Counseling Issues Research Articles

Sense of Place: Issues in Counseling and Development

The authors present an interdisciplinary view of the concept of sense of place as a primary issue in human growth and development. The article summarizes research and theoretical ideas about sense of place that can help professionals in education, counseling, and human development understand how individual and group development are tied to the experience of geographic place.

Genes and male infertility: what can go wrong?

Genes and male infertility: what can go wrong?

Issues in philosophical counseling

Introduction The Man Who Saved the World But Could Not Save Himself Philosophical Counseling in Brief Experimental Philosophy Counseling and the Cafe E-mail Counseling Sex and Logic Speaking Like a Woman / Listening Like a Man Rational Passions All Seriousness Aside Medicating the Mind Medicating the Mind: A Second Dose Getting to Normal Celebrating Affliction The Meaning of Life Learning to Be Old Suicide as Self-Defense What Does God Have to Do with It? Dream Interpretation Duty to Oneself The Independent Philosopher Bibliography Index

The unfolding life: counseling across the lifespan

Horton-Parker and Brown seek to prepare counselors-in-training to better understand personal growth and self development. Their approach is designed to guide readers to better self-understanding through reviews of prevailing theory and through a series of exercises. Each chapter presents one or more exercises designed to allow the reader an opportunity to explore his/her personal development and to become aware of any unfinished and/or unresolved business that could emerge as countertransference with clients. The basic theories of psychological growth and development-moral, cognitive, and gender identity-are examined under the stages of development throughout the life span. The specialized theories for the different stages, such as childhood and adolescence, are presented along with counseling applications for that specific stage. Readers are provided with numerous examples of how to use this information to better help clients. Other unique features include material on becoming a culturally sensitive counselor and an explanation of object-relations and self-psychology theories. Of particular interest to researchers and students involved with counseling issues.

Prenatal diagnosis for chromosome abnormalities: past, present and future

Prenatal diagnosis for chromosome abnormalities has been available for over 30 years. The most common referral indication is a raised risk of Down’s syndrome, and diagnosis has, until recently, been carried out by culture of cells from invasive prenatal sampling, followed by full karyotype analysis, with a waiting time of around 2 weeks for results. More recent developments in fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) and quantitative fluorescence-PCR techniques have led to rapid 1-2 d reporting for Down’s syndrome, opening the way to the possibility of targeted testing based on referral indication, thus reducing the incidence of difficult counselling issues and potentially unnecessary pregnancy terminations following the unexpected discovery of anomalies such as balanced chromosome rearrangements. The future of prenatal diagnosis must lie in the non-invasive diagnosis of Down’s syndrome using fetal cells from maternal circulation.

Nutrition Treatment for HIV Wasting: A Prescription for Food as Medicine

The optimal nutrition approach for the promotion of weight gain in HIV-infected adults with wasting remains unclear. Previous dietary interventions report minimal success and provide inadequate information regarding the counseling approach, contact time, session format, and issues addressed with the subject. The methods we report were incorporated in a 12-week intervention trial for the reversal of HIV-wasting. All subjects involved in the intervention trial for the reversal of HIV-wasting received weekly, customized, one-on-one counseling and an oral nutrition supplement (480 kcal/d with 30 g protein). The nutrition aims were to (1) increase caloric intake to surpass daily energy requirements by 500 kcal/d (suggested caloric intake: 40 to 50 kcal/kg current weight); (2) increase protein intake (1.6 to 1.8 g/kg current weight per day); and (3) identify foods that may exacerbate or curtail side effects associated with HIV. Also assessed were preconceptions, nutrition knowledge level and primary information source, and obstacles to healthy eating. Sessions, conducted by a nutritionist in an interactive, action-oriented learning approach, ranged from 30 to 60 minutes. At baseline, subjects harbored many misconceptions, reported numerous HIV-related side effects, and lacked practical nutrition strategies, all of which interfered with weight maintenance and health. The protocol strategies were acceptable to the patients (87% subjects completed all visits), with marked improvements in dietary intake, weight, and body composition, both during and after intervention. We describe a customized nutrition intervention that produces changes in energy intake, maintenance of appropriate protein intake, and the reversal of unintentional weight loss over 5 to 15 months. Sustained improvements occurred across a socioeconomically diverse population, despite persistent disease- and medication-associated side effects.

