Showing papers in "Journal of Counseling Psychology in 2006"
TL;DR: The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) as mentioned in this paper is a 10-item measure of the presence of, and the search for, meaning in life, which was developed to measure the emotional well-being of counseling patients.
Abstract: Counseling psychologists often work with clients to increase their well-being as well as to decrease their distress. One important aspect of well-being, highlighted particularly in humanistic theories of the counseling process, is perceived meaning in life. However, poor measurement has hampered research on meaning in life. In 3 studies, evidence is provided for the internal consistency, temporal stability, factor structure, and validity of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), a new 10-item measure of the presence of, and the search for, meaning in life. A multitrait-multimethod matrix demonstrates the convergent and discriminant validity of the MLQ subscales across time and informants, in comparison with 2 other meaning scales. The MLQ offers several improvements over current meaning in life measures, including no item overlap with distress measures, a stable factor structure, better discriminant validity, a briefer format, and the ability to measure the search for meaning.
3,066 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help (SSOSH) scale to measure self-stigma in people's decision not to engage in therapy.
Abstract: Self-stigma is an important factor in people's decisions not to engage in therapy. To measure this construct, the authors developed the 10-item Self-Stigma of Seeking Help (SSOSH) scale. In Study 1 (n = 583), the SSOSH had a unidimensional factor structure and good reliability (.91) among participants. Study 2 (n = 470) confirmed the factor structure. Studies 2, 3 (n = 546), and 4 (n = 217) cross-validated the reliability (.86 to .90; test-retest, .72) and showed evidence of validity (construct, criterion, and predictive) across the study samples. The SSOSH uniquely predicted attitudes toward and intent to seek psychological help. Finally, in Study 5 (n = 655) the SSOSH differentiated those who sought psychological services from those who did not across a 2-month period.
965 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a step-by-step guide for performing bootstrap mediation analyses is provided, and the test of joint significance is also briefly described as an alternative to both the normal theory and bootstrap methods.
Abstract: P. A. Frazier, A. P. Tix, and K. E. Barron (2004) highlighted a normal theory method popularized by R. M. Baron and D. A. Kenny (1986) for testing the statistical significance of indirect effects (i.e., mediator variables) in multiple regression contexts. However, simulation studies suggest that this method lacks statistical power relative to some other approaches. The authors describe an alternative developed by P. E. Shrout and N. Bolger (2002) based on bootstrap resampling methods. An example and step-by-step guide for performing bootstrap mediation analyses are provided. The test of joint significance is also briefly described as an alternative to both the normal theory and bootstrap methods. The relative advantages and disadvantages of each approach in terms of precision in estimating confidence intervals of indirect effects, Type I error, and Type II error are discussed.
776 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the Intuitive Eating Scale (IBS) was developed and initial psychometric evaluation of the IBS with data collected in 4 studies from 1,260 college women and found that IES scores were negatively related to eating disorder symptomatology, body dissatisfaction, poor interoceptive awareness, pressure for thinness, internalization of the thin ideal, and body mass; positively related to several indexes of well-being; and unrelated to impression management.
Abstract: Intuitive eating is characterized by eating based on physiological hunger and satiety cues rather than situational and emotional cues and is associated with psychological well-being. This study reports on the development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Intuitive Eating Scale (IBS) with data collected in 4 studies from 1,260 college women. Exploratory factor analysis uncovered 3 factors: unconditional permission to eat, eating for physical rather than emotional reasons, and reliance on internal hunger/ satiety cues; confirmatory factor analysis suggested that this 3-factor model adequately fit the data after 4 items with factor loadings below .45 were deleted. IES scores were internally consistent and stable over a 3-week period. Supporting its construct validity, IES scores were (a) negatively related to eating disorder symptomatology, body dissatisfaction, poor interoceptive awareness, pressure for thinness, internalization of the thin ideal, and body mass; (b) positively related to several indexes of well-being; and (c) unrelated to impression management.
398 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that attachment anxiety was negatively associated with students' acculturation to U.S. culture, and that attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance were significant predictors for students' psychosocial adjustment.
Abstract: On the basis of a process model of acculturation (Berry, Kim, Minde, & Mok, 1987) and the concept of secure base for interpersonal exploration in adult attachment (Bowlby, 1988), this study hypothesized that sociocultural adjustment difficulties and psychological distress of Chinese international students (N = 104) living in the United States would be positively associated with attachment avoidance and anxiety and negatively associated with both acculturation to the U.S. culture and identification with the home culture. Survey packets contained the Experiences in Close Relationships scale, the Acculturation Index, the Socio-Cultural Adaptation Scale, and the Brief Symptom Inventory-18. Results suggested that attachment anxiety was negatively associated with students' acculturation to U.S. culture, and that attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, and acculturation to U.S. culture were significant predictors for students' psychosocial adjustment.
