Next Steps in Validation

No abstract available for this article.     

Awakening Resilience: Recovery Within Intimate Female Friendships

A multi-ethnic female creates her own definition of self with the help of strong female role models—women of strength. The author uses a storytelling method, characteristic Native American way of relating, as a vehicle for her narration. It is a story of transitions with challenges in relationships and new beginnings that define the woman as well as the therapist.     

Who,What, When,Where, How,and Mostly Why?

SUMMARY

The death of a client by suicide was very emotionally destabilizing to this therapist. She worked hard to distance herself personally from the pain at first and at the same time she found herself overfocused on the “psychological autopsy.” She had difficulty accepting new clients and wanted to withdraw from a meaningful appointment to a state advisory committee. Only when she was able to identify with the client's pain and realize how that pain touched her own history of loss was she able to grieve productively. She realized that gender was relevant in her identification with the victim and in sorting out each of their histories of loss.     

The effect of tape-recorded relaxation training on well-being,symptoms, and peak expiratory flow rate in adult asthmatics: A pilot study

Abstract

Evidence indicates that psychological stress plays a role in precipitating and exacerbating asthma symptoms and suggests that relaxation techniques aimed at reducing stress and autonomic arousal leads to symptom reduction. This study explored the effect of a tape-recorded relaxation intervention on well-being (mood and stresson). asthma symptoms, and a measure of pulmonary function (PEFR). Twenty adult asthmatics were studied for 21 days in their natural environment using a multiple baseline design. Self-administered relaxation training (including both breathing exercises and muscle relaxation) led to decreased negative mood and stressor report. Reporting of asthma symptoms decreased over time, and PEFR was increased by relaxation training. Asthma medication use was unchanged. Results suggest that tape–recorded relaxation training positively impacts well-being, asthma symptoms. and PEFR in a naturalistic setting. Further study of the potential use of inexpensive tape-recorded interventions in chronic illness is warranted.     

Towards a model of self-awareness development for counselling and psychotherapy training

Self-awareness has been considered to be a critical ingredient for effective counselling and psychotherapy. However, training models have failed to provide an integrated and explicit approach to self-awareness development. The authors therefore introduce and describe the integrated model of self-awareness development and discuss potential applications for counselling and psychotherapy training.     

Greed 1

Abstract

This paper discusses the supervisor's responsibility in addressing the vulnerability or wounds of the therapist. Supervisors have much to keep in mind as they conduct their work, not least the client for whose benefit supervision is deemed to be an essential aspect of good practice. Their responsibility towards the client often entails careful exploration of the experience of the counsellor, both through their counter-transferential response to the client and their own personal circumstances. The extent to which the supervisor has a mandate to discuss the psychological well-being, personal difficulties, or organizational conflicts of their supervisee depends on both contractual agreements and the working alliance. The need to recognize counter-transference responses is generic but when they highlight the internal conflicts of the counsellor, the supervisor must decide how far they can or should pursue the unravelling of such conflicts. Therapist difficulties (Schroder & Davis, 2004 Schröder, T. and Davis, J. 2004. Therapists' experience of difficulty in practice. Psychotherapy Research, 14: 328–345. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) provide a framework for understanding ways in which therapeutic practice is affected by the emotional response of the therapist.     

Assessment and Intervention with Black-White Multiracial Couples

SUMMARY

Effective therapy with Black-White multiracial couples begins with therapist work on self attitudes and with sensitive assessment of the ways racism and race may or may not be connected to a couple's problems. We suggest ways to begin to explore self attitudes and suggest basic assessment questions for work with Black-White couples. In addition, we point out important clinical issues that may come up for Black-White couples in the areas of social support/social network, parenting, and grief.     

Split Self Affairs and Their Treatment

SUMMARY

The Split Self Affair is a long-term serious relationship. The split being played out in the affair reflects an internal split between doing things “right” and the emotional self. Treatment for those involved centers on understanding the origins of the internal split and on reclaiming the neglected emotional self. Long term individual therapy is the treatment of choice, augmented by other modalities.     

Acceptance of Tinnitus: Validation of the Tinnitus Acceptance Questionnaire

Internet‐based interventions with therapist support have proven effective for treating a range of mental health conditions. This study examined whether frequency of therapist contact affected treatment outcomes. Fifty‐seven people with panic disorder (including 32 with agoraphobia) were randomly allocated to an 8‐week Internet‐based cognitive behavioural treatment intervention (Panic Online) with either frequent (three e‐mails per week) or infrequent (one e‐mail per week) support from a psychologist. Posttreatment, intention‐to‐treat analyses revealed that both treatments were effective at improving panic disorder and agoraphobia severity ratings, panic‐related cognitions, negative affect, and psychological and physical quality of life domains, with no differences between conditions. High end‐state functioning was achieved by 28.6% of the frequent and infrequent participants, respectively. Therapist alliance, treatment credibility, and satisfaction also did not differ between groups, despite significantly greater therapist time invested in the frequent contact condition. The results provide evidence that the effectiveness of Internet‐based mental health interventions may be independent of the frequency of therapist support and may, therefore, be more cost‐effective than previously reported.     

Theoretical Orientation and Therapists' Attitudes to Important Components of Therapy: A Study Based on the Valuable Elements in Psychotherapy Questionnaire

The authors describe the inception and subsequent testing of a questionnaire on attitudes regarding how psychotherapy ought to be pursued: the Valuable Elements in Psychotherapy Questionnaire (VEP-Q). A sample of 416 Swedish therapists (161 psychodynamic, 93 cognitive, 95 cognitive behavioral, and 67 integrative/eclectic) responded to the 17-item VEP-Q. A factor analysis of these items resulted in three subscales: PDT, CBT, and Common Factor, as validated by analyses of covariance. The internal consistency and test–retest reliability of the scales were excellent. In addition to theoretical orientation, variables such as gender and basic professional training influenced how respondents answered the VEP-Q. The authors conclude that the VEP-Q seems to be an appropriate instrument for describing similarities as well as differences among practitioners of various schools of psychotherapy.