Search

This study evaluated the trends of reported childhood trauma found in two adolescent therapeutic residential communities (TRCs) in the rural Rocky Mountain West as measured by the Trauma Sy...

The challenges to higher education institutions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic are placing new and demanding pressures on the academic deanship. A leadership role focusing on guiding teams of professionals toward meeting internally defined goals now requires critical examination. This study analyzes the impact of the pandemic on higher education institutions and particularly the academic deanship. A model for the deanship in a post pandemic institution is included.

This study explored challenges and stressors facing academic deans within higher education. The study analyzed, via step-wise multiple regression, the degree to which current challenges and related stress were associated with the well-being measures of effort-reward imbalance and over-commitment as measured by the Effort/Reward Imbalance scale (ERI); hardiness, as measured by the Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS); and aspects of burnout, as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Results indicated that the stress related to certain challenges (e.g., balancing financial resources, creating a clear vision, promoting change) have particularly powerful influences on aspects of work well-being. Implications and recommendations are included.

This study was undertaken to investigate the treatment outcome differences between youth offenders from the joint commission accredited residential treatment center (RTC) and youth from a non-accredited center. Results showed that youth from the accredited center reported significantly more progress.

This quantitative pilot study examined changes in counseling students' professional attitudes in 3 master's-level core courses. Results indicated significantly more change occurred during an ethics course than during the other courses. Changes occurred in attitudes consistent with humanistic philosophy, including self-awareness, professional impairment and self-care, healthy professional relationships, empathy, and multicultural awareness. ********** The development of professional attitudes among counselors is considered a cornerstone of the counseling profession (Corey, Corey, & Callahan, 2005). Humanistic counseling is based on fostering the development of the whole person and rests on the understanding that the capacity for personal growth and change comes from within the human being. Counselors working within a humanistic theoretical framework seek to assist clients in personal growth through the exploration of values, meaning, healthy relationships, self-awareness, and self-actualization. Therapeutic practice requires the counselor to incorporate and use her or his own personality to guide client change (Corey et al., 2005). Thus, professional attitudes of the counselor are an integral part of the humanistic counseling process because the quality of the therapeutic relationship is fundamental to the promotion of client growth and development. Because a significant part of a counselor's role is to facilitate client self-examination and self-awareness, counselors need to be willing to "live in accordance with what they teach [because it] is what makes counselors 'therapeutic persons'" (Corey et al., 2005, p. 36). Thus, it is essential for those seeking to become humanistic counselors to explore their own experiences, attitudes, relationships, multicultural awareness, and capacity for caring and empathy. According to Corey et al. (2005), knowing the theory and possessing diagnostic and interviewing skills do not necessarily make a person a good counselor. Rather, individual aspects of the counselor such as personal attributes, self-awareness, and attitudes regarding self-care, health, and lifestyle affect one's ability to function in the professional counseling role. This is particularly true for the humanistic counselor. Because the humanistic counselor serves as a model of growth, development, and change for the client, it is important to emphasize, as part of counselor education (Crutchfield, Baltimore, Felfeli, & Worth, 2000), the development and awareness of humanistic attitudes (e.g., working toward one's full potential) that may affect the counseling relationship. The exploration and development of professional attitudes consistent with humanistic philosophy is a fundamental component of counselor identity development during training because these attitudes affect the counseling relationship and the professional counselor. Research indicates that counselor attitudes predict burnout, fatigue, and stress (Yager & Tovar-Blank, 2007). Teaching students to recognize the importance of self-awareness and self-care may buffer them from these difficulties. Thus, cultivating the importance of self-awareness is essential for the maintenance of counselor balance, self-care, and humanistic practice. Research suggests that core courses offered as part of the counselor education curriculum have a significant impact on the personal growth of counseling students (Coll, 1993; Woodside, Oberman, Cole, & Carruth, 2007). For example, Woodside et al.'s (2007) qualitative study found that prepracticum students' learning about their own core beliefs and attitudes was an important component in the process of learning to be a professional counselor. Another important component identified was developing self-awareness about counselor boundaries that are balanced by the need for "being with" the client and learning to empower the client rather than merely giving advice. Similarly, Coil's (1993) research examining changes in professional attitudes occurring during an ethics course found that master 's-level counseling students reported an increase in self-awareness and an increased understanding of healthy professional relationships, professional impairment, and multicultural issues through the ethics course work. …