349 citations
TL;DR: This article explored a model of intuitive eating based on a foundation of acceptance with 2 samples of college women and found that acceptance provided an excellent fit to the data and latent variable structural equation modeling with the 2nd sample (N = 416) cross-validated this model.
Abstract: Intuitive eating (i.e., eating based on physiological hunger and satiety cues rather than situational and emotional cues) recently has gained recognition as an adaptive eating style. The present study explored a model of intuitive eating based on a foundation of acceptance with 2 samples of college women. Path analysis with the 1st sample (N = 181) revealed that the acceptance model provided an excellent fit to the data, and latent variable structural equation modeling with the 2nd sample (N = 416) cross-validated this model. Specifically, general unconditional acceptance predicted body acceptance by others, body acceptance by others predicted an emphasis on body function over appearance, body acceptance by others and an emphasis on body function predicted body appreciation, and an emphasis on body function and body appreciation predicted intuitive eating.
285 citations
TL;DR: This paper examined the effectiveness of multicultural education using meta-analytic methodologies and found that multicultural education interventions were typically associated with positive outcomes across a wide variety of participant and study characteristics.
Abstract: The American Psychological Association and many other professional mental health organizations require graduate programs to provide education in multicultural issues. However, the effectiveness of multicultural education has been debated in the literature over the past several years. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of multicultural education using meta-analytic methodologies. Findings revealed that multicultural education interventions were typically associated with positive outcomes across a wide variety of participant and study characteristics. Multicultural education interventions that were explicitly based on theory and research yielded outcomes nearly twice as beneficial as those that were not. Priorities for future inquiry are enumerated, and increased institutional support for multicultural education initiatives is solicited.
226 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined a model that tested direct, indirect, and mediated relations among perceived discrimination, psychological distress, self-esteem, sense of personal control, and acculturation to Latina/o and U.S. cultures.
Abstract: With a sample of 128 Latina/o persons, the present study examined a model that tested direct, indirect, and mediated relations among perceived discrimination, psychological distress, self-esteem, sense of personal control, and acculturation to Latina/o and U.S. cultures. Path analysis of the model indicated that (a) perceived discrimination was related to greater psychological distress, with personal control partially mediating this link; (b) perceived discrimination was also related, indirectly through personal control, to lower self-esteem; (c) self-esteem partially mediated the relation between personal control and distress; (d) Latina/o and U.S. acculturation were related, indirectly through personal control, to greater self-esteem and lower distress; and (e) U.S. acculturation was related directly to greater distress.
222 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a mixed-methods study designed to explore perceived family support, acculturation, and life satisfaction among 266 Mexican American adolescents was conducted, where the authors conducted a thematic analysis of open-ended responses to a question about life satisfaction to understand participants' perceptions of factors that contributed to their overall satisfaction with life.
Abstract: In this article, the authors describe a mixed-methods study designed to explore perceived family support, acculturation, and life satisfaction among 266 Mexican American adolescents. Specifically, the authors conducted a thematic analysis of open-ended responses to a question about life satisfaction to understand participants’ perceptions of factors that contributed to their overall satisfaction with life. The authors also conducted hierarchical regression analyses to investigate the independent and interactive contributions of perceived support from family and Mexican and Anglo acculturation orientations on life satisfaction. Convergence of mixed-methods findings demonstrated that perceived family support and Mexican orientation were significant predictors of life satisfaction in these adolescents. Implications, limitations, and directions for further research are discussed.
206 citations
TL;DR: The Authenticity in Relationships Scale (AIS) as mentioned in this paper was developed to measure the degree of authenticity of a romantic relationship with an initial pool of 37 items addressing various elements of the proposed definition of relationship authenticity.
Abstract: The authors describe the preliminary development and validation of the Authenticity in Relationships Scale. An initial pool of 37 items addressing various elements of the proposed definition of “relationship authenticity” was administered to 2 independent samples of undergraduates (N 487) who acknowledged being in a current romantic relationship. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed that 2 interpretable factors (Unacceptability of Deception, Intimate Risk Taking) effectively represented the data in both samples. Retest data over a 3-month interval were also gathered from a separate independent sample of 121 participants. Subscale scores composed of factor-unique items demonstrated good reliability and test–retest stability, correlated in expected directions with scores on several measures used to establish construct validity, and made unique contributions to the prediction of relationship satisfaction after gender, self-esteem, commitment level, and adult attachment orientations were controlled.