Conversion Therapy: Ethical Considerations in Family Counseling

This article is the third and final part of a series of articles considering ethical issues in counseling with families and individuals within families with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual (GLBT) concerns. Conversion therapy and the ethical and practical considerations are explored in this third part. Emphasis is placed on the need for counselors to assess personal biases in the area of working with sexual minorities. A reflective exercise and case study are presented for personal exploration of awareness of biases and prejudice in working these populations.

Counseling Issues and Approaches Working with Families of African-American Gay Male Members with HIV/AIDS

The rate of HIV/AIDS infection continues to increase in large metropolitan areas and rural regions in the southeastern United States. African-Americans are 3.5 times more likely to contract AIDS than European-Americans and comprise about 25% of all AIDS cases in the United States. African-American males account for 32% of all AIDS cases and 47% of all new HIV infections. Despite a plethora of research over the 20 years addressing risk reduction, sexual behavior change, prevention and the medical aspects of this disease, scarce attention has been paid to the psychosocial impact of HIV/AIDS on African-American gay men and their family members. A number of psychosocial issues are explored as they relate to HIV-infected gay African-American men and their family members. Briefly discussed will be the social implications of being Black and gay as well as pertinent medical aspects of the syndrome. Two counseling approaches useful to working with this population are NTU and the Africentric model of Nguzo Saba.

Strategies of prevention

Prematurity is one of the most stubborn health problems in our society, no other problem impairs afflicted children more seriously and long lasting. In spite of remarkable progress in the treatment of premature infants, the outcomes are still not satisfying and the prematurity rate is still increasing. Prevention of prematurity therefore seems a public health goal with a high priority in obstetrics. Health promotion should be an important issue of counseling in the gynecological practice, recommending favorable living habits in and before pregnancy. Risk factors have to be identified and adverse influences removed for the primary prevention of premature delivery. Secondary prevention requires screening with predictors for the treatment or avoidance of an imminent premature delivery, while the goal of tertiary prevention is the avoidance of health consequences for mother and newborn from a premature delivery and the prevention of recurrence. Not all risk factors for prematurity are known, so far. The identification and removal of unfavorable factors in the society and the individual are important tasks for the future. Better predictors for screening have to be identified and evaluated for the prevention of a premature delivery in order to make tertiary prevention a rare necessity. The prevention of prematurity remains a persistent challenge to obstetrics.

Long-Distance Relationships in Dual-Career Commuter Couples: A Review of Counseling Issues

The dual-career commuter couple is an alternative family configuration that continues to grow in number. This article is a review of the literature on dual-career commuter couples that has been published since the Gerstel and Gross review in 1982. It addresses the counseling issues of marital and family characteristics, commuting characteristics, and decision-making styles. Counseling implications and future research needs are also included. This updated information is important to counselors who are trying to meet the needs of this expanding population.

Pastoral Care and Counselling

Abstract This article discusses current issues in Pastoral Care and Counselling from an Asian perspective, with specific attention paid to Singapore. Relationships between psychological theory and practice and pastoral ministry in terms of the role of therapeutic conversations in Pastoral Care are explored. Specific therapeutic attitudes and approaches are discussed as they relate to pastoral ministry. The affect of various global trends in pastoral ministry on churches in Asia is also discussed.

Issues surrounding prenatal genetic testing for achondroplasia.

Mutations in the gene encoding fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 cause achondroplasia, the most prevalent form of dwarfism. Since the discovery of the mutations and gene in 1994, commercial testing has been available for use in prenatal diagnosis. This study sought to determine the awareness of, interest in and use of prenatal genetic testing for achondroplasia. Surveys were collected from both individuals affected with achondroplasia (n = 189) and their average statured relatives (n = 136). The majority of participants were aware of the prenatal genetic testing at the time they were surveyed, but less than 10% had actually used the testing. Affected individuals were much more interested in using the testing if they became pregnant (62%) than were their relatives (28%). The groups were remarkably similar in their interest in using the testing to identify the lethal, homozygous form of achondroplasia and in their unwillingness to consider termination of pregnancies based on a diagnosis of either achondroplasia or average stature. Affected status and perception of the condition were correlated with the importance placed on knowing the prenatal diagnoses of achondroplasia and average stature. Views on abortion were highly correlated with all aspects of interest in prenatal diagnosis for achondroplasia. These results elucidate the role of selected attitudes and beliefs that contribute to reproductive decision making about achondroplasia. Furthermore, the findings provide insights into education and counseling issues for families and health care practitioners.

