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Rape myths play a role in rape denialism, in which individuals deny the prevalence and severity of sexual assault. This project aimed to address two common rape myths: that rape is uncommon and its effects are exaggerated. To test these claims, we explored two archival samples consisting of undergraduate women. Study 1, a 5-year chart review of university counseling center intake forms (n = 883), demonstrated that 30.2% of clients had experienced "sexual violence," "sexual contact without consent," or both. Study 2, a re-analysis of an emerging adulthood resilience survey dataset (n = 359), demonstrated that 20.6% of subjects had a history of sexual assault, and that those women reported lower life satisfaction and more severe psychological symptoms than those who did not. These findings are in line with previous literature debunking harmful rape myths that contribute to the perpetuation of rape culture. Our data help validate these rape notions as mythical; rape is indeed common and devastating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College and university counseling centers are facing increasing demand for services, increasing severity of psychopathology, and decreasing funding – thus college counseling is a strained system. Group psychotherapy is a flexible and impactful treatment format which addresses these challenges and suits the population well. We review literature on group counseling in higher education and present four studies examining its appropriateness. Study 1 is a mathematical proof showing group therapy is efficient. Studies 2 and 3 are archival survey data analyses of client feedback and student interest, showing group therapy is effective and enticing. Study 4 is an analysis of clinic staffing data showing group therapy is essential. Three recommendations are offered to counseling center staff and directors: design groups with a focus on ethics and appealing structure, promote groups both to prospective clients and within staff (i.e., "why not group?"), and apply affective process-dimension clinical skills in group delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this argumentative literature review, we advocate an existentially-informed clinical psychology. Many of today's challenging societal issues would benefit from the lens of existentialism, and our field has seen an emergence of interest lately in topics such as death anxiety as a transdiagnostic construct. We see this context as opportune for an existential-psychological confluence of ideas and praxes. We identify and review here four relevant ongoing streams of literature (core existentialism philosophy, existentially-oriented psychotherapy, death anxiety psychometrics, and terror management theory) and argue in favour of their increasingly intertwined integration with one another and with the broader field of clinical psychology. We propose methods for both academics and practitioners alike to more fully embrace an existentially-informed mindset, culminating in a set of ten recommendations for clinical psychology across applied clinical work, research/scholarship, and pedagogy/supervision. Examples include increased use of qualitative data via case study and mixed-method approaches in our science, enhanced incorporation of existential themes (including but not limited to death anxiety) into psychotherapy, and adoption of a student-focused freedom-enhancing existential mindset in teaching. Our field has made great strides in deepening the understanding of how life's ultimate concerns inform mental health and functioning in recent years, and we support an even more robust endorsement of existential frameworks in clinical psychology to continue such progress. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: Existentialism is a humanistic philosophy, emphasizing choice, responsibility, authenticity, and acceptance of limitations in life. Scholarship in psychotherapy, psychometrics, and other psychological topics benefits from influences of existential philosophy. Death anxiety is a transdiagnostic etiological variable and therapies involving existential themes are empirically supported. What this topic adds: (1) Existentialism has many clinically useful lessons to offer psychology, across its teaching, research, and psychotherapy. (2) Areas of clinical psychology involving death anxiety, mortality salience, meaning-making, and others should be better integrated. (3) We advocate the adoption of an existentially-informed clinical psychology and offer suggestions for moving forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College and university counseling centers are facing increasing demand for services, increasing severity of psychopathology, and decreasing funding – thus college counseling is a strained system. Group psychotherapy is a flexible and impactful treatment format which addresses these challenges and suits the population well. We review literature on group counseling in higher education and present four studies examining its appropriateness. Study 1 is a mathematical proof showing group therapy is efficient. Studies 2 and 3 are archival survey data analyses of client feedback and student interest, showing group therapy is effective and enticing. Study 4 is an analysis of clinic staffing data showing group therapy is essential. Three recommendations are offered to counseling center staff and directors: design groups with a focus on ethics and appealing structure, promote groups both to prospective clients and within staff (i.e., “why not group?”), and apply affective process-dimension clinical skills in group delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]