Amy L. Reynolds

Affirmative Psychotherapy for Lesbian Women

This article explores the unique issues and concerns facing lesbian women in our culture. Theoretical issues and effective therapeutic interventions in counseling lesbians are examined. Specific content areas highlighted include lesbian identity development and management, interpersonal and couple issues, and specific problems such as substance abuse, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. The article concludes with recommendations for treatment and suggestions for research.

Cultural Adjustment Difficulties and Career Development of International College Students.

This study examined the extent to which two dimensions of cultural adjustment difficulties (i.e., acculturative distress and intercultural competence concerns) predicted two specific career development outcomes (i.e., career aspirations and career outcome expectations) in a sample of 261 international college students from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Although no significant differences among the participants were found by region of origin and gender, multivariate multiple regression analyses indicated that higher levels of acculturative distress were predictive of lower levels of career outcome expectations among these international students. Furthermore, findings revealed that greater intercultural competence concerns were predictive of lower career aspirations and lower career outcome expectations. Implications of the findings for career counseling with African, Asian, and Latin American international students are discussed.

The Influence of Racism-Related Stress on the Academic Motivation of Black and Latino/a Students

This study examined the effects of racism-related stress on the academic and psychological factors affecting the success of 151 Black and Latino/a college students enrolled at several predominantly White universities in the northeastern United States. Institutional racism-related stress was negatively correlated with extrinsic motivation but positively correlated with intrinsic motivation. Findings also indicated that some racial differences were found between the level of amotivation that Black and Latino/a college students who report high levels of institutional racism-related stress experience. Implications of these results for research and practice within student affairs are explored.

Race-related stress, racial identity status attitudes, and emotional reactions of Black Americans.

The current study explored the relationship between race-related stress, racial identity status attitudes and emotional states among 229 Black Americans. Canonical correlation analyses revealed a shared variate between emotions and racial identity status attitudes in which anger, depression confusion and tension were related positively to Conformity and inversely related to Internalization status attitudes. Implications for research are discussed.

The Relationships among Academic Attitudes, Psychological Attitudes, and the First-Semester Academic Achievement of First-Year College Students.

This study examined the relationships among academic and psychological attitudes and academic achievement of first-year students. The College Resilience Scale, the Academic Motivation Scale, the College Self-Efficacy Inventory, and the University Environment Scale were administered to 164 first-year undergraduate students enrolled at a large RU/VH university in the northeastern United States. Only two variables, race and resilience, were significantly related to first-semester grade point average; however, findings indicated significant relationships among the core variables in this study, specifically academic motivation, resilience, and self-efficacy. The implications of these results for research and practice are explored.

Multidimensional Cultural Competence: Providing Tools for Transforming Psychology

This comment on the major contribution addresses the conceptual richness and strengths of the model; offers some possible extensions to enhance its application to counseling psychology; and discusses its implications for practice, training, and research. Academic programs can use the multiple dimensions of cultural competence (MDCC) model to assess their curriculum and policies and design new approaches to infusing multiculturalism. The conceptual framework of the MDCC also can be used to customize counseling services to better meet the needs of a diverse client base. Future implications for use of this model as a transformative tool for counseling psychology are also explored.

College Student Concerns: Perceptions of Student Affairs Practitioners

The purpose of this study was to increase awareness of the perceptions of student affairs professionals regarding the most frequent and challenging concerns facing college students today. Using the Delphi method, 159 entry-level and mid-level student affairs administrators from institutions across the country were surveyed about their perceptions of student concerns. Their responses provide valuable information about the challenges facing student affairs professionals as they attempt to address the increasingly complex and demanding problems that college students experience. Implications for future research and training are explored.

“My Mother’s Keeper”: The Effects of Parentification on Black Female College Students

This qualitative study examined the parentification of eight Black American college females and its impact on their college experiences. Two 90-minute focus groups were conducted in order to gain insight about how these women overcame personal and family challenges while being away from their families of origin. Results highlight the push-pull factors experienced by the participants from both school and their family of origin and how they dealt with barriers to successful college completion.

Dimensions of Acculturation in Native American College Students

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to the responses of two respective independent samples of Native American college students on the Native American Acculturation Scale (NAAS). Three correlated dimensions were found to underlie NAAS items and these dimensions may also comprise a broader higher order dimension of Native American acculturation.

A Concept Map of Campers’ Perceptions of Camp Experience: Implications for the Practice of Family Counseling

Camp programs are a popular medium for providing children and adolescents with opportunities for growth and development. Specialized camps may provide powerful contextual support for campers with disabilities and families with limited resources, but knowledge of what constitutes an effective camp experience is limited. Further, family counseling practice principles seem relevant to camp programming, but research is absent in this area. Present study applied concept mapping to capture the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of 173 campers’ experiences to examine its implications for the practice of family counseling. Seven thematic concepts emerged consistent with previous research confirming the positive and transformative nature of camp. The current study advances the knowledge base of camp programming for family counselors and helps improve future family counseling practice and research.