Counseling Issues Research Articles

Creating a research agenda in career counselling: the place of action theory

After identifying historical and current problems in career counselling research, we propose a research agenda based on contextual action theory. This theory has been used as a framework for research in the career field and for general counselling practice. It is advantageous for several reasons including its conceptual basis, its detailed qualitative and quantitative research method, and the significant link it provides between research and practice. It is supported by the action-project method, an integrated set of procedures developed for conducting research. Contextual action theory and the action-project method can address major emerging issues in career counselling, for example the place of emotion and the use of narrative, and advance the research agenda in this field.

The role of spiritually transformative experiences in religious history and the development of a scale to measure them.

Abstract: Spiritual experiences are a potent means by which a person's attitudes and behaviors may changed, usually (but not always) in benevolent ways. This article presents examples from various times and places, many from the annals organized religion. Research into spiritually transformative experiences is reviewed as is a means to measure spiritual content in written or verbal reports: the Casto Spiritually Scoring System. This instrument includes subscales regarding spiritual settings, spiritual objects, spiritual characters, spiritual emotions, spiritual activities, and spiritual experiences. The reliability of the system has been examined and found to be quite high. In addition, the system has been useful clinically when spirituality becomes an issue in counseling or psychotherapy.

The career counseling with underserved populations model

Providing effective career counseling to culturally diverse individuals is not the same as helping those from majority cultures. The Career Counseling With Underserved Populations model aids career counselors in supporting underserved populations as they strive to address their important career counseling issues.

Developing my Preferred Model of Genetic Counselling

Developing my Preferred Model of Genetic Counselling

Familial Poland anomaly revisited

Poland anomaly (PA) is a pectoral muscle hypoplasia/aplasia variably associated with ipsilateral thoracic (TA) and/or upper limb anomalies (ULA). PA is usually sporadic and sometimes familial, making recurrence risk an issue in genetic counseling. Multidisciplinary evaluation of 240 PA patients was carried out, including physical examination of patients and their parents in 190 PA (subjects of the study). Familial conditions were classified into three groups. Group1: true familial PA (F-PA): pectoral muscle defects with familial recurrence: 8(4.2%). Group2: familial Poland-like anomaly families (F-PLA): PA index case and ≥1 relative(s) showing normal pectoral muscles but ULA and/or TA common in PA: 16(8.4%). Group3: sporadic PA (S-PA): 166(87.4%). F-PA indicated a stronger male (87.5%) and left side (62.5%) prevalence, but fewer ULA (37.5%) compared to the other two groups. Maternal transmission (6/8) was more common in F-PA. Statistical significance was not reached due to the small number of F-PA and F-PLA. Karyotyping and array-comparative genomic hybridization were performed in 13 families. Three maternally inherited copy number variants were identified in three patients: 1p31.1 deletion, Xp11.22 duplication, and 16q23.1 duplication. Interestingly, the proband's mother carrying the 16q23.1 duplication displayed moderate breast and areola asymmetry, but normal pectoral muscles on ultrasound. Though there is no recent review discussing recurrence of PA, we reviewed 31 published PA families. On the basis of our study and previous reports, familial PA is not uncommon. Nonetheless, no information can be derived either regarding a molecular basis or clinical tools with which to identify cases with recurrence risk.

Consejería estudiantil con estudiantes de enfermería de la Universidad del Valle: búsqueda, encuentro, permanente desafío

SUMMARY Introduction: The issue of student counseling, as all the issues involved in a comprehensive higher education perspective, includes irresolvable tensions which are always enlightening in discovering the answer to the question: what kind of human beings are formed in the university and what kind of society is going to be built with them? The search for the answer to this question has meaning and matters to all instances and participants in the educational community. Student counseling, comprehensive education, and human care: The practice of Student Counseling includes opportunities for personal and professional growth, along with social projection of students and faculty. For the institution and its academic programs, it constitutes a field for the concrete appplication of the principles and goals of what «ought to be» according to the institutional mission at both levels. In caring for the «other», it is essential to know who that other is. Student Counseling in the School of Nursing at Universidad del Valle has been based on this premise. Its practice has demanded and enhanced knowing the students, their original contexts, expectations, concerns, and difficulties plus their

