Barry J. Evans

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN COPING FOLLOWING LOSS OF A CHILD THROUGH MISCARRIAGE OR STILLBIRTH: A PILOT STUDY

Parental grieving for the loss of a baby following miscarriage or stillbirth can involve intense emotional distress and have implications for the quality of the relationship shared by the grieving parents. Evidence suggests that a relationship may be placed at risk during the grief process, with different forms and rates of grieving between the couple creating barriers to effective communication and increasing feelings of vulnerability. Fifty-one adults who had experienced the loss of a baby as a result of miscarriage or stillbirth took part in this preliminary study to identify gender differences in coping strategies used by males and females in dealing with their loss. Results suggested not only gender differences in chosen coping strategies, but also differences between women depending on the type of loss experienced (ie miscarriage or stillbirth). While men tended to worry, use social support and ignore the situation, women were more likely to seek spiritual support, use tension reduction, wishful thinking and seek support from others who had experienced the same loss. A tendency to use self-blame was also evident in the responses of the female subjects, in particular women who had suffered a miscarriage.©1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Group Counselling for Problem Gambling.

Group counselling offers clients a number of therapeutic benefits and is used widely to provide general emotional support or assist participants to overcome specific personal difficulties in their lives. Group counselling has been used to assist individuals to overcome difficulties associated with problem gambling behaviour; however, there are few reports of this application in the clinical and research literature. This paper provides a brief review of group counselling, including the therapeutic benefits available to participants involved in this modality of counselling delivery. A description of counselling approaches and strategies commonly used in group counselling settings is also provided.The application of group counselling to assist individuals with gambling problems is then described. Both self-help and counsellor-led groups are discussed.

An Innovative Cognitive Strategy to Assist Problem Gamblers.

The clinical and research literature suggests that cognitive and behavioural therapies are particularly helpful in assisting clients overcome problem gambling behaviour. Several articles have described the efficacy of a range of cognitive interventions, especially provision of information regarding rates of return and the odds of games and the exploration of irrational beliefs and myths and misconceptions regarding gambling activity. This paper describes in detail an innovative cognitive strategy which focuses on problem gambling clients’ financial status. The strategy incorporates the use of illustrations, generally using a whiteboard, to highlight how problem gambling behaviour negatively impacts on financial wealth over time. Step by step instructions are provided, together with illustrations, to allow clinicians to incorporate the strategy in treatment with their own clients.

Gambling counselling in Australia: Focus on cognitive counselling techniques

A number of specialised counselling services are now available to assist individuals who experience difficulties as a result of problem gambling behaviour. Clinicians within these services may utilise one or a number of counselling approaches depending on their own preferences and their assessment of the counselling style suitable for use with particular clients. The purpose of this paper is twofold. The first is to describe the range of specialised gambling counselling services now available in Australia. The second aim is to provide clinicians in the field with a range of practical cognitive counselling strategies that may be used to good effect to assist clients to reassess their attitudes towards and thoughts about gambling.