This study evaluated the efficacy of a web-based personalized normative feedback program targeting heavy drinking in first-year intercollegiate athletes. The program was offered through the Athletic Department first-year seminar at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I university. Athletes were randomly assigned to either a web-based feedback group or a comparison condition. Results indicated high-risk athletes receiving the intervention reported significantly greater reductions in heavy drinking than those in the comparison group. Additionally, intervention effects were mediated by changes in perceptions of peer drinking. Findings support the use of web-based normative feedback for reducing heavy drinking in first-year intercollegiate athletes.

This study investigated the opinions of a national sample of counselor education chairs and college of education deans regarding the advantages and disadvantages of faculty job sharing. Results showed favorable responses toward faculty job sharing from approximately half the sample, despite limited experience with job sharing. The study found few differences in perspectives between deans and counselor education chairs. With members of the American labor force working the equivalent of 320 hours more per year than what their western European counterparts work, work overload has become a significant problem (de Graaf, 2003; Schneider, 2000). Higher education faculty members are at risk for work overload because of the unbounded nature of the role, work-to-home spillage, and tension between teaching and research (Leinbaugh, Hazier, Bradley, & Hill, 2003). Clinical faculty members have the additional work burdens of time-intensive clinical supervision and pressure to remain current in direct service skills. Leinbaugh et al. (2003) noted that "occupational stressors negatively affect professionals in all occupations; these stressors may be especially detrimental, however, in the academic environment where faculty members are responsible for the psychological and experiential development of students" (p. 52). The negative consequences of work overload include increased risk of heart disease, marital distress, sleep disorders, depression, low morale related to poor child care arrangements, burnout, erosion of integrity, loneliness, alienation, vague anxiousness, fatigue, overeating, passionlessness, dissatisfaction with life, and child neglect (de Graaf, 2003; Schneider, 2000). The economic cost of overworking is calculated at more than $300 billion a year (de Graaf, 2003). Job sharing is one of a number of flexible work paradigms that could provide relief from work overload for faculty members with disabilities, young children, health problems, or elder care demands or for those seeking semiretirement (Magnuson, 2002; Mithers, 2006). A job share is an upgraded part-time contract in which two faculty members are jointly responsible for the workload of one position, and both individuals have rank, advancement opportunities, and benefits consistent with those of a full-time faculty member. Of critical importance in the success of faculty job sharing are the opinions of those in positions to influence hiring, primarily department chairs and deans. This study, a survey of counselor education chairs and college of education deans on attitudes toward faculty job sharing, was undertaken to investigate job sharing as a potential solution to faculty member work overload. Background Advantages of faculty job sharing include the opportunity to have quality time at work and quantity time at home (Wilson, 1995, p. A14), flexible schedules, the chance for families to live and work in the same locale (Schneider, 2000), greater production, an increased capacity to retain valued employees, a larger pool of prospective employees, and enhanced professional skills from job-share employees who use their nonwork time for professional development (Zabel, Friend, & Meringolo, 1992). Disadvantages include the potential for unequal treatment in promotion and tenure, an expectation that the job-share team be twice as productive, the potential for employees to be viewed as uncommitted professionals, margjnalization, hidden additional administrative costs, and clashing job styles or differences in quality standards between the two job sharers (Schneider, 2000). Method The survey sample consisted of 150 counselor education department chairs and 150 college of education deans randomly selected from the directory of counselor education programs (Clawson, Henderson, Schweiger, & Collins, 2004). The 31-item survey was literature based and piloted to faculty members who had an average of 15 years of experience. …

