Janet A. Khan

Short- and Long-Term Follow-Up of Clients Receiving Insight-Oriented Therapy and Behavior Therapy.

15 clients (aged 18-55) received short-term, insight-oriented therapy, and 15 received short-term behavior therapy over a 3-mo course of treatment. Pre- and posttreatment measures included the Personal Orientation Inventory and the Truax Current Adjustment Rating Scale. Follow-up was subsequently undertaken (4 mo and 1 yr later) with the same multiple-outcome criteria. Process as well as outcome measurement was conducted. Results show positive change for both therapy types over the treatment program, and follow-up testing indicates that improvement was sustained up to the 1-yr posttest. Process measurement suggested that relational factors may be more influential in determining client change than factors such as type of technique or procedure administered. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

Mental Health Professional and Client Values: Similar or Different?

SynopsisThe Rokeach Value Survey and Rosenthal Moral Values Questionnaire were used to examine similarities and differences in the personal and moral value systems of mental health professionals (N = 454, including psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers) and clients (N = 431, including psychiatric inpatients, and clients of tertiary student counselling centres and o f marriage counselling agencies) within the Australian setting. Multiple discriminant analysis statistical procedures were employed and significant differences emerged between the professional and client groups. Mental health professionals supported values stressing self-direction, mature personal action and a greater tolerance for freedom in the area o f sexual behaviour, while the client group emphasised selfcontrol and restraints on sexual behaviour. In view o f the divergent value stances o f professionals and clients, potential implications for the practice of therapy are raised.

A Note on Counselling‐Orientation Preferences within Australian Universities

Abstract One hundred and fifty-seven students undertaking counselling and therapy courses in 10 Australian universities were administered the Counseling-Orientation Scale (COS) to collect information on relative counselling-orientation preferences. The most prominent orientation overall was client-centred with behaviour therapy least preferred, although this was not necessarily the case for indivdual universities. The pattern of results for the Australian sample was very similar to data from the American setting. Explanations for the results were discussed, and comparisons made with previous conceptions about the practice of counselling psychology in Australia.

Mother-Child Interaction Behaviour and Parent Effectiveness Training

SynopsisMother-child interaction behaviour was investigated as an outcome of a prominent parent group education programme, Gordon’s (1970) Parent Effectiveness Training (PET). Mother-child dyads were tested on the Mother-Child Interaction Measure (M-CIM) one month after maternal participation in PET. The PET orientation toward mutuality, warmth, and reciprocity was demonstrated and replicated. The effectiveness of parent group education rests to a large extent on empirically demonstrable behavioural change associated with attitudinal change. Previous research has indicated attitudinal change as a likely outcome; the present research fills a gap in examining short-term behavioural outcomes.