198 citations
TL;DR: This article found that adaptive and maladaptive dimensions of perfectionism were significantly associated with concurrent and prospective perceived stress, social connectedness, depression, hopelessness, and perceived academic adjustment.
Abstract: This study tested models of perfectionism predicting psychological distress and academic adjustment and moderators and mediators of those associations in 2 successive cohorts of high-achieving university honors students (N = 499). Participants completed measures early and late in the semester. Adaptive (high standards) and maladaptive (self-critical perceptions of inadequacy in meeting performance expectations) dimensions of perfectionism were found to be significantly associated, in generally expected directions, with concurrent and prospective perceived stress, social connectedness, depression, hopelessness, and perceived academic adjustment. However, some perfectionism effects were reduced when earlier psychological distress and adjustment were controlled in analyses predicting later distress and adjustment. Several effects were moderated and at least partially mediated by perceived stress and social connection. The results suggest several counseling implications for high-achieving, perfectionistic students.
TL;DR: In this paper, a list of principles to guide the moment-to-moment process of psychotherapy practice was constructed from the hermeneutic analysis of the content of these categories.
Abstract: Clients who had completed psychotherapy were interviewed about the significant experiences and moments they recalled within their sessions. These interviews were analyzed using grounded theory, creating a hierarchy of categories that represent what clients find important in therapy. From the hermeneutic analysis of the content of these categories, a list of principles was constructed to guide the moment-to-moment process of psychotherapy practice. The authors respond to the call for qualitative outcome studies and demonstrate how qualitative psychotherapy research can lead to empirically derived principles that then can become the foundation of future research and psychotherapy integration efforts.
TL;DR: This article examined whether the perception of the university environment mediated the relationship between ethnic identity and persistence attitudes of Latino college students, finding that higher Latino ethnic identity was associated with perceiving a more negative university environment and feeling less committed to finishing college.
Abstract: The authors examined whether the perception of the university environment mediated the relationship between ethnic identity and persistence attitudes of Latino college students. Participants were 175 Latino college students who attended a primarily White university. The results supported the hypothesized mediating role of the university environment. Higher Latino ethnic identity was associated with perceiving a more negative university environment and feeling less committed to finishing college. In turn, perception of a negative college environment was associated with feeling less committed to finishing college. When perception of the university environment was removed, no significant relationship was found between ethnic identity and persistence attitudes, indicating that it is the perceived context that influences Latino college students' persistence attitudes.
TL;DR: In this article, hypotheses were tested regarding the social comparison behaviors of women with eating disorder symptoms and their asymptomatic peers, based on predictions from social comparison theory (L. Festinger, 1954).
Abstract: On the basis of predictions from social comparison theory (L. Festinger, 1954) and informed by findings from the social comparison and eating disorder literatures, hypotheses were tested regarding the social comparison behaviors of women with eating disorder symptoms and their asymptomatic peers. Re
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the effectiveness of two interventions in reducing eating disorder risk factors under naturalistic conditions in sororities and found that cognitive dissonance generally was superior at 8-month follow-up.
Abstract: The authors investigated the effectiveness of 2 interventions in reducing eating disorder risk factors under naturalistic conditions in sororities. On the basis of previous research, the campus sororities chose to implement a semimandatory, 2-session eating disorder prevention program to all new sorority members (N = 90) during sorority orientation. To facilitate evaluation, sororities agreed to random assignment of new members to either a cognitive dissonance or a media advocacy intervention. Undergraduate peer facilitators ran the groups. Although both interventions had an effect, cognitive dissonance generally was superior at 8-month follow-up. Results further support the utility of cognitive dissonance in reducing eating disorder risk factors and suggest that nondoctoral-level leaders can deliver the program. Results also indicate that a semimandatory format does not reduce effectiveness.
TL;DR: In this article, 13 supervisees' of color and 13 European American supervisee's experiences of culturally responsive and unresponsive cross-cultural supervision were studied using qualitative research.
