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Developing sound evidence of program effectiveness can be difficult for many programs initiated by schools and communities, and impedes many beneficial programs from broader dissemination. This paper shares results of an evaluation approach used with a bullying and victimization prevention program with elementary school children called the radKIDS® Personal Empowerment and Safety Education Program. The purpose of this study was to examine indicators of initial effectiveness of the radKIDS® program for elementary school child safety skill development and instructor training to reduce child victimization and associated trauma and empower healthy psychosocial child development. The study involved 330 active radKIDS® instructors surveyed during two separate two-week periods, resulting in 148 completed questionnaires (45%). Instructors rated their perceptions of what children effectively learned in radKIDS®, the effectiveness of instructor training, and on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies addressed in the program. Evaluation findings confirmed the theoretical model of the program, and that the developmental safety domains impacting children in radKIDS® differs from those in other bullying prevention interventions focused on SEL and other competencies. Recommended areas of improvement for the program included making training less time consuming and more flexible in delivery, provide more practice opportunities and time on skill acquisition during training, and increase supervision and guidance during program implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Master's students and graduates in two Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) clinical mental health counseling programs participated in the Role of Meaningfulness Survey. The results indicated that a sense of meaningfulness and being true to yourself may particularly be important for those who choose a high "burnout profession," as it can contribute to their resiliency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remediation is an essential gatekeeping responsibility, yet counselor education lacks consensus on the best way to approach student remediation. We used Q methodology to explore the remediation practices of 28 counselor educators employed full‐time in accredited university programs. Four factors emerged: Due Process, Reflective Practice, Remedial Coursework, and Preserve Programmatic Status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive literature has shown that interparental conflicts and violence have detrimental effects on children's adjustment in childhood and adolescence. It is not equally well-understood how parental relationship satisfaction impacts infant communicational and personal-social development during the first year of life. This longitudinal study examines (a) the impact of maternal and paternal relationship satisfaction on infant development, (b) whether this prospective association is mediated by parent-infant relationship, and (c) a potential moderating effect of infant gender. Data were derived from the population-based cohort study "Dresden Study on Parenting, Work, and Mental Health" (DREAM) including 1,012 mothers and 676 fathers. Relationship satisfaction and parent-infant relationship were assessed eight weeks postpartum, infant communicational and personal-social development were measured 14 months postpartum. Multiple linear regression, mediation, and moderation analyses were conducted for mothers and fathers separately. It was shown that paternal relationship satisfaction is a significant predictor of infant personal-social development. This prospective association was partially mediated by father-infant relationship. When postnatal depression was included in the analysis, however, father-infant relationship was not a significant mediator. The association in fathers is neither reduced nor increased as a function of infant gender. No similar effects were found in the mothers' sample. Parental relationship satisfaction did not significantly predict infant communicational development in either mothers or fathers. The study findings highlight the importance of paternal relationship satisfaction, father-infant relationship, and postnatal depression for infant personal-social development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Father-infant bonding is important for child development. Yet, in contrast to mother-infant bonding, little is known about factors that might facilitate father-infant bonding. With new generations of fathers being more involved in childcare, this study aims to examine the impact of paternal leave duration on father-infant bonding, and whether this relation is mediated by the amount of time fathers actively spend on childcare. Methods: Data of n = 637 fathers were derived from the German population-based cohort study "Dresden Study on Parenting, Work, and Mental Health" (DREAM). Mediation analyses were conducted. Duration of paternal leave (predictor), weekly hours spent on childcare (mediator), and father-infant bonding (outcome) were measured at 14 months postpartum. The potential confounders current status of paternal leave, part-time work during paternal leave, duration of solo paternal leave, age, education, and partnership satisfaction were included in a second mediation analysis. Results: Without considering confounders, duration of paternal leave positively predicted father-infant bonding through weekly hours spent on childcare. When adding confounders to the model, this indirect path did not stay significant. Moreover, in the adjusted model and on the direct path duration of paternal leave negatively predicted father-infant bonding. Additionally, partnership satisfaction positively predicted father-infant bonding. Some study variables were significantly associated with the mediator. Longer duration of paternal leave, currently being on paternal leave, younger age, and lower educational level predicted more weekly hours spent on childcare. Conclusions: Duration of paternal leave not being a stable predictor for father-infant bonding suggests that fathers, who do not have the opportunity to take long periods of paternal leave, can still form strong bonds with their infants. Other factors, for example partnership satisfaction, which might represent fathers' underlying capacity to bond, might be more crucial for father-infant bonding. At the same time, results should not be interpreted in a way that father involvement (e.g., paternal leave/time spent) does not matter for children's development. The finding that longer duration of paternal leave increases weekly hours spent on childcare supports the idea that facilitating father involvement can be achieved by paternal leave incentives such as non-transferable father months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The majority of Western women work during their reproductive years, but past research has often neglected the influence of work-related factors on postpartum mental health. Especially postpartum depression (PPD) is an enormous psychological burden for mothers. