Action: a bridge between vocational and mental health counselling*

A theory of goal-directed action is proposed as a conceptual link between vocational and mental health counselling. Originally emerging from the vocational counselling field, contextual action theory is presented as a critical conceptual link not only between mental health and occupational life but also between counselling practices in these domains. This specific application of goal-directed action to vocational and mental health counselling is addressed by describing counselling as goal-directed action, the five tasks of counselling it invites, and tools for supporting client goals, such as the self-confrontation interview.     

The ‘tyranny of time’: getting to the heart of the impact of educational cuts on the provision of guidance counselling in Ireland

The Irish Education Act (Government of Ireland 1998) stipulates that each young person in secondary school in Ireland is entitled to access ‘appropriate’ guidance. It has been argued that this very right has been eroded since Budget 2012, where resource re-allocations in guidance counselling are obstructing the requirement for schools to implement this section of the Act. This qualitative study explored the effects of ‘educational cutbacks’ from the perspective of guidance counsellors. Findings from interviews with guidance counsellors, suggest that the effects of such cutbacks in guidance counselling are far-reaching and ultimately students are the one’s losing out. The paper proposes that there is a need to reinstate guidance counselling hours to allow guidance counsellors provide a comprehensive service to young people – which they are entitled to.     

On being guided – a typology of career guidance in EU discourses*

With this article we want to illustrate how the central publications of the European Union legitimate a role of Career Guidance Services (CGS) that help in establishing a desired form of social order. Using the Sociology of Knowledge Approach to Discourse, we reconstructed four typical metaphorical conceptualisations of CGS that go along with desirable and taken-for-granted subject positions. The results reveal the assigned active role of CGS in establishing a specific vision of and in transforming the European society. We conclude by outlining the ways in which critique is expressed within the discourse and by highlighting the inherent ambivalences of these practices of critique.     

认知需要与战略决策过程之间的关系

认知需要指人们在信息加工过程中是否愿意投入周密的心考以及能否从深入的思考中获得享受．它反映的是人的认知动机。由于企业管理者在决策过程中涉及诸多处理信息和思考问题的环节,认知需要必然在这一过程中起作用。本研究运用情境案例法探讨了在不确定环境下决策者的认知需要与其在战略决策过程中分析环境和判断战略导向的关系。通过相关分析发现高认知需要者在决策过程中更倾向于关注环境、对环境做出积极判断、强调从长远和全面的角度去分析企业战略。     

Clinical and demographic features of the online counselling client population

The purpose of this research was to determine the demographics and characteristics of clients seeking online counselling over an eight‐month period of clinical online practice. Two hundred and seventeen clients seeking Internet counselling completed a Counselling Application and a Life History Questionnaire. The characteristics of the relatively new client population include the following categories: gender, age groups, martial status, education, primary reason for seeking online therapy, secondary issues, frequency of email exchanges, and online vs. face‐to‐face counselling preferences. Implications for online counselling practice are discussed.     

Feature and Configuration in Face Processing: Japanese Are More Configural Than Americans

Previous work suggests that Asians allocate more attention to configuration information than Caucasian Americans do. Yet this cultural variation has been found only with stimuli such as natural scenes and objects that require both feature‐ and configuration‐based processing. Here, we show that the cultural variation also exists in face perception—a domain that is typically viewed as configural in nature. When asked to identify a prototypic face for a set of disparate exemplars, Japanese were more likely than Caucasian Americans to use overall resemblance rather than feature matching. Moreover, in a speeded identity‐matching task, Japanese were more accurate than Americans in identifying the spatial configuration of features (e.g., eyes). Together, these findings underscore the robustness of culture’s influences on cognition.     

原发性甲亢合并严重肝损伤患者的循证治疗

为原发性甲亢合并严重肝损伤患者制定循证治疗方案。根据PICO原则,提出临床问题并转换成便于检索的形式,检索美国国家指南交换中心（NGC）、Cochrane图书馆（2010年第3期）、PubMed（1995-2010．11）和维普数据库（CHKD,1995～2010．11）。根据检索结果,制定治疗方法,2月后患者肝功能、...     

An outcome evaluation study of a psycho‐educational course in a primary care setting

Rationale: To date relatively little research has examined the effectiveness of psycho‐educational courses provided in a primary care setting to adults with mild‐to‐moderate mental health concerns. Aims: To determine whether group psycho‐education could be a viable alternative to individual counselling by (1) assessing the clinical effectiveness of an 8‐week psycho‐educational course, and (2) examining the group outcomes in comparison with individual treatment outcomes from a previous study in the same counselling service. Method: A total of 57 participants attending a psycho‐educational course provided data over a 36‐month period, using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation – Outcome Measure (CORE‐OM) pre‐ and post‐intervention. A comparison was then made with the data of 58 previous participants of individual counselling evaluation, using the same CORE‐OM system. Results: Participants reported significantly lower levels of psychological distress after attending the course and these results are comparable to outcomes measured in the same service for individual counselling, indicating that group interventions could be considered a legitimate alternative to individual counselling, thus increasing cost effectiveness and reducing waiting times. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and further investigation are considered.     

Thought recognition and psychological well‐being: An empirical test of principle based correctional counselling

Aims: To determine the relationship between thought recognition, a major construct of principle‐based correctional counselling, and psychological wellbeing. Method: Following several weekly group sessions of Principle‐Based Correctional Counselling, 54 adult prisoners on probation completed two measures of thought recognition and the Well‐Being Inventory. In a follow‐up study, 30 participants completed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale. Results: Significant positive relationships were found between both measures of thought recognition and psychological wellbeing and, in the follow‐up study, both measures of thought recognition and mindfulness. Discussion: Possible explanations for the relationship between thought recognition and psychological wellbeing, and thought recognition and mindfulness are discussed. Implications for practice: Teaching correctional clients the principles behind generic human psychological functioning, and the innate design behind human thinking, appears to improve their thinking and draw out their innate healthy functioning.