Alan J. Hovestadt, EdD, is the immediate past president of the 24,000 member American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and a long-time IAMFC member who served as an IAMFC founding board member when American Counseling Association (ACA) first granted International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC) divisional status. Recently, Dr. Hovestadt was one of seven recipients of the prestigious American Counseling Association's Presidential Award and was honored at the 2008 ACA Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. Given Dr. Hovestadt's prominence within both AAMFT and IAMFC and his long-time marriage and family counselor educator identity, the authors' believed that an interview with Dr. Hovestadt would be of significant interest to The Family Journal readerships. Thus, Dr. Hovestadt graciously participated in an interview with Drs. Ken Coll, Michael Sunich, and Gerald Juhnke on November 20, 2007. In the interview below, Dr. Hovestadt responds to questions related to his (a) AAMFT Presidency experiences and accomplishments, (b) perceptions related to professionals aligning themselves either with AAMFT or IAMFC, (c) thoughts related to pressing legislative concerns that would be of specific interest to IAMFC members and The Family Journal readership, (d) perceptions related to marriage and family training changes, and (e) advice for those seeing to become counselor educators with specialization in couples, marriage, and family counseling.

This study investigated the effects of residential treatment centers (RTCs) for adolescents on community stability and safety. Ten RTCs that provided care for teenage boys and girls—excluding those with known criminal, drug, or sexual problems—were selected for the study. Assessment of the impacts of these RTCs was conducted by interviewing realtors, sheriff's offices, and planning and zoning offices close to the RTCs. Results indicated that the RTCs had no major, adverse impacts on community stability or safety.

This study compared heavy drinking and alcohol-related consequences between freshman student-athletes (n = 137) and nonathletes (n = 318). Differences in high-risk drinking between the fall and spring terms were also examined. Results indicated that student-athletes reported heavier drinking and higher levels of alcohol-related consequences than did nonathletes. In addition, student-athletes reported the highest levels of drinking and alcohol-related consequences in the spring term. Implications for college counseling prevention programming are discussed.

In this component of the evaluation, the Circles of Care grantees assessed the feasibility of their model systems of care. The goal of the Feasibility Assessment was to assure that each model system of care was well designed with careful consideration of project goals, community resources and readiness, cultural competence and measurable outcomes.

This article notes the growing challenges for college counseling centers. One solution to these challenges is described as a collaborative initiative designed to actively help university students presenting a range of personal problems with a practicum-based service.

The Association for Assessment in Counseling's Committee on Assessment and Training in Addictions Counseling conducted a survey of Master Addictions Counselors (MACs) certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors. The intent of the survey was to identify which standardized assessment instruments were most frequently used by MACs and perceived to be most important in their substance abuse practices. This article describes survey results and provides training and practice recommendations.

