Search

As counselling psychology trainees graduate and often serve in health psychology roles or use health psychology theory-guided interventions in their practice and research, training opportunities oriented to health psychology have become increasingly important in training programs. A core value of counselling psychology is the development of competencies for working with diverse populations in various systems, including individuals in global contexts. Jamaica is a small Caribbean nation with numerous interconnections with the United States and where a number of mental health practitioners/psychologists who trained in the US live and work. We interviewed eight mental health practitioners or practitioners-in-training familiar with Jamaica about health psychology on the island to explore the factors that they believed influence the practice of health psychology there. A research team used the methodology of consensual qualitative research (CQR) to analyze the data. Five domains emerged as influential to the growth of health psychology: (1) Definition of Health Psychology, (2) Age of the Profession, (3) Multidisciplinary Approach of Providers and the Public to Mental and Physical Health, (4) Status of Awareness Regarding Health Psychology, and (5) Lack of Resources. We discuss the study limitations, directions for future research, as well as study implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic has had a world‐wide impact on all areas of individuals' health, including physical, psychological, financial, familial, social, and vocational. In the United States, the unemployment rate rose from 3.5% (5.8 million) to 13.3% (21 million) in May 2020 before dropping to 7.9% in October 2020. Cognitive information processing (CIP)is one career theory that addresses career needs of clients and society. In this article, we examine the impact of COVID‐19 on mental health and wellness, highlight differences for marginalized groups, and demonstrate how CIP theoretical elements may have been impacted by COVID‐19, and provide strategies enhancing client growth in these domains during a time when largescale social and physical distancing is recommended. The CIP‐based differentiated service delivery model is also described as a means for extending and providing access to career services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jamaican immigrant population in the United States is growing. There is a need to understand factors that may influence psychological well-being in this immigrant group. The purpose of the study was to examine the association between ethnic identity and psychological well-being, and the moderating role of mainstream comfort and social affiliation with one's ethnicity versus other ethnicities on this relationship. One hundred Jamaican immigrants completed an online survey [Mage = 45.32 years, 63% women). Findings indicate a positive association between ethnic identity and psychological wellbeing and both mainstream comfort and social affiliation moderated this relationship. Findings have clinical and theoretical relevance for psychologists working with Jamaican immigrants in the United States and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on calling has examined the presence of and search for career calling. This cross‐sectional study investigated the relationship between family influence and career calling (presence and search) in a sample of 400 women of color (mean age = 31.2 years) in the United States. The authors also examined whether this relationship was partially or fully explained by critical consciousness. Participants were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk, where they completed an online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to test 2 models, with calling presence and calling search as disparate outcomes. Analyses revealed that most of the significant pathways in the model involved family influence, critical consciousness, and calling search. In addition, findings suggested that critical consciousness did not explain the relationship between family influence and career calling (presence or search); however, given the significant pathways, it may still be an important consideration for counselors when working with women of color on their career development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Women living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are less of a focus in the HIV literature, which tends to focus on the HIV experiences of men who have sex with men (MSMs). Hence, we conducted a qualitative study that examined: (a) the type of stigma and discrimination that women living with HIV experience related to their HIV status, (b) the source of this stigma and discrimination, (c) their responses related to this stigma and discrimination, and (d) the ways in which women living with HIV cope with these experiences of stigma and discrimination., Design: Participants consisted of 14 self-identified women living with HIV that were recruited at a community organization in the Southern United States that provides services to individuals living with HIV. The participants ranged in age from 27 to 65 (M  = 47.92, SD  = 13.08). The sample primarily identified as Black ( N  = 12), followed by White ( N  = 1) and Multiracial ( N  = 1). Most women were cisgender ( N  = 13) with one woman identifying as transgender ( N  = 1)., Results: Fourteen women participated in one of two focus groups (seven in each focus group), which were audio recorded and transcribed. We identified 24 categories across five domains ( Stigma and Discrimination , Source of Stigma and Discrimination , Response to Stigma and Discrimination, Coping with Stigma and Discrimination , and Support )., Conclusions: This study identified that women living with HIV experience stigma and discrimination in a multitude of ways from different sources. Moreover, women with HIV responded to and coped in negative and positive ways. Multidimensional approaches including personal and community education may help alleviate the stigma and discrimination faced by women living with HIV.