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the prospective impact of precarious working conditions and psychosocial work stress during pregnancy (such as work-privacy conflict and effort-reward imbalance at the job) on symptoms of maternal PPD.Methods: In the prospective-longitudinal cohort study DREAM (DResdner Studie zu Elternschaft, Arbeit und Mentaler Gesundheit), N = 587 employed women were questioned about their work during pregnancy and their mental health 8 weeks after delivery.Results: Multiple regression analyses revealed that work-privacy conflict, low reward at work, and precarious working conditions significantly predicted symptoms of PPD, even when controlling for lifetime depression, anxiety, education, parity, and age.Conclusion: Our results indicate that psychosocial work stress and precarious working conditions have important implications for maternal peripartum mental health. They might act as prospective risk factors for PPD during the period of maternal leave. Hence, future research should focus on preventative measures targeting work life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanistic counseling and supervision place an emphasis on authenticity and connection, two concepts that relate to vulnerability. Authenticity and vulnerability can lead to growth in the context of the supervisory relationship. Relational‐cultural supervision is discussed as a humanistic approach that can be used in promoting vulnerability and counselor development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supervisors are responsible for protecting client welfare and for promoting counselor development. In order for counselor growth and development to occur, the supervisee must feel safe being vulnerable in supervision and a strong supervisory relationship is essential in creating this safe space for the supervisee. Given the significance of the supervisory relationship, the authors discuss the application of relational-cultural theory to the supervisory process (i.e., Relational Cultural Supervision) with a focus on the concept of vulnerability and the addition of creativity as a means of supporting the supervisory process. Creative supervision activities that may promote vulnerability within the supervisory relationship are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Counseling scholarship has increasingly demonstrated the utility of relational-cultural theory (RCT) in promoting the relationship-building and growth-fostering connections many clients require to manage problems in living. The authors applied RCT to counseling clients with traumatic stress disorders rooted in traumas of an interpersonal nature (e.g., child abuse, interpersonal partner violence, sexual assault). An overview of traumatic stress disorders and RCT, as well as the ways in which RCT can inform trauma conceptualization and treatment approaches with victims, is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many professional counselors will experience the loss of a client to suicide. The effects of this loss are explored in this article. The supervisor’s role in supporting a supervisee after a client’s suicide is presented. Additionally, creative interventions that can be used by supervisors to support supervisees after the loss of a client are provided. These creative techniques are theoretically grounded within the cognitive behavioral, solution-focused, and narrative paradigms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As the counseling profession evolves, educational standards for counselor licensure must be standardized from state to state. In this article, the authors discuss historical and current influences and present an advocacy model that has been used to standardize educational requirements in state counselor licensure laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty has an impact on mental health and the counseling process in profound ways; however, counselors may fail to recognize the importance of poverty in clients' lives. The authors propose a model to help counselors navigate the complexities of counseling clients who are living in poverty. The I-CARE Model may help counselors develop insight about personal biases, acknowledge harsh realities of poverty, remove barriers to growth, and expand on the clients' own strengths. La pobreza tiene un profundo impacto sobre la salud mental y el proceso de consejería; sin embargo, es posible que los consejeros no reconozcan la importancia de la pobreza en las vidas de sus clientes. Los autores proponen un modelo para ayudar a los consejeros a comprender las complejidades de los clientes que viven en la probreza. El Modelo I-CARE puede ayudar a los consejeros a desarrollar su percepción de sesgos personales, reconocer las duras realidades de la probreza, eliminar barreras al crecimiento y ampliar las fortalezas de los clientes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools have a demonstrated need for student non-suicidal self-injury protocols and school counselors play an important role in the development and implementation of such procedures. This article presents an overview of school counselor considerations related to developing and implementing a self-injury protocol. It provides an example of a comprehensive school counseling protocol for addressing student self-injury, including a sample safety plan. The authors present a case study application and discuss implementation considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this investigation is to study the relationship between types of bullying and victimization and problematic behaviors, which include both internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Social and relational data was examined on 22 fourth-grade elementary school students. Results of bivariate (Pearson) correlations indicate that internalizing problems demonstrated