Abstract: Thirteen supervisees' of color and 13 European American supervisees' experiences of culturally responsive and unresponsive cross-cultural supervision were studied using consensual qualitative research. In culturally responsive supervision, all supervisees felt supported for exploring cultural issues, which positively affected the supervisee, the supervision relationship, and client outcomes. In culturally unresponsive supervision, cultural issues were ignored, actively discounted, or dismissed by supervisors, which negatively affected the supervisee, the relationship, and/or client outcomes. European American supervisees' and supervisees' of color experiences diverged significantly, with supervisees of color experiencing unresponsiveness more frequently and with more negative effects than European American supervisees. Implications for research and supervision practice are discussed.
TL;DR: The authors used a longitudinal design to examine whether maladaptive perfectionism and ineffective coping served as two mediators of the relation between adult attachment and future depression, and found that the impact of attachment on future depression was mediated through future self-criticism, and that ineffective coping mediated the relationship between maladaptiveness and depression.
Abstract: This study used a longitudinal design to examine whether maladaptive perfectionism and ineffective coping served as 2 mediators of the relation between adult attachment and future depression. Data were collected from 372 undergraduates at 2 time points. Results indicated that (a) the impact of attachment on future depression was mediated through future maladaptive perfectionism and ineffective coping, (b) ineffective coping mediated the relation between maladaptive perfectionism and depression, and (c) maladaptive perfectionism and ineffective coping influenced each other at 1 point in time and across time, and, in turn, both variables contributed to depression. A bootstrap procedure was used to estimate the significance of these indirect effects. About 60% of the variance in future depression was explained in the final model. Future research, counseling implications, and limitations of the present study are discussed.
TL;DR: Work hope is a core construct of positive psychology that has received only minimal application to work and vocational situations as discussed by the authors, and the Work Hope Scale (WHS) is designed to assess the presence of work hope in diverse populations.
Abstract: Hope is a core construct of positive psychology that has received only minimal application to work and vocational situations. C. R. Snyder (2000) conceptualized hope as a cognitive process with 3 primary components: goals, agency, and pathways. This article presents the development and validation of the Work Hope Scale (WHS), which was rationally based in Snyder's hope theory and designed to assess the presence of work hope in diverse populations. The 3 studies (N = 79, N = 224, and N = 31) presented here provide evidence of both convergent and discriminant validity for the WHS, establish the stability of the WHS, and demonstrate the criterion validity of the WHS by its ability to distinguish among groups that can be expected to have more or less hope about their work situations on the basis of their access to economic resources. The results, based on a diverse sample that includes welfare recipients, economically disadvantaged youth, college students, and community members, support the usefulness of the WHS for both research and interventions in vocational psychology.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify, categorize, and model clients' understanding of early counseling alliance formation factors, including setting, presentation and body language, nonverbal gestures, emotional support and care, honesty, validation, guidance and challenging, education, referrals and recommended materials, client's personal responsibility, and session administration.
Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to identify, categorize, and model clients' understanding of early counseling alliance formation factors. Forty participants who had received counseling services were interviewed and asked about what observable behaviors and verbalizations they thought had helped establish the alliance with their counselor. Alliance formation factors were recorded on index cards, and 31 participants returned and sorted these statements into self-defined, conceptually homogeneous categories. Multivariate concept-mapping statistical techniques were used to compute the "average" sort across the participants. Seventy-four client-identified common factors were elicited and reliably organized into 11 categories: setting, presentation & body language, nonverbal gestures, emotional support & care, honesty, validation, guidance & challenging, education, referrals & recommended materials, client's personal responsibility, and session administration.
TL;DR: In this paper, a longitudinal model assessing the relationship between indices of career development (career planfulness and career expectations) and school engagement (belonging and valuing) was examined throughstructural equation modeling for a multiethnic sample of urban 9th-grade students.
Abstract: A longitudinal model assessing the relationship between indices of career development (career planful-ness and career expectations) and school engagement (belonging and valuing) was examined throughstructural equation modeling for a multiethnic sample of urban 9th-grade students ( N 416). The modelwas examined within the context of a career planning intervention implemented in 2 ethnically andracially diverse urban high schools. Higher levels of career planfulness and expectations at the beginningof the year were associated with increases in school engagement over the course of the year. Theobserved relationship between career planfulness and expectations and school engagement is consistentwith emerging models of career development (e.g., R. T. Lapan, 2004) that seek to explicate the valueof career development programming as a component of educational reform.Keywords: school engagement, career development, urban youth, school achievement
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored whether intuitive eating is a distinct construct from low levels of eating disorder (ED) symptomatology among college women and found that eating for physical rather than emotional reasons and reliance on internal hunger and satiety cues made unique contributions to each well-being measure.
