A Developmental Approach to Outreach Services for Counseling Centers

Economics, pressure for accountability and changing student needs are forcing counseling centers to evaluate their services and methods of delivery. This article illustrates how a developmental, proactive, outreach approach can be an alternative to the traditional medical model.     

Capturing Children's Response to Parental Conflict and Making Use of It

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full-text page on Wiley InterScience ( http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp ).
The aim of our study is to examine the interface between children's physiological changes and the specificities of parental conflict, and to develop a procedure in which such information can be shared with the family for therapeutic change. Children from 20 families were exposed to parental conflict discussion (CD) while their arousals were measured through skin conductance and heart rate sensors. It was found that regardless of the subject of the argument, 80% of the time they were complaining about each other. Likewise, 80% of the time the children were responding to the parents' own interpersonal tension, including moments of silence. The protocol established for the study, consisting of CD and debriefing, was found to be a powerful tool in moving parents toward conflict resolution.     

UNDERSTANDING RESPONSES TO MULTI-SOURCE FEEDBACK: THE ROLE OF CORE SELF-EVALUATIONS

This longitudinal study examines the role of core self-evaluations in responses to multisource feedback. Consistent with past research, feedback recipients were most satisfied when others' ratings were high. Core self-evaluations was not related to satisfaction with feedback, but was positively linked to goal commitment 4 months after feedback. Polynomial regression results reveal a complex pattern of associations among core self-evaluations, ratings, satisfaction, and commitment to developmental goals. Specifically, individuals with high core self-evaluations were most committed to developmental goals when self and others' ratings were discrepant. In contrast, individuals with low core self-evaluations were most committed to developmental goals when self and others' ratings were in agreement. Our results question the notion that satisfaction with feedback affects motivation to improve and highlight the importance of personality in motivation to improve following feedback. We discuss practical and theoretical implications of our findings and provide a theoretical framework for future research.     

Group Work With Catholic Priests Who Have Exited the Clerical World

Currently, a growing number of Catholic priests choose to leave the priesthood. These former priests usually feel guilt ridden, isolated, and confused. They also experience great anxiety about fitting into a secular society and about being a “displaced person.” A group approach designed to help meet the needs of these individuals is described.     

DESIGNING, PLANNING, AND SELLING PROJECT A

Because of its size and its focus on an entire personnel system, Project A represents an unusual chapter in the support of personnel research and development (R & D) by a funding agency. This paper describes the events that led up to the decision to create such a Request for Proposals (RFP), and the conditions that made it possible. The conditions that seem necessary to maintain such a project over the course of its life cycle are also discussed.     

For God's sake,what do those women want?

“Of course, you were just trying to make sure she was being 'realistic' in her choice—this was what she really wanted to do—but she got the message.“     

MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS: AN ALTERNATIVE TO TRADITIONAL ASSESSMENT CENTER DIMENSIONS?

The construct validity of traditional assessment center dimensions was compared with that of a set of alternative constructs based on the functional structure of managerial work. Subjects were 75 middle-level managers in state government who participated in two developmental assessment centers as part of a centralized management development program. One assessment center measured performance in terms of traditional attribute dimensions and the other in terms of functions performed in managerial work. Results show that evidence for construct validity is weak for both sets of constructs.