The Therapist’s Needs: Beyond Mutual Recognition

Abstract

As early as 1965, Harold Searles argued that therapists’ needs for healing and growth are part and parcel of their work with patients. Since then, the relational movement has corroborated this idea by articulating the healing function of treatment for both patient and clinician. In this article, the authors examine therapists’ needs that have been overlooked or those that have not been considered fully in the literature. Using various ideas related to the concept of what the authors call therapeutic freedom, this article argues that clinicians must strive to adopt a therapeutic vision that aims to loosen their own ties to safe, familiar modes of engaging with patients, particularly in moments of enactment or impasse. The authors elucidate these ideas with case material from their clinical work and show how embracing various forms of therapeutic freedom results in a type of mutual surrender on the part of both patient and therapist, creating opportunistic conditions that generate therapeutic action and new possibilities for the dyad.     

A global portrait of counselling psychologists’ characteristics,perspectives, and professional behaviors

Counseling psychologists in eight countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) responded to survey questions that focused on their demographics as well as their professional identities, roles, settings, and activities. As well, they were asked about satisfaction with the specialty and the extent to which they endorsed 10 core counseling psychology values. This article reports those results, focusing both on areas in which there were between-country similarities as well as on those for which there were differences. These data provide a snapshot of counseling psychology globally and establish a foundation for the other articles in this special issue of the journal.     

Children’s spirituality and inclusion: strengthening a child’s spirit with community,resilience and joy

The vision of inclusion speaks to the minds, hearts and spirits of children with disabilities. A meaningful inclusive atmosphere exists when children with and without disabilities are physically engaged and interact with one another as a community in a variety of activities. Spirituality for children with disabilities within an inclusive early childhood classroom requires an education that is intellectual, emotional, social, moral and spiritual. In this type of environment, children with disabilities and peers can flourish in a warm and welcoming community. This paper contributes to the literature and asserts the importance of the ‘forgotten’ dimension of early childhood special education. Learning strategies to inform teachers and parents for establishing an inclusive welcoming classroom for children with disabilities are offered by exploring a spiritual curriculum emphasising holistic education with peers through strengths-based projects, small group work and peer-mediated interventions for supporting the interests of each child and developing the capacity to develop resilience and joy.     

The role of social support in women’s health and recovery processes

The aim of this study was to assess the psychological state of women who have undergone surgery for breast cancer or cardiac surgery, including examination of the role of social support in both groups. The study included 48 women (mean age: 66.04?±?8.3 years). They were divided into two groups according to diagnosis: 23 women (mean age: 69.2?±?8.6 years) who underwent heart surgery (cardiac group, CG) and 25 women (mean age: 63.2?±?7.0 years) treated for breast cancer and associated with the Women After Mastectomy Club (oncology group, OG). In addition to the assessment of socio-demographic variables, the following self-report questionnaires were administered: Satisfaction with Life Scale, Acceptance of Illness Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory as well as Berlin Social Support Scale. In the CG, the severity of depressive symptoms was two times higher than in OG (p?=?.003). In both groups, there was a high percentage (80%) of women with severe symptoms of anxiety (p?=?.37). In both groups, the level of life satisfaction was similar (p?=?.58), but OG was characterized by a higher level of acceptance of the disease (p?=?.003). The correlation analysis showed that in both groups, social support was related differently to the parameters of emotional state. Women treated for breast cancer were in a better mental condition than women treated for heart disease. The support coming from other women in similar circumstances (Women After Mastectomy Club) seems to be more effective than the support coming from the patient’s immediate environment. The results for social support ought to be interpreted not only through the prism of mean values of received support, but also with regard to the information on the sources of support.     

A Report on Information Dissemination Strategies: The Case of Da’wah Academy,Pakistan

Information dissemination is a term used to describe the distribution or broadcasting of information (IGI Global). Using the case-study method, this article has investigates various information dissemination strategies used by Da’wah Academy for Da’wah purposes. The study concluded that Da’wah Academy is using both traditional and modern information dissemination strategies to convey the message of Islam within Pakistan and abroad. This report recommends that Da’wah Academy should begin publishing in electronic format to widen the use and sale of their publications. There is a need to focus on web-based information dissemination and to extend the use of social media to pull information among information seekers. It is recommended that the Academy initiate online distance learning courses along with traditional correspondence courses to cater needs of far-flung areas.