Abstract: Two studies explored whether intuitive eating (ie, eating based on physiological hunger and satiety cues rather than situational and emotional cues) is a distinct construct from low levels of eating disorder (ED) symptomatology among college women Previous research has demonstrated that high levels of ED symptomatology are related to lower levels of well-being Therefore, if intuitive eating is a distinct construct, then it should be associated with indices of well-being above and beyond the variance accounted for by ED symptomatology Findings revealed that two intuitive eating components (ie, eating for physical rather than emotional reasons and reliance on internal hunger and satiety cues) made unique contributions to each well-being measure, whereas the remaining intuitive eating component (ie, unconditional permission to eat) overlapped substantially with low levels of ED symptomatology
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the moderating role of social constraints or difficulty lesbians experience in talking with others about sexual orientation-related issues and found that social constraints in combination with high stress are associated with the most negative outcomes.
Abstract: Stigma consciousness, the expectation of prejudice and discrimination, has been associated with negative psychological outcomes for lesbians. This research examined the moderating role of social constraints or difficulty lesbians experience in talking with others about sexual orientation-related issues. One hundred five, predominantly out, lesbians completed measures of stigma consciousness, social constraints, lesbian-related stress, intrusive thoughts, internalized homophobia, negative mood, and physical symptoms. For lesbians who were high (but not low) in social constraints, stigma consciousness was positively associated with intrusive thoughts, internalized homophobia, and physical symptoms. These results add to the literature on the negative consequences of social constraints by suggesting that constraints in combination with high stress that is not necessarily traumatic (i.e., stigma consciousness) are associated with the most negative outcomes.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined how indecisiveness relates to adolescents' process of choosing a study in higher education, using a longitudinal design, and found that indecisiness was a risk factor for future levels of coping with career decisional tasks of broad and in-depth environmental exploration (amount of information and exploratory behavior), amount of self-information, decisional status, and commitment.
Abstract: This study examined how indecisiveness relates to adolescents' process of choosing a study in higher education, using a longitudinal design. A sample of 281 students participated at the beginning, middle, and end of Grade 12. Findings show that indecisiveness was a risk factor for future levels of coping with the career decisional tasks of broad and in-depth environmental exploration (amount of information and exploratory behavior), amount of self-information, decisional status, and commitment. However, indecisiveness did not relate to the degree of change in decisional tasks during Grade 12. Moreover, results suggest that the linkage of indecisiveness with the amount of in-depth environmental information, the amount of self-information, decisional status, and commitment was mediated by adolescents' career choice anxiety. Finally, stability data provided support for the conceptualization of indecisiveness as a trait.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors tested the effectiveness of two group career interventions for 73 battered women who were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment conditions or a wait-list control group, and found that both interventions included the five most effective career intervention components identified by S. D. Brown and N. E. Krane (2000), and one of the interventions also was designed to enhance critical consciousness (i.e., empowerment for
Abstract: The authors tested the effectiveness of 2 group career interventions for 73 battered women who were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment conditions or a wait-list control group. Both interventions included the 5 most effective career intervention components identified by S. D. Brown and N. E. Krane (2000), and 1 of the interventions also was designed to enhance critical consciousness (i.e., empowerment for
TL;DR: In this paper, a situation-specific Collectivist Coping Styles (CCS) inventory from an Asian perspective was developed and validated with a sample of over 3,000 Taiwanese college students, with the results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a stable five-factor structure of the CCS: acceptance, reframing, and striving; family support; religion-spirituality; avoidance and detachment; and private emotional outlets.
Abstract: This research consisted of 3 studies, with a sample of over 3,000 Taiwanese college students, aimed at developing and validating a situation-specific Collectivist Coping Styles (CCS) inventory from an Asian perspective. The results from the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a stable 5-factor structure of the CCS: (a) Acceptance, Reframing, and Striving; (b) Family Support; (c) Religion-Spirituality; (d) Avoidance and Detachment; and (e) Private Emotional Outlets. These factors reflected Asians' use of a combination of primary and secondary control efforts and represented different constellations of items than typically found on coping-problem solving inventories in Western countries. Estimates of concurrent and construct validity suggest the CCS is related to a problem solving inventory, an overall problem resolution index, 2 psychological distress measures, and an index of how much the trauma interfered with the lives of participants in conceptually expected directions but is not strongly related to social desirability. Overall, the CCS was found to be a useful and psychometrically sound measure of collectivistic coping. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the contributions of acculturation, problem-solving appraisal, and career decision-making self-efficacy on 105 Mexican American high school students' educational goals.