a positive relationship with verbal and relational bullying and externalizing problems demonstrated a positive relationship with physical, verbal, and relational victimization. The authors discuss implications and strength-based strategies for bullying prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excoriation disorder (also called skin picking disorder) is a newly added, often overlooked mental disorder in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (APA, 2013). The purpose of this article is to increase professional counselors' abilities to recognize and effectively address the symptoms of excoriation disorder. In this article, the etiologies, diagnostic criteria and assessment strategies for excoriation disorder are described. Excoriation disorder develops as the result of biological and physical contributors and might serve to regulate emotions. A review is provided of specific interventions and treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy, which have demonstrated success in treating those who have excoriation disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hoarding disorder (HD) is a newly added mental disorder in the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). In this article, the symptoms, characteristics, and features of HD are described, along with diagnosis and assessment strategies. The most efficacious treatments for counseling clients diagnosed with HD are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that may protect or insulate people from engaging in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). College students ( N = 14,385) from 8 universities participated in a web-based survey. Results of bivariate correlations and multiple regression revealed that spirituality/religiosity, life satisfaction, and life meaning were predictive of NSSI. The authors provide practice suggestions for college counselors and other professionals charged with helping those at risk for NSSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sanctioned supervision, sometimes referred to as mandated supervision or professional monitoring, is intended to protect the public, reduce further counselor ethical/legal violations, and improve the professional practice of the counselor adjudicated for unprofessional behavior. Sanctioned supervision is a common remediation intervention required by state regulatory boards. However, there is a lack of research on the practice of sanctioned supervision and the perceptions of sanctioned supervisors. A qualitative research approach was used to better understand the experiences of four supervisors who provided sanctioned supervision within the past year as part of a state regulatory board remediation process. The main themes from the qualitative study included the following: supervisors finding the supervision process to be unique from traditional supervision, and supervisors experiencing ambivalence about the sanctioned supervision process. Practice considerations for supervisors providing sanctioned supervision are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The contributions of Thomas J. Sweeney to the counseling profession through professional leadership and advocacy, scholarship, teaching, and the development of Chi Sigma Iota are chronicled through a personal interview and comments from professional colleagues. Readers are provided with a sense of the depth and breadth of his more than 50 years of dedicated service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a creative termination activity grounded in relational-cultural theory is presented. In addition to providing a means for summarizing the counseling experience, this activity promotes relational development in the midst of client termination. Following implementation of the activity, the client and counselor are provided tangible, co-constructed gifts that are symbolic of the therapeutic relationship and relational growth. The authors provide a rationale for how this intervention promotes self-awareness, outline directions for implementation, and provide a case illustration to demonstrate how counselors can help promote relational closure and solidify clients’ therapeutic gains. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors present the argument that professional counseling is philosophically grounded in humanism. As evidence, 5 major presuppositions of professional counseling—relationality, development, empowerment, wellness, and social justice—are situated as fundamental to the understanding of humanism. These tenets are presented as a foundation to ground professional counselor identity as humanistic, and thus position humanism as synonymic with professional counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of the DSM-5 in 2013, the American Psychiatric Association eliminated the longstanding multiaxial system for mental disorders. The removal of the multiaxial system has implications for counselors' diagnostic practices. In this article, the removal of the multiaxial system in the DSM-5 is discussed, and counselor practice suggestions related to each of the five Axes are provided. Additionally, ways in which counselors can sustain their current diagnostic skills while developing updated practices that align with the new streamlined system will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors present guided imagery as a technique for use in teaching counselor trainees how to use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5) in a way that is sensitive to contextual issues and counselors’ personal biases. Specific guided imagery activities and scripts that can be used in teaching DSM-5-related concepts are provided. Guided imagery can facilitate the development of counseling students’ skills in the areas of case conceptualization, cultural empathy, self-awareness, and objective diagnostic decision making. Guided imagery scripts can enhance counselor trainees’ multicultural competencies as related to the diagnostic process. Practical considerations related to using the technique are provided. This column is designed to underscore relationally-based creative teaching practices used by counselor educators in the classroom. Our intention is to provide examples of novel, innovative ways for counselor educators and students to deepen their learning while colloborating toward a spirit of connection and cooperation. If you have implemented a creative teaching method, or if you have adapted an existing method that you would like to share with readers, please follow submission guidelines in the author information packet available athttp://www.creativecounselor.org/Journal.html. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This meta-analysis of clinical trials explored the effectiveness of treatments targeted at changing oppositional behavior. The meta-analysis included 31 peer-reviewed treatment studies with school-age youth ages 6-17 years identified as having oppositional defiant disorder. Results were synthesized using a random effects model for mean difference and mean gain effect size estimates. Findings suggest that counseling/psychotherapy is effective in treating oppositional behavior in school-age youth at termination, but the long-term efficacy of such treatment is less stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors present a rationale and a means for utilizing creative rituals with traumatized adolescents. For adolescents who have experienced trauma, creative rituals can be utilized to help reorient their cognitive and emotional selves to the external world. Examples of two creative rituals that can be used in helping clients externalize trauma narratives are provided. Additionally, a discussion of the adaptations of these activities and the limitations of utilizing these interventions are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Counselors are regularly confronted with children and adolescents who reside in violent or potentially violent living environments. In this article, safety plans are presented as a tool that counselors can use to promote the safety of children living in unsafe family situations. Ethics-related counseling issues that should be considered when counseling children living in violent living homes are also discussed. A case example is provided to illuminate the presented concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors examine eating disorders through the conceptual framework of relational cultural theory (RCT). Taking into account the importance of relationships and connection, it is suggested that RCT may be a useful lens for conceptualizing and working with people who are experiencing eating disorders. Ways that RCT can be applied to enhance prevention efforts and recommendations for combining relationally focused counseling with evidence-based individual eating disorder treatment are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe basic nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) characteristics and to explore sex differences. Methods: A random sample from 8 universities were invited to participate in a Web-based survey in 2006–2007; 38.9% (n = 14,372) participated. Analysis assessed sex differences in NSSI prevalence, practices, severity, perceived dependency, and help-seeking; adjusted odds ratios for NSSI characteristics were calculated by sex status. Results: Lifetime NSSI prevalence rates averaged 15.3%. Females were more likely than males to self-injure because they were upset (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3–2.1) or in hopes that someone would notice them (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1–2.7). Males were 1.6 times (95% CI = 1.2–2.2) more likely to report anger and 4.0 times (95% CI = 2.3–6.8) more likely to report intoxication as an initiating factor. Sexual orientation predicted NSSI, particularly for women (Wald F = 8.81, p ≤ .000). Only 8.9% of the NSSI sample reported disclosing NSSI to a mental health professional. Conclusions: NSSI is common in college populations but varies significantly by sex and sexual orientation. NSSI disclosure is low among both sexes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Counselors frequently counsel clients who live in poverty. The authors describe the new CARE model that addresses the influence of multiple systems on poor clients' experiences. A social justice, humanistic intervention, the CARE model emphasizes cultivating a positive counseling relationship with poor clients, empathizing with their unique realities, and working to remove barriers to future success and well-being by building on their strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are numerous ethical considerations inherent within the process of assigning a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) diagnosis. In this article, general ethics considerations such as informed consent and confidentiality, accuracy of diagnosis, and multiple relationships are examined as they relate to clinical mental health counselors' use of the DSM-IV-TR. The article concludes with the authors' suggestions for ethically sensitive diagnostic practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family therapy can be an important component of a comprehensive treatment plan when counseling adolescents who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury. The authors provide a rationale for the use of letter writing as a therapeutic intervention when counseling families in which an adolescent engages in nonsuicidal self-injury. Descriptions of types of therapeutic letters are provided and illustrated in a case example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional development plans (PDPs) are contracts used to address problematic student behaviors in counselor education. The PDP can be used to systematically document and address (a) faculty expectations of the student, (b) specific behaviors required of the student, (c) tasks in which the student and faculty will engage to facilitate student success, and (d) consequences if the student does not successfully address the expected tasks and engage in the required behaviors. A sample PDP is provided, and practice suggestions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We mapped landslide susceptibility in Kamyaran city of Kurdistan Province, Iran, using a robust deep-learning (DP) model based on a combination of extreme learning machine (ELM), deep belief network (DBN), back propagation (BP), and genetic algorithm (GA). A total of 118 landslide locations were recorded and divided in the training and testing datasets. We selected 25 conditioning factors, and of these, we specified the most important ones by an information gain ratio (IGR) technique. We assessed the performance of the DP model using statistical measures including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, F1-measure, and area under-the-receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Three benchmark algorithms, i.e., support vector machine (SVM), REPTree, and