Barry A. Farber

Stress and Burnout in Suburban Teachers

AbstractIn order lo assess the sources and extent of satisfaction, stress, and burnout in suburban teachers, a group of teachers (n = 365) was administered a 65-item Likert-type Teacher Attitude Survey (TAS). Satisfaction consisted of experiences that make teachers feel sensitive to and involved with students as well as colleagues; stresses were related to excessive paperwork, unsuccessful administrative meetings, and the lack of advancement opportunities in teaching. Although the majority of teachers surveyed had not lessened their involvement in their work and were still committed to teaching, 20-25% appeared vulnerable to burnout, and 10-15% appeared to be already burned out. Most at risk were those at a certain age level t34-44) and those teaching at a junior high school level. Issues that were addressed with respect to burnout included teacher-administrator relationships and teachers’ perceived lack of a psychological sense of community.

THE THERAPIST AS ATTACHMENT FIGURE

This article focuses on the ways in which psychotherapists Junction as attachment figures for their patients and the implications of this phenomenon for clinical work. It is shown that, although there are multiple commonalities between childhood attachments and the patient-therapist relationship (e.g., the provision of a secure base for exploration), the latter relationship is necessarily mediated by unique temporal, financial, structural, and ethical boundaries that render it significantly different from childhood attachment relationships. Viewing the therapist as an attachment figure can offer new perspectives on therapeutic work, particularly in regard to dealing with boundary issues (e.g., separations and reunions).

Clients' perceptions of the process and consequences of self-disclosure in psychotherapy

The primary aim of this multimethod study was to investigate client perceptions of the process, benefits, difficulties, and consequences of disclosing and withholding material in psychotherapy sessions. Twentyone clients in psychotherapy, most engaged in long-term psychodynamically oriented treatment, participated in semistructured interviews and completed several Likert-type scales. Results indicate that most clients feel that therapy is a safe place to disclose, made especially so by the goodness of the therapeutic relationship; that the disclosure process initially generates shame and anticipatory anxiety but ultimately engenders feelings of safety, pride, and authenticity; that keeping secrets inhibits the work of therapy, whereas disclosing produces a sense of relief from physical as well as emotional tension; that disclosures in therapy facilitate subsequent disclosures to one’s therapist as well as to family members and friends; and that therapists should actively pursue material that is difficult to disclose. Speak to me as to thy thinkings, as thou dost ruminate, and give thy worst of thoughts the worst of words—Shakespeare, Othello Western culture historically has emphasized the importance of revealing secrets. This is perhaps seen most profoundly in the orthodoxy of the Catholic Church, which not only stresses the importance of confessing one’s sins but also requires it for absolution. Still, more so than in many decades, self-disclosure seems to be of intense contemporary interest. In “reality” television programming, talk-show radio, tabloid newspapers, books, and politics, a tell-all mentality now prevails. New and formidable social, economic, and political pressures—including rapid technological advances, failing financial markets, and global terrorism— seem to be increasing the need for individuals to feel intimately connected with others, in part by revealing themselves to others. However, it is within the confines of the psychotherapist’s office that self-disclosure is most expected, emphasized, and valued. The present study aimed to investigate the phenomenology of clients’ disclosures in therapy as they unfold throughout the course of treatment.

Patients’ experiences of self-disclosure in psychotherapy: The effects of gender and gender role identification

Abstract This study examined the effects of gender and gender role identification on 223 patients’ experiences of self-disclosure in psychotherapy. Factor analysis of the Disclosure-to-Therapist Inventory-IV revealed two dimensions: a distress factor, reflecting the perceived difficulty and the anticipated impact of disclosures on the therapist, and an openness factor, reflecting the extent and perceived importance of disclosures and the interpersonal connection experienced during them. Female patients working with female therapists experienced greater distress in disclosure than male patients working with female therapists; in addition, patients with more flexible gender role identifications (i.e., androgynous) experienced greater openness than those with more traditional gender identifications. Findings suggest a need for greater discussion in therapy of the effects of gender on disclosure.

Patterns of self-disclosure in psychotherapy and marriage

This study compared patterns of self-disclosure in psychotherapy and marriage. Participants (48 married, current psychotherapy patients, mean age = 42) completed a 101-item Disclosure to Therapist Inventory and a companion measure, a 101-item Disclosure to Spouse Inventory. Results indicated a pattern of greater disclosure to ones therapist in regard to issues involving despair (e.g., feelings of depression), and to ones spouse in regard to procreation and body concerns (e.g., birth control) and values (e.g., feelings about religion, race, or politics). Issues involving sex were infrequently discussed in either context. Discrepancy scores (differences between extent of disclosure and perceived importance) were greater in the spouse condition. Outcome predictors varied by situation, with overall disclosure predicting therapeutic outcome and both overall disclosure and discrepancy scores predicting marital satisfaction. Findings suggest that although there is substantial overlap in issues discussed in these two contexts, certain intimate disclosures are perceived as situation-specific. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Lying in psychotherapy: Why and what clients don’t tell their therapist about therapy and their relationship

Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to investigate one facet of a survey of client lying in psychotherapy, that which focused on the nature, motivation, and extent of client dishonesty related to psychotherapy and the therapeutic relationship. Method: A total of 547 adult psychotherapy patients reported via an online survey, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, what topics they were dishonest about in therapy, and the extent of and reasons for their dishonesty. Results: Ninety-three percent of respondents reported having lied to their therapist, and 72.6% reported lying about at least one therapy-related topic. Common therapy-related lies included clients’ pretending to like their therapist’s comments, dissembling about why they were late or missed sessions, and pretending to find therapy effective. Most extreme in their extent of dishonesty were lies regarding romantic or sexual feelings about one’s therapist, and not admitting to wanting to end therapy. Typical motives for therapy-related lies included, “I wanted to be polite,” “I wanted to avoid upsetting my therapist,” and “this topic was uncomfortable for me.” Conclusions: Clients reported concealing and lying about therapy-relevant material at higher rates than previous research has indicated. These results suggest the need for greater therapist attention to issues of client trust and safety.

The benefits and risks of patient self-disclosure in the psychotherapy of women with a history of childhood sexual abuse.

This article explores the potential benefits and risks of patient self-disclosure in the psychotherapy of adult women survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Two primary questions frame this discussion: How are the primary benefits of patient disclosure influenced by CSA status, and what are the specific risks associated with each of these benefits in the case of CSA patients? The authors examine these questions by evaluating, from the perspective of clinical work with CSA patients, each of 6 putative benefits of self-disclosure in psychotherapy: self-awareness and identity formation, intimacy, validation and affirmation, differentiation, authenticity, and catharsis. The authors suggest that although clinical work with CSA survivors often necessitates encouraging these patients to discuss traumatic material, such disclosure may include substantial costs as well as benefits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).

Corrective experiences in psychotherapy: Definitions, processes, consequences, and research directions

After 5 years of conceptualizing, investigating, and writing about corrective experiences (CEs), we (the authors of this chapter) met to talk about what we learned. In this chapter, we summarize our joint understanding of (a) the definition of CEs; (b) the contexts in which CEs occur; (c) client, therapist, and external factors that facilitate CEs; (d) the consequences of CEs; and (e) ideas for future theoretical, clinical, empirical, and training directions. As will become evident, the authors of this chapter, who represent a range of theoretical orientations, reached consensus on some CE-related topics but encountered controversy and lively debate about other topics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)

Reality testing in adult women who report childhood sexual and physical abuse

OBJECTIVE To better understand how neighborhood and individual factors are related to child maltreatment. METHOD Using an ecological framework, a multi-level model (Hierarchical Linear Modeling) was used to analyze neighborhood structural conditions and individual risk factors for child abuse and neglect. Parents (n = 400) of children under the age of 18 were systematically selected from 20 randomly selected census-defined block groups with different risk profiles for child maltreatment report rates. Parents were administered the Neighborhood Environment for Children Rating Scales, the Child Abuse Potential Inventory, the Zimet measure of social support, and the Conflict Tactics Scales as a measure of childhood experience with violence. RESULTS Neighborhood factors of improverishment and child care burden significantly affect child abuse potential after controlling for individual risk factors. However, neighborhood effects are weaker than they appear to be in aggregate studies of official child maltreatment reports. Variation in child abuse potential within neighborhoods is greater than between neighborhoods. However, adverse neighborhood conditions weakened the effects of known individual risk and protective factors, such as violence in the family of origin. CONCLUSIONS If individual potential for child maltreatment is more evenly distributed across neighborhoods than reported maltreatment, then neighborhood and community play an important, if as yet unspecified, role in child maltreatment. Multi-level models are a promising research strategy for disentangling the complex interactions of individual and contextual factors in child maltreatment.

Changes in Object Relations over the Course of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.

This study explores whether object relations (OR) functioning improves over the course of psychodynamic psychotherapy, and whether this improvement is related to symptom decrease as well as therapist technique. The sample consisted of 75 outpatients engaged in short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy at a university-based psychological service clinic. OR functioning was assessed pre- and post-treatment by independent raters using the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale from in-session patient relational narratives. The Comparative Psychotherapy Process Scale was used to assess therapist activity and psychotherapy techniques early in treatment. Independent clinical ratings of global OR and psychotherapy techniques were conducted, and rater agreement was found to be in the excellent range. Regarding the results, global OR (overall quality and level of interpersonal functioning) significantly improved with large effect size after psychodynamic therapy. Change in global OR functioning was significantly and positively related to the incidence of psychodynamic techniques in early sessions, as were number of psychotherapy sessions attended. Patient self-reported reliable change in symptomatology and reliable change in global OR were significantly related as well. Multilevel model analyses confirmed pairwise correlations accounting for therapist effects on a variety of process-outcome measures, number of sessions attended, initial levels of psychiatric symptoms, employment of therapeutic techniques as well overall OR functioning at outcome. Limitations of the present study, future research directions and implications for clinical practice are also discussed. Copyright