This study assessed the progress of students involved in a collaborative early warning intervention conducted by counseling services and a teacher preparation program. Results indicated that counseling services increased both students' academic and social integration and their confidence in their ability to teach and perform the duties of a teacher. Findings and implications are discussed. ********** Effective college counseling services today include extensive student outreach, deep integration with the institution's academic mission, and evidence of ongoing contributions to student academic success (Archer & Cooper, 1998; Davis & Humphrey, 2000). One of the ways in which counseling services can better assist colleges and universities in meeting their aims is through prevention initiatives designed to enhance the retention of students. Student retention is a long-standing challenge that institutions continue to address (Braxton, Bray, & Berger, 2000). Research has found that retention rates increase when students are academically and socially integrated into the university or college environment, when they have positive regard for their academic performance, and when they value the supportive relationships they have established at the institution (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1983, 1991). College and university counseling services can positively affect each of these predictor variables by collaborating with a cademic programs to increase student retention and success. In this study, the role of counseling services in increasing student academic and social integration was explored. Specifically, this study involved a partnership between the faculty coordinator of a multiple-section Introduction to Education course, who identified students who were at risk of academic failure, and the Counseling Education Department, which provided customized counseling services to the at-risk students to increase their academic and social integration. Expanding the role of traditional counseling services, the intervention examined here emphasized prevention and interagency collaboration based on Tinto's (1975, 1993) model of college student retention. Tinto's (1975, 1993) model of college student retention described a process in which students undergo changing commitments and experiences that affect their integration into the educational institution and, ultimately, their decision to withdraw from or to continue in the institution. The underlying assumption of the model is that students enter an institution with certain specifiable background characteristics and with a measurable level of initial commitments. Students interact with the college environment, and they become (more or less) integrated into the academic system over time (Stage, 1989; Tinto, 1993). Interactions between individuals and the academic system, along with social interactions, continually modify goals and institutional commitments in ways that lead to persistence or to varying forms of dropout (Stage, 1989; Tinto, 1993). As Stage noted, "Theoretically for two students of similar backgrounds and the same levels of initial commitments, a higher degree of integration into the system for o ne would mean greater subsequent commitment to the institution and to the goal of college completion" (p. 387). This model of college student persistence and withdrawal, with its core constructs of academic and social integration, has long been considered the most comprehensive and empirically valid (Shurr, Ruble, Palomba, Pickerill, & Moore, 1997; Stage, 1989). According to Tinto's (1993) model, it is the interface between college students' predispositions (e.g., self-image, social skills) and their college experiences that influence academic and social integration (Shurr et al., 1997; Stoecker, Pascarella, & Wolfle, 1988). Thus, college counseling must consider each student's unique inventory and provide individualized programming focused on student growth and development. …

A survey of community college counselors was conducted to determine current and preferred supervision practices. Results indicated that although most respondents want clinical supervision, few receive it.

The author reports results of a study designed to gather information about the severity and frequency of community college student problems.

Much has been written about the factors that contribute to troubled adolescence. Hawkins, et al. (1992) and Hawkins, et al. (2000) found mounting evidence that adolescents who are most at risk for committing serious and violent crimes tend to display high levels of risk factors such as alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse or addiction, lack of parent-child closeness, family conflict, beliefs and attitudes favorable to criminality, early childhood aggressiveness, antisocial behavior, and poor peer acceptance. Additionally, juvenile delinquency has long been associated with certain societal ills, such as easy access to alcohol and other drugs and family splintering (Hawkins, et al., 2000). Huizinga, et al. (2000) noted serious delinquency with co-occurring AOD abuse and mental health problems. However, common clinical practice is to provide broad-based assessment, with heavy reliance on clinical judgment without a self report component. This is now deemed a major limitation to distinguishing higher and lower risk youth (Huizinga, et al., 2000). It is not uncommon for troubled youth who commit serious and violent crime to find themselves in therapeutic communities (TC) and/or residential treatment facilities (Coll, et al., 2004; LeCroy & Ashford, 1992: Lyons, Kisiel, Dulcan, Cohen, & Chesler, 1997). Indeed, MacKenzie (1999) found that out-of-home placements for delinquent adolescents grew 51% between 1987 and 1996. Not surprisingly, adolescents treated via out-of-home placements were more likely to report higher levels of AOD abuse and more severe behavioral problems than adolescents treated via outpatient programs (Coll et al., 2003). Despite the severity of initial problems, youth in out-of home placements typically reported significantly reduced

The purpose of this study was to investigate ethical attitude changes in counselors in training related to specific topics during a 16-week, two-credit counseling ethics course. This study indicated that significant attitudinal changes occurred related to professional ethics and self-awareness, dual relationships, impairment, and multiculturalism.

Mandatory student psychiatric withdrawal from college has recently become a major legal and ethical consideration for college counselors. This article reviews mandatory psychiatric withdrawal from college in terms of specific legal violations for public higher education institutions. Suggestions for appropriate uses of psychiatric withdrawal procedures and recommendations are offered.