NBTree, were used to check the applicability of the proposed model. The results by IGR concluded that of the 25 conditioning factors, only 16 factors were important for our modeling procedure, and of these, distance to road, road density, lithology and land use were the four most significant factors. Results based on the testing dataset revealed that the DP model had the highest accuracy (0.926) of the compared algorithms, followed by NBTree (0.917), REPTree (0.903), and SVM (0.894). The landslide susceptibility maps prepared from the DP model with AUC = 0.870 performed the best. We consider the DP model a suitable tool for landslide susceptibility mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to present an intervention, the externalization of client problems, which can be used to address non-suicidal-self-injurious behavior. Specific externalization techniques are discussed, including naming the problem, letter writing, and drawing. A case application and implications for practice are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a solution-focused and Ericksonian group counseling model that can be used with adolescent girls who have been sexually abused. An overview of the components of this approach is provided. A postintervention focus group provided additional results and ideas for the future development of the group counseling model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns have been raised related to the intersection of gender and diagnosis, particularly with respect to biases in diagnoses made according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). The authors review the literature on the prevalence of diagnoses by gender, sex bias in diagnosis, the problematic impact of particular diagnoses on women, and the relationship of diagnosis to socialization and social conditions. Alternative diagnoses, diagnostic procedures, and diagnostic foci that can help counselors to most effectively avoid gender bias are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors explore the issue of consensual sexual relationships between counselor educators and students. The American Counseling Association's (2005) ACA Code of Ethics is consulted, and the complex issues associated with these relationships are discussed. A case example is provided that generates suggestions to guide counselor educators' decision making related to consensual sexual relationships with students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focus groups are becoming a popular research approach that counselors can use as an efficient, practical, and applied method of gathering information to better serve clients. In this article, the authors describe focus groups and their potential usefulness to professional counselors and researchers. Practical implications related to the use of focus groups in counseling practice are discussed, and case examples are provided demonstrating how focus groups can be useful to counselors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores ethical considerations that school counselors may need to address when providing counseling services to self-injurious students. Ethical issues related to student confidentiality, responsibilities to parents and to the school, and professional competence are discussed in relation to the American School Counselor Association's (2004) Ethical Standards for School Counselors. Implications and recommendations for school counselors working with self-injurious students are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examined the impact of a mandatory, coeducational sexual assault prevention program on college freshmen's rape myth attitudes. Data from 174 college freshmen required to attend the program indicated that, regardless of gender, the proposed sexual assault prevention program significantly decreased participants' rape myth acceptance attitudes. Implications of the findings for college counselors and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the behavioral treatment of Trichotillomania. A brief overview of the diagnosis and assessment of Trichotillomania is provided. Guidelines for a structured clinical evaluation when working with people diagnosed with Trichotillomania are supplied. The most effective behavioral interventions and treatments for working with client's diagnosed with Trichotillomania are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the increase in severity and prevalence of student-presented mental disorders on college campuses, a comprehensive campuswide identification and intervention program titled "The New Diversity Initiative" was developed to help college counselors and student personnel staff address students with severe mental disorders. Details of the program and recommendations for college counselors interested in implementing such a program are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examine the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards relating to issues of curricular and co-curricular experiences, as well as requirements for preparation in gender issues, specifically women's issues. Next, a description of the Women's History Month Event, including its evolution, planning, implementation, evaluation, outcomes, and benefits, is presented. Specific information on program topics and the relevance of these topics to gender issues in counseling are described. Suggestions for ways this program could be replicated in other counseling training programs, with similar benefits, and how the process could be applied to other populations and issues are discussed. It provides a chance for students from various cohorts and various program tracks to work together. Master 's-level and doctoral-level students are both provided a forum in which to take a lead for a particular committee. The luncheon, in particular, helps this become a community event for students, for faculty, and for the larger community by promoting the sharing of experiences at an informal level.

Although counselors receive training in both diagnosis and cultural foundations of human behavior, little literature or research integrates these 2 areas in order to facilitate culturally sensitive diagnostic practices. The authors attempt to rectify that lack by providing a review of the literature on the controversies associated with traditional diagnosis of cultural groups that differ from the dominant culture. Practical guidelines for culturally sensitive diagnosis are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]