Abstract: This study examined the contributions of acculturation, problem-solving appraisal, and career decisionmaking self-efficacy on 105 Mexican American high school students’ educational goals. A standard regression analysis indicated that Anglo-oriented acculturation and problem-solving appraisal accounted for significant variance in educational goals. Mexican-oriented acculturation and career decision-making self-efficacy did not contribute significant variance to students’ educational goals. The regression model accounted for 19.5% of the variance in educational goals. Results of the structure coefficients for the predictor variables indicated that Anglo-oriented acculturation and career decision-making self-efficacy were the 2 most important predictors, followed by problem-solving appraisal and Mexican-oriented acculturation, respectively. Implications of the findings are discussed, and recommendations for interventions are provided for enhancing the educational and career development among Mexican American adolescents.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the developmental progression from formulating a problem to achieving an understanding of it, and highlighted the construction of meaning bridges by which the problematic voice could understand and be understood by voices of the community.
Abstract: Qualitative analyses of 2 clients psychotherapies (client centered and process-experiential) investigatedthe developmental progression from formulating a problem to achieving an understanding of it. Theresults elaborated one segment in the 8-stage Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Sequence (APES),through which problematic parts of a person (described as voices to emphasize their active, agenticqualities) are thought to pass during successful psychotherapy, as they become assimilated into the self(described as a community of voices ). The transition between APES Stage 3 (problem statement/clarification) and APES Stage 4 (understanding/insight) was described as a series of substages. Theresults highlighted the construction of meaning bridgessemiotic links by which the problematic voicecould understand and be understood by voices of the community.Keywords: assimilation model, APES, insight, meaning bridge, case study
TL;DR: The authors developed an observational rating system of client behavior reflecting strong and weak therapeutic alliances in couple and family therapy in both English and Spanish, which has two dimensions that are common across therapy modalities ("emotional connection to the therapist" and engagement in the therapeutic process") and 2 dimensions that reflect the uniqueness of conjoint treatment ("safety within the therapeutic system" and shared sense of purpose within the family").
Abstract: To advance research and inform practice, the authors developed an observational rating system of client behavior reflecting strong and weak therapeutic alliances in couple and family therapy. The System for Observing Family Therapy Alliances (SOFTA), in both English and Spanish, has 2 dimensions that are common across therapy modalities ("emotional connection to the therapist" and "engagement in the therapeutic process") and 2 dimensions that reflect the uniqueness of conjoint treatment ("safety within the therapeutic system" and "shared sense of purpose within the family"). Psychometric support is provided by 5 reliability studies, an exploratory factor analysis with data from 120 diverse English- and Spanish-speaking couples and families, and meaningful associations with various process and outcome indices. Recommendations are made for using the SOFTA in research, training, and (self-)supervision.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used data from a sample of university students (N = 349) to test a model in which emotional dysregulation was expected to account for the effect of perfectionism on general psychological distress.
Abstract: Data from a sample of university students (N = 349) were used to test a model in which emotional dysregulation (a composite of emotional reactivity and splitting) was expected to account for the effect of perfectionism on general psychological distress. Significant positive effects were observed between maladaptive perfectionism and distress, whereas significant inverse effects were found for adaptive perfectionism. Structural equations analyses revealed support for a possibly mediational role of emotional dysregulation. Future research suggestions as well as counseling recommendations are proposed that target emotional regulatory features of the client with perfectionistic tendencies.
TL;DR: In this article, two versions of a counselor self-efficacy (CSE) measure were administered to 110 prepracticum counselors: a general version, assessing perceived capability to perform basic helping skills and manage the session process with clients generally; and a client-specific version, tapping ability to perform the same behaviors with a specific, current client.
Abstract: Two versions of a counselor self-efficacy (CSE) measure were administered to 110 prepracticum counselors: a general version, assessing perceived capability to perform basic helping skills and manage the session process with clients generally; and a client-specific version, tapping capability to perform the same behaviors with a specific, current client. Client-specific CSE was found to (a) relate moderately to strongly with general CSE over the course of four counseling sessions, (b) increase significantly over sessions, and (c) account for unique variance in counselors' evaluations of the quality of their sessions. Although it was not a useful direct predictor of clients' session ratings, higher client-specific CSE was associated with greater congruence between counselors' and clients' perceptions of session quality. Implications for further research and training are considered.