Mistakes as Pathways Towards Creativity in Counseling: A Case Example

ABSTRACT

The relationship between mistakes, improvisation, and counseling process is explored through the use of a case example involving a failed clinical intervention. Exploration of mistakes offers an opportunity to examine multiple elements of counseling while highlighting the creative nature of the counseling process. Counselor educators are encouraged to incorporate discussions of mistakes and creative development into training.     

Recollections of parental style and perceptions of current family functioning at age 50

It is hypothesized that recollections of an individual's parental behaviour towards them is associated with their view of their current family functioning. This hypothesis was tested for using data provided by 213 men and 270 women drawn at age 50 from the Newcastle Thousand Families Study. Relationships between retrospective reports of parental behaviour during childhood and perceptions of current family functioning at age 50 were investigated using a univariate regression analysis in order to explore the relationship between scores on the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD). Where a significant association was observed the relationship between subscale scores was further examined using a multivariate regression analysis including gender and self‐reported psychological well‐being (as measured by the General Health Questionnaire‐ GHQ) as covariates. Several statistically significant associations between PBI and FAD subscale scores were observed. Four of these remained statistically significant once gender and self‐reported psychological well‐being were adjusted for. In this population sample, aspects of recalled parental behaviour were associated with the health of current family functioning in several domains as reported by the FAD. These associations appear to be partly mediated by current psychological well‐being.