Commentary: How Individual and Profession‐level Factors Influence Discussion of Disability in Prenatal Genetic Counseling

Hodgson and Weil (Journal of Genetic Counseling, 2011) reports on two interactive workshops in which genetic counselors identified a broad set of counseling issues that may be impediments to promoting an adequate discussion of disability in prenatal genetic counseling. The present commentary discusses two factors that we infer underlie these counseling issues. First, countertransference concerning disability, which is normal and expected, may influence genetic counselors' decisions about raising and exploring the complex topic of disability in prenatal genetic counseling. Second, the limited involvement of the profession of genetic counseling in the complex social and ethical issues of disability provide little guidance to the individual genetic counselor with respect to discussing disability in prenatal diagnosis counseling. We suggest both factors must be acknowledged and addressed in order to adequately implement the recommendations presented in Hodgson and Weil (Journal of Genetic Counseling, 2011) as well as other efforts to increase discussion of disability in prenatal diagnosis counseling in the service of informed decision making.

Talking about Disability in Prenatal Genetic Counseling: A Report of Two Interactive Workshops

Women are commonly offered testing in pregnancy to determine the health of their baby. An important component of informed decision-making about prenatal testing is provision of relevant, accurate, meaningful information concerning the conditions that are being tested for--many of which, such as Down syndrome, are associated with a varying degree of physical and intellectual disability. A range of health professionals, including genetic counselors, may provide information and support throughout the testing process, but available data suggest that discussion of disability is frequently absent or limited. To investigate genetic counselors' perceptions of this situation and identify potential barriers to discussion we facilitated interactive workshops at the 2007 National Society of Genetic Counselors Annual Education Conference (NSGC) and the 2008 European Meeting on Psychosocial Aspects of Genetics (EMPAG). Working groups identified relevant psychosocial issues and impediments to discussion (NSGC) or used a two-part scenario to promote discussion (EMPAG) and reported findings in notes and a closing plenary discussion. Inductive content analysis revealed that participants considered informed decision making to be a major reason for presenting information about disabilities in prenatal genetic counseling and endorsed the value of including information about daily life with Down syndrome and other disabilities. However, they identified three broad types of impediments to such discussion: counseling issues concerning the most appropriate manner to discuss disability under the complex circumstances of prenatal genetic counseling, less than optimal training and experience in addressing these issues, and perceived limitations in the participants' knowledge and understanding of life with disability. Our analysis of the responses from the workshop participants and additional thoughts on these issues have led us to develop recommendations for further research, training and clinical practice.

Mosaic Trisomy 9 Presenting with Congenital Heart Disease, Facial Dysmorphism and Pigmentary Skin Lesions: Intricate Issues of Genetic Counseling

Chromosomal mosaicism for full aneuploidy involving chromosome 9 is an uncommon chromosomal abnormality. Mosaic trisomy 9 clinical manifestations are highly variable and difficult to predict. The authors present a case of mosaic trisomy 9 with typical clinical manifestations(facial dysmorphism, various internal organ malformations and severe psychomotor retardation), pigmentary mosaic skin lesions along the lines of Blaschko and evidence of maternal uniparental disomy in skin.

Current and Emerging Ethical Issues in Counseling: A Delphi Study of Expert Opinions

A Delphi study was conducted to ascertain the opinions of panel experts regarding the most important current and emerging ethical issues facing the counseling profession. Expert opinions on ethical issues in counselor preparation also were sought. Eighteen panelists responded to 3 rounds of data collection interspersed with feedback. Themes that emerged as important ethical issues were ensuring that counselors practice ethically and abide by the American Counseling Association (2005) ACA Code of Ethics, dealing with social justice and diversity issues, strengthening the professional identity of counselors, and ensuring competence in providing services within a climate of change.

