Counselling in higher education: the experience of lone counsellors

A qualitative study was conducted into the experience of student counsellors working as lone counsellors or as members of a small team in higher education colleges. The data, gathered through semi-structured interviews of eight participants, all of whom were responsible for the management of their counselling service, revealed the complexity of the student counsellor's role. While the one to one work with clients was seen as the primary task, the significance of the counsellor's involvement in the organisation was not to be underestimated. Issues around case load, support and relationships with colleagues, which can be problematic for counsellors working in organisations generally, were highlighted for those working as lone counsellors.     

Employees' Sense of Community, Sense of Control, and Work/Family Conflict in Native American Organizations

This study examines two critical psychological states—employees' sense of work community and their sense of control—as mediating variables between personal/work factors and work/family conflict in the context of two Native American organizations. The questionnaire data come from 151 employees, 77 of whom are Nez Perce Indians. Results using structural equation modeling show that employees' sense of community and sense of control at work mediate the relationship among four personal/work factors (employees' ethnicity, family-sensitive supervision, the intrinsic value they place on their work, and work flexibility) and work/family role conflict.     

The analysis of young people’s experiences of domestic violence: spiritual and emotional journeys through suffering

The hermeneutical analysis of the stories of young people who have experienced domestic violence is described as multi‐layered having been developed from a voice centred relational methodology. The purpose was to uncover the complexity of lived experience. As the analysis proceeded, the young people’s voices emerged as ‘feeling’ voices, encompassing emotionality. Each young person’s journey through suffering was characterised by individuality, but the analysis has offered a glimpse of commonality which is present within each of the young people’s stories. Their resilience, their journey from disempowering to humanising emotions and their indomitable spiritual powers have been revealed through the analytical process.     

FOCUS GROUPS

Focus groups are little used in feminist psychology, despite their methodological advantages. Following a brief introduction to the method, the article details three key ways in which the use of focus groups addresses the feminist critique of traditional methods in psychology. Focus groups are relatively naturalistic and so avoid the charge of artificiality; they offer social contexts for meaning-making and so avoid the charge of decontextualization; and they shift the balance of power away from the researcher toward the research participants and so avoid the charge of exploitation. The final section of the article, which evaluates the potential of focus groups for feminist research, identifies some other benefits of the method and also discusses some problems in the current use of focus groups. It concludes that the use—and development—of focus group methods offer feminist psychology an excellent opportunity for the future.