Cynthia J. Osborn

The role of sex-specific normative beliefs in undergraduate alcohol use.

OBJECTIVES To create explanatory models of 3 undergraduate drinking practices based on sex-specific norms. METHODS An electronic, student survey at one Mid-western university produced a representative sample of college students. RESULTS Multivariate analyses indicated that close-friend norms were the best predictors of drinking frequency, quantity, and drunkenness. With one exception, typical student (or distal) norms had no significant relationship to drinking. Opposite-sex norms had associations with drinking above and beyond that explained by same-sex norms. CONCLUSIONS The findings challenge the current application of the popular social norms approach that relies on distal drinking norms to provide normative feedback.

Acquiescence as differential person functioning

Acquiescence, or acquiescent responding, is reviewed. A detection method using the concept of differential person functioning is illustrated with two data sets. The effects of acquiescence are shown to be different for each example. Implications for questionnaire and attitudinal scale development are discussed and an operational definition for acquiescent responding is suggested.

Reconceptualizing Research on Undergraduate Alcohol Use The Need for Student Engagement

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is presented as an unrecognized and urgently needed approach for addressing the persistent public health concern of college student drinking in the United States. A major contention of this article is that the lack of progress in reducing alcohol-related harm among college students during the past several decades has been the research communitys failure to effectively engage and collaborate with undergraduates on shared concerns. The challenges of addressing college student drinking are reviewed, distinctive features of CBPR are described, and suggestions are provided for adopting CBPR as a more viable approach than those offered by traditional campus strategies.

Mental Health and Substance Use: A Qualitative Study of Resident Assistants' Attitudes and Referral Practices

This study described mental health and substance use referral practices of resident assistants (RAs). Interviews were conducted with 48 RAs at three campuses. RAs generally had positive attitudes toward helping residents, and believed that existing norms supported their referral actions. However, many perceived referring residents to be emotionally burdensome, and they were not confident referrals would lead to positive outcomes. RAs reported referring residents for professional assistance only when problems were judged to be severe, essentially engaging in a form of clinical evaluation to make referral decisions. Recommendations for enhancing the continuum of care provided to distressed residents are discussed.

Treatment Planning as Collaborative Care Map Construction: Reframing Clinical Practice to Promote Client Involvement

Collaborative care map construction is proposed as an alternative reference to the clinical practice of treatment planning. This reframe is intended to highlight the importance of client–therapist collaboration in “mapping out” care. Six therapist postures or practices are presented and discussed that promote client involvement: (a) speaking tentatively, (b) revisiting role induction, (c) inviting client preferences, (d) determining direction, (e) wondering aloud, and (f) checking for clarity and soliciting feedback. Suggestions are provided for employing these postures within the time constraints and external controls of managed care entities.

The Solution-Focused School: An Exceptional Model:

Solution-focused counseling represents a positive and competency-based perspective on the problems experienced by individuals and by organizational systems. Rather than looking for what is wrong and how to fix it, this approach looks for what is already working and investigates how to use it.

Bilingual Therapeutics: Integrating the Complementary Perspectives and Practices of Motivational Interviewing and Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Informed by the practice of code-switching or style-switching in linguistics, “bilingual therapeutics” is proposed as the complementary integration of two evidence-based practices in psychotherapy: motivational interviewing (MI) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Unique features of MI and DBT are presented, current research of each practice is reviewed, and their similarities and distinctions are discussed. It is proposed that fluency in both “languages” of MI and DBT may usher in a new therapeutic perspective to enhance client case conceptualization, illuminate subtleties of the therapeutic process, and foster more intentional and deliberate practitioners. Specifically, MI and DBT code-switching may help recruit and retain clients in formal treatment (e.g.,”speaking” MI more prominently to prepare clients for 12-month standard DBT) and promote consultation among therapists. The complementary integration of MI and DBT also suggests the emergence of a linguistic “third space,” including “spirit as synthesis” and “improvisational dance.”

Attitudes Associated with Alcohol and Marijuana Referral Actions by Resident Assistants

This exploratory study examined associations between resident assistant (RA) attitudes and referral actions to identify training strategies for strengthening the ability of these paraprofessionals to recognize and refer college students in their living units who misuse alcohol and marijuana. The study’s hypotheses were that (1) referral self-efficacy and perceived referral norms would be positively associated with RA referral actions and (2) perceived referral barriers and referral anticipatory anxiety would be negatively associated with RAs’ referral actions. A total of 317 RAs at eight residential campuses in different regions of the U.S. took part in the study. All participating RAs had at least one semester of work experience. Just prior to the Fall semester of 2012, RA’s responded to an online survey that assessed their alcohol and marijuana referral attitudes and referral actions. Overall, RAs reported considerable anxiety about approaching and referring students who may have an alcohol and/or marijuana problem. Perceived referral norms among RAs indicated substantial variability in perceptions about others’ expectations of them for referring students who may have alcohol and marijuana problems. Results from two multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that referral self-efficacy distinguished RAs who took alcohol referral actions and marijuana referral actions from those who did not do so. Neither length of RA service nor time spent on campus was associated with referral actions. RA training programs could give attention to strengthening referral self-efficacy through a series of increasingly difficult skill-building activities during pre- and in-service training. In addition, senior residence life and housing professional staff may consider assessing the extent to which RAs under their supervision follow established protocols for assisting students with possible alcohol and marijuana problems. The development of evidence-based RA training programs will require additional research.

Counselors’ Experiences Using Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavior Therapy

This study investigated six professional counselors’ experiences using two evidence-based practices (EBPs), motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), in combination. Data derived from interviews were analyzed using phenomenological procedures. Five themes were identified that suggest a strategic and sequential use of MI and CBT. Implications for counselor practice, advocacy, leadership, and education are discussed, specifically the integration of MI and CBT, as well as the promotion of EBPs. Future research opportunities are outlined.