Naming Spirituality in Counsellor Education.

It is presently unclear to what extent tertiary institutions in Aotearoa New Zealand assist their student counsellors to recognise, engage with, and utilise their clients' spirituality. This article attempts to re-establish a discussion that began 16 years ago in a significant New Zealand-based article which made a number of modest proposals about the education of counsellors in relation to their own and their clients' spirituality. Since then, the accreditation of counsellors and courses, particularly in North America, has prompted a re-examination of the benefits and difficulties of integrating spirituality into counsellor education and counselling practice. This article invites counsellor educators and practitioners to reflect upon how working with a client's spirituality is currently incorporated into counsellor education programmes and practice in Aotearoa New Zealand. Professional concerns include counsellor competence to work with spiritual and religious issues, and the engagement of spiritual issues in bicultural and multicultural counselling. Considerations for counsellor education include programme content, training requirements, and research, and questions are posed for future discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Breastfeeding is not related to postpartum relapses in multiple sclerosis

To assess the relationship between breastfeeding and risk of puerperal relapses in a large cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We prospectively followed-up pregnancies occurring between 2002 and 2008 in women with MS, recruited from 21 Italian MS centers, and gathered data on breastfeeding through a standardized interview. The risk of relapses after delivery was assessed using the Cox regression analysis. A total of 302 out of 423 pregnancies in 298 women resulted in full-term deliveries. Patients were followed up for at least 1 year after delivery. The time-dependent profile of the relapse rate before, during, and after pregnancy did not differ between patients who breastfed and patients who did not. In the multivariate analysis, adjusting for age at onset, age at pregnancy, disease duration, disability level, and relapses in the year prior to pregnancy and during pregnancy, treatment with disease-modifying drugs (DMDs), and exposure to toxics, the only significant predictors of postpartum relapses were relapses in the year before pregnancy (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.5; 95%confidence interval [CI] 1.3-1.9; p < 0.001) and during pregnancy (HR = 2.2; 95% CI 1.5-3.3; p < 0.001). In our sample, postpartum relapses were predicted only by relapses before and during pregnancy. Therefore, the reported association between breastfeeding and a lower risk of postpartum relapses may simply reflect different patient behavior, biased by the disease activity. Our results can assist neurologists facing the breastfeeding issue in mother counseling and shared decision-making. Especially, among patients with high risk of postpartum relapses, breastfeeding may not be feasible and early postpartum treatment should be an option.

A Narratology of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Clients’ Experiences Addressing Religious and Spiritual Issues in Counseling

Although spiritual and religious themes have been found to be salient for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) individuals, a paucity of research has explored how these themes are attended to in the counseling context. This qualitative investigation used a narratology approach to explore the counseling experiences of seven LGBT clients around spiritual and religious issues. The narrative which emerged included (a) negative counseling experiences, (b) client perseverance in locating additional counseling, (c) positive counseling experiences, and (d) a reframing of counselor responsibility. The results of this study contain implications for future research, clinical practice, and counselor training.

Athletic Identity of Community College Student Athletes: Issues for Counseling

Community college student athletes are unique in their setting in the world of college student athletes. Many compete for the love of their sport, while others have aspirations for transferring to major colleges to continue their participation. The current study made use of the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale with a sample of nearly 400 community college student athletes to begin to understand some of the unique counseling needs of these students. These needs are highlighted by the need for student athletes to have a mentally healthy perspective on the role of sport in life and the relationship of sports to academic pursuits. Community college administrators need to use caution in balancing student development with mental health concerns.

A Content Analysis of LGBTQ Qualitative Research in Counseling: A Ten‐Year Review

This content analysis examines the qualitative methodology used in counseling research with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) issues published over the last 10 years (1998–2008) in 4 counseling and counseling psychology journals (Journal of Counseling &amp; Development, Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of LGBT Issues In Counseling, and The Counseling Psychologist). LGBTQ qualitative investigations in counseling research continue to be rare. Recommendations to increase the trustworthiness and scope of future LGBTQ counseling research are provided.