Global Issues of Pastoral Counseling:

Abstract This article reflects on pastoral care in the context of the Philippines, integrating the writer's personal experience as it has affected her perspectives on pastoral counseling and her work in the Philippines. It provides an overview of Pastoral Counseling from the perspective of a woman, particularly as it relates to Pastoral Counseling with women in the Philippines. Particular attention is paid to the crucial issue of violence against women. This is done from a very personal approach. The article includes a section on “Issues of Pastoral Counseling in the Philippines” with examples, descriptions and their implications for Pastoral Counseling. Two illustrative case studies are included.

College Counselor Attitudes Toward Spiritual and Religious Issues and Practices in Counseling

In this study, 86 mental health professionals employed in university counseling centers in the United States were surveyed on their attitudes toward discussing religious and spiritual topics and toward using religious and spiritual practices in counseling. These participants viewed the use and discussion of spiritual topics/practices more favorably than the use and discussion of religious topics/practices. Differences in attitudes toward specific topics and practices are reported, as are implications for practice.

2. Fundamental issues in counselling: 2.3 Who is likely to need counselling

2. Fundamental issues in counselling: 2.3 Who is likely to need counselling

2. Fundamental issues in counselling: 2.2 Who should counsel?

2. Fundamental issues in counselling: 2.2 Who should counsel?

2. Fundamental issues in counselling: 2.4 The role of the physician in counselling

2. Fundamental issues in counselling: 2.4 The role of the physician in counselling

Knowledge concerning illness, expectations and perceptions of treatment of elderly stroke patients and family caregivers--a prospective study during inpatient treatment

Forty-five stroke patients and their 45 proxies were interviewed after the patients' hospital admission and before discharge. The topics of the interviews were disease knowledge, expectations in and judgement about therapy, estimation of functional health status (CCOP/WONCA Charts), and prognosis. The patients and proxies were also asked to name the patient's actual three most important health problems. The depressive symptomatology in the patients (geriatric depression scale) and their ADL status (Barthel Index) were evaluated on admission and before hospital discharge. The proxies' general knowledge of disease was superior compared to that of the patients. There were knowledge deficits regarding individual risk factors and secondary prevention, in particular. Information was predominantly obtained from physicians. However, an additional need for information on prognosis and prevention, in particular, was expressed by patients and proxies before hospital discharge. There was a high agreement between the patients and their proxies in mentioning the patients' actual three most important health problems, apart from psychological problems. These were mentioned only by the proxies but not by the patients themselves. Depressive symptomatology in the patients increased significantly. There were associations of depression with the level of the Barthel Index score and the patients' self-estimation of functional health status before and after the stroke. Full recovery was expected by one half of the patients, on admission. The patients' primary therapeutic goal was the ability to walk again. Their ADL status improved significantly, as measured by a mean increase in the Barthel Index score by 22 points. The patients and their proxies, as well, judged the result of treatment equally high. The proxies' total satisfaction with patient care was significantly related to their ratings of separate parts of patient care regarding nurses, therapists, and physicians, to their expectations in therapy, and the satisfaction of their own personal needs. The results of the study revealed a particular need for information on prognosis and secondary prevention of stroke. Furthermore, depression and coping with consequences of the disease should be important issues in counselling of stroke patients and their proxies. The results regarding patient and proxy satisfaction with care were of importance for internal discussion in the clinic.

2. Fundamental issues in counselling: 2.3 Who is likely to need counselling

2. Fundamental issues in counselling: 2.3 Who is likely to need counselling

2. Fundamental issues in counselling: 2.2 Who should counsel?

2. Fundamental issues in counselling: 2.2 Who should counsel?