Brandé Flamez

Using the Holt Relationship Intimacy Questionnaire (HRIQ): What Intimacy Means to You and Your Partner

The purpose of the article is for couples to interview each other, to complete a questionnaire, and to discuss their respective opinions as to what intimacy means to each of them. The article includes an overview of the importance of intimacy in relationships. The authors introduce the Holt Relationship Intimacy Questionnaire (HRIQ) as a way of accessing what intimacy means to each partner.

An Exploratory Investigation of Levels of Learning and Learning Efficiency Between Online and Face-to-face Instruction

This study examined differences in levels of learning and perceived efficiency between online (n = 22) and face-to-face (n = 32) graduate level subjects. Participants were master’s students enrolled in an accredited counselor preparation program. Findings indicated that students in both groups equally exhibited gains in levels of learning; however, there was a significant difference between groups in perceived learning efficiency, favoring the online instructional modality. Limitations regarding this study are noted, particularly related to the research design. Additional studies examining levels of learning and perceived efficiency of students enrolled in online courses are recommended.

Celiac Disease Psychological, Developmental, and Family Counseling Issues

Celiac disease (CD) is a lifelong inherited autoimmune disease triggered by gluten, a component of many foods and household items, which affects 1% of the population. Despite numerous symptoms of CD including serious psychological, developmental, and behavioral issues, CD is not only often undiagnosed but is also underrepresented in medical literature and virtually ignored with family counseling literature. The impact of CD on individuals, couples, and families, however, requires a call to the counseling profession to develop skills to understand CD’s effects. As such, an overview of the medical aspects of CD, gender and cultural factors, prognosis, and individual, couple, and family dynamics as well as treatment considerations of CD are presented.

Reducing Ethical Complaints Through Professional Counselor Competency in Court Testimony

Professional counselors experience increasing levels of ethical complaints when they provide opinions in child custody cases; the complaints question their competency levels. The purpose of the study was to examine competencies and ethical considerations for 277 counselors and 66 psychologists. The study used a new, validated professional competence standards instrument through a closed-ended survey. Data analysis included a t test and found that psychologists had higher levels of competency than did counselors, a Mann–Whitney U test found that psychologists had higher levels of complaints than did counselors, and factorial analyses of variance showed a main effect between experience and ethical complaints. Recommendations for future research include studying factors influencing levels of competency among counselors when providing testimony. These findings may assist the counseling profession with a greater understanding of competency in custody matters, resulting in counselors better serving children and families embroiled in conflicted divorce and custody disagreements, and minimizing the negative impact on the mental health of all involved.

Motivational interviewing and dual diagnosis clients: Enhancing self-efficacy and treatment completion

ABSTRACT This study explored treatment completion and self-efficacy of dual-diagnosis clients receiving cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and a combination of CBT with motivational interviewing (MI) in an intensive-outpatient setting. Results indicated that MI was associated with increased self-efficacy and treatment completion.