears. This article explores various mindsets those who provide pastoral counseling will encounter among clients and suggest effective approaches to providing the mental and spiritual solace sought. Further, consideration is given to the psychological and spiritual mein of the pastoral counselor, and how this can affect both client and counselor.     

The therapeutic alliance: Adolescent perspectives

This paper presents a conceptualisation of the therapeutic alliance from the adolescent perspective and discusses implications for practitioners. The main aim of the study was to focus on the factors that participants identified as important in relationship formation and maintenance. Eighteen individuals were interviewed using a semi‐structured format. Three major themes were identified: therapeutic environment, uniqueness of the therapeutic relationship, and therapist characteristics. Participants identified both positive and negative aspects of the therapeutic relationship. A strong alliance was found to be necessary in that the perception of the therapist as accepting, supportive and trustworthy influenced the adolescent's evaluation of the appropriateness of therapeutic tasks and goals. Participants stressed the importance of the supportive nature of the relationship in their willingness to collaborate in therapeutic interventions.     

The Near-Death Experience: An Integration of Cultural, Spiritual, and Physical Perspectives

The near-death experience (NDE) has been studied extensively from two conflicting perspectives: that the NDE is a glimpse into an after-death state and that it is the result of a dying brain. Of late a third perspective has emerged, that of NDEs being culturally determined. I propose an integrated model in which all three perspectives are viewed with equal weight.     

The association between heroin use and anxiety sensitivity among inner-city individuals in residential drug use treatment

The current study represents an initial investigation of the association between heroin use and anxiety sensitivity (AS). Within a sample of 172 inner-city treatment seeking drug users, AS was compared across past year (1) heroin users with no crack/cocaine use (n=12); (2) crack/cocaine users with no heroin use (n=66); (3) users of both heroin and crack/cocaine (n=45); and (4) individuals with no use of heroin or crack/cocaine (n=49). Consistent with expectations, primary heroin users evidenced higher levels of AS than all other groups, with these differences also evidenced for the physical and social subscales. Differences in AS total score and physical subscale score persisted after controlling for demographic variables, depressive symptoms, and primary use of drugs other than heroin and crack/cocaine including alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, and hallucinogens. Findings suggest a unique relationship between AS and heroin, and set the stage for future work explicating the direction of the observed association.     

Suicide Potential and Behavior in Children Ages 4 to 12

ABSTRACT: From a population of 662 children 12 years of age and under, seen at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, during the years 1970 to 1974, 34 severely depressed children were identified who were also self-abusive and/or suicidal. Case study revealed fragmented, pathological homes, where the children's affect disorders and behaviors were symptomatic of acute family breakdown, marital disharmony, and observed and experienced violence, both verbal and physical. Follow-up on all available children, at least three years posttreatment, revealed that no child had committed suicide. Treatment evaluation by the parents was highly positive, with the great majority of children showing fair to good recovery and adjustment.     

Efficacy of a Train-the-Trainer Curriculum for Increasing Occupational Therapists’ Mental Health Knowledge

The marked prevalence and under detection of affective disorders including depression in older adults is associated with poor functional outcomes and patient mortality. Although occupational therapists are trained in mental health assessment and intervention, these skills are underutilized in practice. A two-group wait-list control design was used to test a DVD-based educational curriculum to increase knowledge about depression in a sample of occupational therapists. The educational intervention was delivered using a train-the-trainer model. The train-the-trainer model was found to be effective and study results showed that knowledge increased significantly after the DVD training.     

Concept Abstractness and the Representation of Noun–Noun Combinations

Research on noun–noun combinations has been largely focusing on concrete concepts. Three experiments examined the role of concept abstractness in the representation of noun–noun combinations. In Experiment 1, participants provided written interpretations for phrases constituted by nouns of varying degrees of abstractness. Interpretive focus (the modifier, the head noun, or both) for each noun–noun phrase was evaluated. In Experiment 2, a different group of participants directly indicated which noun, the modifier or the head noun, was the focus of the meaning of each noun–noun phrase. Finally, participants in Experiment 3 assessed similarity of noun–noun phrases with overlapping modifiers. If abstractness of constituent nouns affects information distribution between modifier and head noun, it would accordingly affect similarity ratings for noun–noun phrases with overlapping modifiers. Results showed that the pattern of information distribution within a noun–noun phrase differed between phrases with abstract head nouns and phrases with concrete head nouns. Specifically, the center of representation was more on the head noun side for phrases with concrete head nouns, whereas the center seemed to shift to the direction of the modifier for phrases with abstract head nouns. Some issues related to effects of concept abstractness on noun–noun combinations are discussed.     

The Search For Spiritual Authenticity

The purpose of this article is to help counselors understand the importance of empowering their clients to discover their own insights, meaning, values, and agency.     

Effects of attitude action identification on congruence between attitudes and behavioral intentions toward social groups

Attitude Representation Theory (ART) holds that attitude-relevant responses are informed by mental representations of the attitude object, which include the individual's actions toward that object. Action Identification Theory (AIT) holds that the same action can be identified at multiple levels. Individuals who identify their actions at lower levels have less flexibility in how they perform the action, and thus enact the action less consistently. An integration of ART and AIT suggested that individuals who spontaneously (Experiment 1) or through manipulation (Experiments 2 and 3) identify their attitude-relevant actions toward a social group at lower levels might display less attitude-intention congruence than would individuals who identify their attitude-relevant actions at higher levels. ART and AIT are discussed as having links with each other and with other theories of attitude and judgment processes.