A qualitative study of 30 counselors or psychotherapists revealed numerous themes. These major themes include the following: transition by the practitioner toward the use of healing; the taboo over talking about spiritual and healing experiences; the nature of healing as distinct from therapy; supervision difficulties; and the concept of spiritual…

Reviews the personal and intellectual forces that shaped one practitioner's approach to counseling. Reflects on five themes in which culture influences human existence: self-hatred, cultural differences, historical hostility, existential counseling, and traditional healing. (LSR)

Examines the use of focus group interviews in understanding staff perceptions of training to work with drug users in the Therapeutic Community model. Discusses methodological issues relevant to the use of focus groups and the individual responses to the training program and the content and structure of the training program are also discussed.…

Examines the effects of gender and self-care behaviors on counselors' perceptions of depressed colleagues. Target counselors who took antidepressants were perceived as more competent than counselors who practiced holistic measures and those who chose no course of action. Target counselors who sought personal counseling were perceived as more…

Argues that integration in counseling requires dialectical thinking in order to reconcile different visions of reality typically seen in divergent therapeutic traditions. Offers a model of integration based upon the superordinate concept of "the vicious cycle" derived from an ironic world view. Also provides an illustrative case study.…

This study surveys American School Counselor Association members' attitudes toward utilizing school counseling paraprofessionals and the duties endorsed for paraprofessionals. Participants most strongly supported the use of counseling paraprofessionals in high schools, but expressed distinct differences in support for various job duties. (Contains…

Investigates in-service and pre-service school counselors' current levels of HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes, and the demographic factors potentially associated with HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes. (Contains 26 references.) (GCP)

This article describes a focus group interview conducted with a group of therapists in a large-scale, comprehensive family service agency in an Arab American community. The interview format was semistructured, and the results confirmed what little was already known about the population and supplemented that body of knowledge with updated…

Examines the relationship between racial identity attitudes and the use of ego defense mechanisms by White counselor trainees during cross-racial counseling and supervision dyads. Results indicated that White counselor trainees at less mature statuses of racial identity attitudes relied on more primitive ego defenses to manage the anxiety…

School counselors are responsible for addressing social and personal issues, educational issues, and the career needs of students. Recent emphasis on high-stakes testing and school accountability has resulted in counselors focusing more of their time on schoolwide testing programs. A statewide survey provided information on counselors' attitudes…

Conducted survey of community-based counselors (N=743) to determine standardized test use for individual appraisal. Explored kinds of tests used, educational level of test user, and respondents' perceptions of importance of appraisal. Found bare majority used test instruments; Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory used most; and fewer than…

Used fieldwork and employee surveys from three California prisons to examine work responsibilities of correctional counselors and compare their work adjustment to that of other prison personnel. Counselors were primarily casework services providers and were similar to other staff in their reactions to prison work. Psychologists and psychiatrists…

Raises possible ethical issues concerning the potential for subtle imposition of a group leader's values on participants in a group. Presents vignettes which demonstrate how easy it is to steer clients toward a particular path. Concludes it takes wisdom to determine when counselors cannot work with certain clients because of a conflict in values.…

Examined how the clarity of 38 counselors' stated intention and their anxiety while in session mediated the outcome in brief counseling. Counselors, clients, and independent judges rated the quality of the counseling sessions. Results showed that clarity of counselor's stated intention was related positively to the judges' ratings, while anxiety…

Surveyed national sample of 307 professionals in relevant fields to obtain professional opinion on critical competencies necessary for deaf individuals to live and work successfully in the community. Findings identified 12 critical skills in employment and 10 critical skills in independent living. (Author/NB)