School Counseling Programs as Spiritual and Religious Safe Zones

The authors present a model for creating spiritual and religious safe zones in school counseling programs that implements the Association for Spiritual, Ethical and Religious Values in Counseling's (ASERVIC; 2009) Competencies for Addressing Spiritual and Religious Issues in Counseling in a school setting. The authors frame the model within the context of issues related to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and posit that students' ability to discuss and explore spiritual and religious issues promotes their personal and social‐emotional development.

Ethical Code for the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors

The Board of Directors of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC) requested the IAMFC Ethics Committee to revise the IAMFC Ethical Code (2006). The revised Ethical Code of the IAMFC focuses on current issues in marriage and family counseling. The Ethical Code of IAMFC (2011), which appears in the following article, has been approved by the Board of Directors of IAMFC and the American Counseling Association and is consistent with the current Code of Ethics of the American Counseling Association (2005).

E-mail Communication: Issues for Mental Health Counselors

In an era where fast, efficient communication is needed, e-mail has emerged. From its beginning in 1971, professionals have used e-mail to communicate—lawyers, counselors, psychologists, and social workers with clients; nurses and physicians with patients. But despite its advantages, e-mail can cause problems. This article discusses both the positive use of electronic communication and the need to address fundamental counseling issues that arise in using it. The article reflects the AMHCA and ACA ethical codes for the use of technology in the counseling relationship. It also looks at e-mail communication between counselor and client with special attention to challenges of which counselors should be aware.

Derald Wing Sue: From All of the Places We’ve Been

The personal and professional accomplishments of one of psychology’s most accomplished and prolific scholars are profiled in this article. Dr. Derald Wing Sue is a familiar name to many who traverse the landscape of multicultural counseling and Asian American psychology issues. Yet this article affords the reader a rare glimpse into the mindset of a contemporary figure considered by many to be a cultural icon. In chronicling a career spanning four decades, this article highlights both the challenges and opportunities Dr. Sue has managed in both the personal and professional domains of his life. Also revealed are the complexities of his psychological development as a person of Chinese American descent and how his identity crystallization serves as a conceptual template for his academic instruction, therapeutic practice, and research endeavors. The article also serves as a tribute to Dr. Sue, as voiced from the perspective of students, friends, and colleagues alike.

Comparable Low-Level Mosaicism in Affected and Non Affected Tissue of a Complex CDH Patient

In this paper we present the detailed clinical and cytogenetic analysis of a prenatally detected complex Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) patient with a mosaic unbalanced translocation (5;12). High-resolution whole genome SNP array confirmed a low-level mosaicism (20%) in uncultured cells, underlining the value of array technology for identification studies. Subsequently, targeted Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization in postmortem collected tissues demonstrated a similar low-level mosaicism, independently of the affected status of the tissue. Thus, a higher incidence of the genetic aberration in affected organs as lung and diaphragm cannot explain the severe phenotype of this complex CDH patient. Comparison with other described chromosome 5p and 12p anomalies indicated that half of the features presented in our patient (including the diaphragm defect) could be attributed to both chromosomal areas. In contrast, a few features such as the palpebral downslant, the broad nasal bridge, the micrognathia, microcephaly, abnormal dermatoglyphics and IUGR better fitted the 5p associated syndromes only. This study underlines the fact that low-level mosaicism can be associated with severe birth defects including CDH. The contribution of mosaicism to human diseases and specifically to congenital anomalies and spontaneous abortions becomes more and more accepted, although its phenotypic consequences are poorly described phenomena leading to counseling issues. Therefore, thorough follow–up of mosaic aberrations such as presented here is indicated in order to provide genetic counselors a more evidence based prediction of fetal prognosis in the future.