The STEPPS Group Treatment Program for Outpatients with Borderline Personality Disorder

The authors describe a new cognitive-behavioral systems-based group treatment for outpatients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The program is identified by the acronym STEPPS, which stands for Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving. The STEPPS program was developed to address the cognitive distortions and behavioral dyscontrol typical of clients with BPD, and combines this with skills training and a systems component. The latter involves clients with BPD and those in their system including family members, significant others, and health care professionals. The program is fully manualized, and involves 20 two-hour weekly group meetings; specific goals (or lessons) are identified for each session. Preliminary data from the US and the Netherlands have shown that the group achieves high levels of acceptance from clients and therapists and that the model may be effective in helping to relieve the symptoms associated with BPD. Work is now underway to confirm the effectiveness of the model through a randomized controlled trial.     

Consultant Problem Understanding as a Function of Training in Interviewing to Promote Accessible Reasoning

The focus of this article is on how consultants develop a “high-quality” understanding of a teacher's presenting problem situation from interviewing them. A longitudinal quasi-experimental study was conducted with 10 graduate students enrolled on an accredited training program in school psychology in which interviewing and problem-solving skills were taught and practiced. Eight individuals who had been selected for the same training program but who had not enrolled acted as a comparison group to measure possible practice effects. The results indicated that following training consultant use of statements designed to reveal their reasoning to the teacher significantly increased, and was highly correlated with the quality of their subsequent written analyses of the teacher's problem situation.     

How Do Experienced Family Therapists View Their Practice? An Exploratory Assessment of Clinical Skills and Their Relation to Theories of Family Therapy

This study examines the fit between theory based therapeutic skills and the perceptions of experienced therapists about their own skills. Participants responded to a measure of family therapy skills. Of the generic skills, two factors were identified which cut across many areas of practice. For the theory specific skills, two factors were identified which cut across four theories of family therapy. One was consistent with an expert style of therapy and the other reflected a collaborative approach to practice. These findings suggest that clinical training in family therapy should develop ways to train clinicians to match their clinical practice with client needs over theory based models.     

Psychology and Aging: Enhancing the Lives of an Aging Population

A pressing need for upcoming decades is ensuring that older adults, who constitute an increasing percentage of the population, are able to function independently and maintain an acceptable quality of life. One important concern is the usability of new technologies. Unfortunately, the science that could direct proper design and implementation of current and future technological advancement is underdeveloped and less mature than the engineering that supports technological advancement. We review data documenting age-related usability issues and how psychological science can remedy such problems. We also outline how training principles can be applied to older adults. We conclude that psychological science has much to contribute to the goal of enhancing the lives of older adults.     

Transition Discontinuities and the Biographical Shaping of Early Work Careers

Because of the restructuring of work and deregulation of the labor market school-to-work transitions have been predicted to become destandardized. These structural changes will finally also erode Germany's renowned dual system of apprenticeship training. From an economic-structural point of view it is likely that young persons' social integration and biographical plans can no longer rely on this occupation-driven transition arrangement. Based on a quantitative and qualitative longitudinal study with young adults in two German labor-market regions, this exploratory study shows that the dual system not only trains for certain occupations, but also socializes for the contingencies of the labor market. The results are interpreted in the new conceptual framework of self-socialization, which links individual agency with social contexts across the life course in terms of a biography-environment fit. Applied to transition discontinuities and shifting contexts of career development, processes of self-socialization are reflected in different modes of biographical agency in the shaping of early employment careers. Self-initiated and enforced discontinuous employment and occupational change are mediated by various constellations of occupational contexts and modes of biographical agency. The study suggests that for young adults the dual system still provides skills and orientations for coping with career discontinuity.     

护理扩展培训在艾滋病干预模式中的探讨

新疆艾滋病形势严峻,艾滋病重点疫区的护理人员普遍存在着对艾滋病知识的缺乏,对艾滋病患者持有歧视、恐惧的心理及缺乏基本的防护知识等现状,艾滋病护理扩展培训项目的实施,通过对护理人员进行的艾滋病知识培训,对艾滋病干预模式进行了有益的探索和实践。     

《管子》的兵学思想简论

《管子》虽非兵学著作,但是其兵学思想丰富而全面。其兵学思想涉及养兵之道、治兵之道、用兵之道等内容。其兵学思想在中国军事思想史上占有很重要的地位,对于当今的军事建设也具有重要的借鉴价值。     

VIDEO MODELING TO TRAIN STAFF TO IMPLEMENT DISCRETE‐TRIAL INSTRUCTION

Three new direct‐service staff participated in a program that used a video model to train target skills needed to conduct a discrete‐trial session. Percentage accuracy in completing a discrete‐trial teaching session was evaluated using a multiple baseline design across participants. During baseline, performances ranged from a mean of 12% to 63% accuracy. During video modeling, there was an immediate increase in accuracy to a mean of 98%, 85%, and 94% for each participant. Performance during maintenance and generalization probes remained at high levels. Results suggest that video modeling can be an effective technique to train staff to conduct discrete‐trial sessions.     

A DEMONSTRATION OF INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCE FOR NOVEL MANDS DURING FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION TRAINING

Preference for mand topography was evaluated for 2 individuals with developmental disabilities who exhibited problem behavior. The results of a functional analysis showed that each participant's problem behavior was maintained by social reinforcement. Participants were taught two novel mand topographies for the same functional reinforcer, and each proved to be effective in reducing problem behavior. Finally, preference for mand topography was assessed within a concurrent‐schedules design. Results indicated that functional communication training was an effective treatment, regardless of the mand used, and that each participant demonstrated a preference for one mand topography relative to the other.