Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) have contributed to test development and validation in counseling psychology, but additional applications have not been fully realized. The author presents an overview of the goals, terminology, and procedures of factor analysis; reviews best practices for extracting,…

Identifies and examines similarities between counselors as practitioners and as naturalistic inquirers. Argues that drawing on the recognized skills of the counselor and adapting them to research can improve both research and the practice of counseling. Discusses the values, skills, and characteristics of counselors as practitioners and as…

Reviews key assumptions of two contextualist theories (constructivism and interactionism), examines the theories' claims, and offers suggestions as to how a sociological analysis of human development can remedy some of the major theoretical failings while building on the basic strengths. Also discusses how a critical contextualism might help…

Despite recent calls for counseling psychology to embrace social justice-oriented work, there has been little discussion about what such work actually looks like. The first part of this article derives a set of principles from feminist and multicultural counseling theories that counseling psychologists should consider as they engage in social…

Although written to accompany a particular textbook, this student workbook may be used in conjunction with a number of different introductory texts and courses that orient beginners to the profession of counseling. It is intended to supplement class material. Because counselor training involves more than mastering a set of skills, a collection of…

One of marital and family therapy's key contributions to counseling is its use of systems theory; that is, studying a phenomenon in relation to its context. This paper addresses several contexts which will influence marriage and family counseling: (1) the future of psychotherapy; (2) marriage and family counseling's projected future; and (3) the…

Examines research training in counselor education and applies a general research training model to group work. Focuses on challenges in graduate level counseling research training, applying counseling research training to group work, and applications of group counseling research methods. Provides examples of group research training in classroom…

Summarizes issues relevant to empirical investigations of client and counselor preferences. Explores the effects of similarity and difference on relationship development and focuses on the attraction and repulsion hypotheses' applicability to multicultural counseling research and theory. It is hoped that differences between counseling and social…

Hypothesis-formation skills were assessed for 40 graduate counseling students randomly assigned to training in either a divergent or convergent hypothesis-formation strategy. Findings suggest that trainees using a divergent strategy were able to formulate more comprehensive and multidimensional clinical hypotheses. Implications for training and…

Over nearly 40 years, several scales have been developed to measure therapist theoretical orientation (Poznanski & McLennan, 1995). This study, unlike previous efforts, focuses on "community clinicians"--social workers and other mental health professionals (such as psychologists, counselors, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurses) who…

An overview of L. S. Gottfredson's theory of circumscription and compromise (1981) is presented in this paper. Circumscription and compromise deal with the processes by which occupational aspirations are developed and sacrificed. Research has shown that targeting career awareness at an early age is important. The theory suggests that individuals…

Responsive therapy is an integrative model that uses a variety of intervention models, each in its own theory-pure context. This article addresses some major misdirections in the counseling profession and discusses ways that responsive therapy can help correct these misdirections. For at least two generations, counseling has professed that the…

Examines seven interfaces of social and counseling psychology--outlined by Forsyth and Leary--from the perspective of social cognitive theory. Discusses social cognitive theory as a unifying framework for bridging counseling and social psychology and other subdisciplines that share an interest in issues of health promotion and optimal adjustment.…

Focuses on attachment theory's relationship to counseling process and supervision so as to heighten appreciation of attachment theory's complexity. Illustrates attachment constructs in action and discusses counseling process, concentrating on the ways attachment theory can contribute to understanding the client-counselor relationship and change…

Argues for an "and-also" format, rather than an "either-or" position, for social constructionist positions in mental health counseling. Ellis accepts the "grim reality" of mental illness, and clarifies his own recent "nonpositivist,""constructionist," and "even postmodernist" position in…