Gerald Parr

The Use of Expressive Techniques in Counseling

ABSTRACT This manuscript explores and identifies the use of expressive techniques in counseling. Although verbal techniques are important, sometimes the best of verbal techniques are not sufficient. Creative, expressive techniques can add a new, important dimension to counseling. Such expressive techniques as cinema, art, and music are described to help counselors deal with ethical dilemmas, grief and loss, and substance abuse. These techniques can assist counselors and their clients in reframing ideas, shifting perspectives, externalizing emotion, and deepening an understanding of an experience or an issue.

Counselling expectations of international students

International students not only face the normal adjustment problems of young adulthood but also the adjustment to a different culture. A random sample of 100 colleges and universities was contacted. International students enrolled at the institutions completed a questionnaire designed to assess the counselling preferences of international students. Results are discussed in terms of desirable counsellor characteristics and implications for counsellor training. Suggestions are made for facilitating counselling with international students.

The Effects of a Self-Monitoring Process on College Students' Learning in an Introductory Statistics Course

Abstract Sixty-nine graduate students enrolled in a statistics class participated in this study, which investigated the effects of self-monitoring on learning and attitudes toward learning. With protocols designed for this study, subjects in a self-monitoring condition recorded frequency and intensity of their learning activities and rated self-efficacy of solving statistical problems. Subjects in an instructor-monitoring condition evaluated the instruction provided in the class. Subjects in a control condition took the course without any research activity. Scores obtained from class examinations and attitude inventories were the dependent variables. As predicted, the self-monitoring group performed better than did the instructor-monitoring and control groups. No attitude difference was found. Implications for teaching graduate-level statistics are discussed, and future research on self-monitoring is suggested.

Interactive E-Journaling in Group Work: Perspectives from Counselor Trainees.

This qualitative study explores the dynamics of exchanging e-journals among counseling trainees who participated in an interpersonal growth group. Interviews were conducted with participants who discussed the influence of e-journals on their group experience. E-journaling extended the group both spatially and temporally, and participants reported how exchanging e-journals differed from and complemented face-to-face group interaction. Recommendations and directions for using e-journals as an adjunct in group work for counselor trainees are provided.

Differences Between Learning Disability Subtypes Classified Using the Revised Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery

This study examined the characteristics of students with specific learning disabilities in either reading and spelling or arithmetic. Based on scores obtained using the revised Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, students with a marked weakness in arithmetic relative to reading and spelling were designated as Group A. Group R-S showed the opposite pattern. Each group included 30 participants ranging in age from 7 to 16 years, with a mean age of 10 years. The boy-to-girl ratios were 16:14 and 19:11 in Group A and Group R-S, respectively. Comparisons using measures from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III) indicated that Group A was weaker in nonverbal skills than Group R-S, despite equivalent overall IQ scores between the two groups. Group R-S showed a within-group strength in nonverbal versus verbal skills. Group A students were more likely than Group R-S students to have counseling provided as part of their Individualized Education Program, suggesting greater socioemotional difficulty among Group A students. The present study supports the connection between nonverbal skills and socioemotional functioning noted by previous researchers, and generalizes findings from earlier studies to more current test editions.

Interactive journal writing as an adjunct in group work

Abstract Although the power of writing has been widely recognized by such diverse individuals as health-care providers and poets, its use in group work has received scant attention. This article introduces interactive journal writing in which group members write not only for themselves or their leaders but also to communicate with other group members. This practice departs from the customary practice in which group members share their journals exclusively with the leader Several years of experience with this new format suggest that this adjunctive methodology complements the live group process, enhances a greater sense of community, and accelerates group cohesion. Advantages and disadvantages of interactive journaling are discussed.

The confluence of technology and narrative approaches in group work: Techniques and suggestions for using interactive e-journals

Abstract This article illustrates procedures for using e-journals as a creative and adjunctive approach in group work. Incorporating e-mail based journaling as an ancillary form of group interaction allows members to communicate via written channels, and creates new ways for clients to relate in the group. This article outlines how leaders can use narrative theory to construct e-mail based writing exercises in group settings. Borrowing from established narrative techniques, specific interventions are provided for using interactive e-mails in each group stage. Finally, detailed instructions for establishing encrypted and confidential e-mail communications are provided, and implications and limitations for establishing e-mail based communication systems are overviewed.

Neurolinguistic Programming as a Persuasive Communication Technique

Abstract Bandler and Grinder (1975) have suggested a psycholinguistic model for indirect persuasion of clients in a counseling setting: Through the use of pacing, metaphor, and various phonemic devices, client resistance is overcome. The present study compared the persuasive power of aspects of their neurolinguistic programming to direct and informational only (placebo) content messages in a group persuasion context. Results indicated no significant differences in attitudes following treatment for the three groups, whereas the direct message treatment was significantly more persuasive than the other treatments as reflected in the behavioral measure.

The Family Therapist’s Own Family

Approaches to family therapy and counseling are influenced not only by client needs and presenting complaints but also by the clinician’s theoretical orientation and personal experiences. This article explores the reciprocal influence that takes place between family therapists, their families of origin, and the families they treat. The relative influence of these dimensions are explored from a systems theoretical perspective.

Individualized versus Group Instruction in Bilingual Education: A Two-Year Study

The Elementary School Journal Volume 81, Number 4 ? 1981 by The University of Chicago 0013-5984/81/8104-0003