Cultural safety: towards postcolonial counselling practice?

ABSTRACT

This article examines the discursive production of counsellor identity and practice through the operations of colonising and postcolonial discourse in Aotearoa New Zealand. It argues that constructs of cultural safety, tino rangatiratanga and Māori sovereignty, which arose as part of the postcolonial politics of life in Aotearoa, have achieved discursive status and both enable and restrain counsellor practice. This argument is informed by research that explored the discursive production of Pākehā counsellors' practice with non-Pākehā clients.     

A factor analysis for identifying people with disabilities’ mobility issues in built environments

Neighborhood built environments (BE) have been recognized as an important aspect that can, directly and indirectly, impact people with disabilities’ mobility. While many efforts have been made to improve the quality of BE, people with disabilities still perceive inequality in BE. The objective of this study is to identify the factors influencing people with disabilities’ attitudes toward BE that can facilitate or suppress their mobility, using exploratory factor analysis. This study specifically focuses on people with physical disabilities and people with visual impairments living in Austin, TX and Houston, TX metropolitan areas in USA. Data was gathered through an online survey. This study identified three factors from the sample: 1) barrier-free BE; 2) BE supporting safe travel; and 3) walkable BE. In addition, the factors were compared according to the respondents’ demographic information, such as income level, disability type, and private car use availability in households. Regarding income level, low-income individuals with disabilities perceived BE more negatively than their counterparts did. As for private car availability, people with disabilities who have no car in their households had a more negative perception of BE. However, no differences were found in the attitudes across disability types. This study contributes to understanding what BE factors are important for people with disabilities. The findings suggest the importance of establishing more targeted and prioritized strategies, considering people with disabilities’ neighborhoods and individual characteristics, for the improvement of their mobility.     

人类增强技术的伦理考量

人类增强技术作为利用高新技术提高人类机体功能或能力的一种技术干预手段,是对人类身体进行的一种技术上的改变,这必然在“人是什么”、社会公平、安全与自主权等方面引发一定的社会伦理问题。而这正是对“人是目的,而不仅仅是手段”这一绝对律令的违背。由此需要对人类增强技术进行全面的评估,从坚守“增强底线原则”、相关法规的制定和加强伦理审查等方面采取有效对策,预防或减少不良后果的产生。这样才能保证人类增强技术的发展做到有效性与合理性、真理性与价值性、安全性与效益性的完美统一。     

Elder Mistreatment among Chinese and Korean Immigrants: The Roles of Sociocultural Contexts on Perceptions and Help-Seeking Behaviors

The purpose of this study was to identify dimensions of elder mistreatment in Chinese and Korean immigrant communities and to increase sociocultural understanding of such mistreatment by elucidating the complexities of abuse embedded in unique social and cultural contexts. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 local professionals working primarily in Asian elderly advocacy, and six focus group discussions were conducted involving 60 community members in the San Francisco Bay area. Five dimensions of elder mistreatment were identified: psychological abuse, neglect by a trusted person, financial exploitation, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. In general, fewer Korean community member participants reported having observed physical or financial abuse than Chinese groups, but they reported greater knowledge of situations involving psychological abuse, neglect by a trusted person, and sexual abuse. The contexts of cultural influences and immigration and acculturation were salient themes that shaped participants’ subjective perceptions and beliefs about elder abuse and hence help-seeking behaviors.     

Commitment

SUMMARY

This article addresses the issue of commitment and its importance in developing and sustaining an enriching relationship. The author describes commitment, its dynamics, and its implications for treating couples in conflict. The author also describes the conditions in which the issue of commitment is addressed in therapy and treatment interventions that can be used to help couples resolve their differences.     

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A structured teaching and experience-based program for therapists,teachers, and parents

This study is aimed at validating the Separation Anxiety Scale for Children (SASC) in a sample of 802 Italian children aged 8–11. Confirmatory factor analysis replicated the original model. The tool showed adequate reliability and good convergent validity with the Spence Children Anxiety Scale. Results confirmed a decrease of separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD) with age and girls reported higher levels of SAD than boys. Findings suggested that the SASC is a suitable measure to assess SAD in Italian children.     

A new era for Estudios de Psicología / Una nueva era de Estudios de Psicología

Abstract

The journal Estudios de Psicología enters a new era, in which all issues will be dedicated to monographic themes. These themes may be proposed by either the journal Editor or authors themselves, who may submit a positioning article on a topic in the frontiers of psychology (as defined in a previous Editor’s comment, here translated into English and reproduced in its entirety) that will be sent to peer review. If the topic and the article are found to be of interest and relevance, its authors will become the Invited Editors of the monographic issue, and a call for papers will invite authors to send their articles on the chosen topic. The reasons behind this new method, as well as its implications, are presented and discussed.     

Predicting retirement preparation through the design of a new measure

Researchers' capacity to investigate retirement planning behaviour is impeded by the lack of rigorous measurement within the literature. For this study, a comprehensive measure based on the reflexive planning domains of public protection, self‐insurance, and self‐protection was developed and evaluated in a sample of 174 employees aged ≥45 years. Variables of gender, age, income and core self‐evaluations were examined for their influence on planning effort in each of the three domains. Results indicated a clean, three‐factor structure for retirement planning behaviours. All variables emerged as predictors of planning effort in one or more domains. Implications of results for future research into retirement planning and the targeting of planning interventions are discussed.     

Training therapists to work effectively online and offline within digital culture

The speed at which technology evolves, and therefore the speed at which online mental health services evolve and the training required to keep up with them, has become a real concern for the profession. The need for training in transferring face-to-face skills to the online environment has been recognised for some years by leading professional organisations as not only desirable but also essential. In addition, there is an increasing need to keep abreast of digital culture and the type of online environments that clients inhabit. This applies to counsellors and therapists whatever space they are using to deliver services, which may be in the traditional face-to-face consulting room or using tools that enable therapy at a distance, such as the Internet.     

The Balancing Act—Ethical Issues in Parent Training Research: Confidentiality,Harm Reduction,and Methodology

Attention and disruptive behavior disorders present considerable challenges for children and their parents. These challenges have led to the development of parenting programs; however, there is a paucity of literature that discusses the ethical dilemmas parent training researchers face. This article reviews ethical principles and professional standards relevant to parent training research and provides case material to illustrate the challenge of balancing ethical adherence and empirical rigor using three ethical issues that commonly arise in parent training research. In particular, this article focuses on ethical issues surrounding confidentiality in a group setting, use of control groups, and limiting changes in medication/treatment status outside of the treatment protocol.