Marilyn A. Cornish

Predictors of the Change in Self-Stigma Following a Single Session of Group Counseling.

One of the major obstacles to seeking psychological help is the stigma associated with counseling and therapy. Self-stigma, the fear of losing self-respect or self-esteem as a result of seeking help, is an important factor in the help-seeking process. In the present study, college students meeting a clinical cutoff for psychological symptoms participated in 1 session of group counseling that either contained therapist self-disclosure or did not. In general, participants reported significantly less self-stigma following the session. Working alliance-bond and session depth significantly predicted the change in self-stigma. Furthermore, self-stigma (as well as bond, depth, psychological symptoms, and being female) predicted the intention to seek help following the session. Self-stigma and session depth also predicted interest in continuing with counseling. The therapist self-disclosure condition, however, had no effect on the change in self-stigma, intentions to seek help, or interest in continuing with group counseling.

Working through past wrongdoing: Examination of a self-forgiveness counseling intervention.

This pilot study examined the effectiveness of a new emotion-focused individual counseling intervention designed to increase self-forgiveness for regretted actions committed against another person. Exactly 26 adult participants (21 completers) who indicated they had unresolved emotions about a past offense enrolled in the study and were randomly assigned to a delayed or immediate treatment condition. Controlling for screening scores, participants who received the treatment had significantly lower self-condemnation and significantly greater self-forgiveness regarding their offense at the end of treatment than did participants who spent time on a waiting list. Again controlling for screening scores, participants who received the treatment had significantly lower general psychological distress and significantly greater trait self-compassion at the end of treatment than did participants who spent time on a waiting list. All treatment gains were maintained at 2-month follow-up. In addition, increases in state self-forgiveness over the course of the intervention predicted lower levels of general psychological distress follow-up. Results of this study demonstrate the utility of this new intervention for helping clients resolve the negative residual effects of unforgiveness toward the self, both for offense-specific and general well-being outcomes.

4.2 Forgiveness therapy to treat embitterment: a review of relevant research

When people experience interpersonal hurts, offenses, or victimization, negative consequences can result including embitterment, rumination about the offense, and even symptoms of depression and anxiety. One way of overcoming these negative consequences is to work toward forgiving the offending party. Recently, researchers and clinicians have become more interested in both embitterment and forgiveness within the therapeutic context. Understanding ways to overcome embitterment through psychotherapeutic intervention would be helpful for those practitioners encountering individuals struggling with this difficult emotional complex. Research on the effectiveness of forgiveness in therapeutic settings provides a starting point for this exploration.

When Religion Enters the Counseling Group: Multiculturalism, Group Processes, and Social Justice

Religion is a diversity factor that comprises a significant component of identity for many clients. However, little attention has been paid to religion in the context of group counseling, especially process-oriented, nonthemed groups with heterogeneous membership. Using multicultural, process-oriented, and social justice theories of groups, we demonstrate the myriad ways religion is relevant to and influential in group counseling work. Together, these theories provide a solid justification for the need to ethically and effectively attend to religion in group work. Furthermore, they provide a strong foundation for developing counseling expertise in this area by highlighting typical conflicts, group dynamics, and needs that arise when religion is addressed in groups. Based on our review, we provide practical and ethical implications to assist group leaders in addressing religion in their group counseling work.

Religion and Spirituality in Group Counseling: Beliefs and Practices of University Counseling Center Counselors

Fifty-four counselors at 9 university counseling centers participated in a study regarding religion and spirituality (R/S) in group counseling. The majority indicated that R/S is an appropriate topic for group counseling and that some religious and spiritual interventions are appropriate to use. However, counselors rarely use these interventions. Counselors endorsed higher ratings for spiritual interventions compared to their religious counterparts. After reading 1 of 2 vignettes depicting either a religious or spiritual concern raised by a group client, counselors rated their likelihood of responding in different ways. We observed no differences in the responses based on the different vignettes.

Help-seeking stigma among men in the military: The interaction of restrictive emotionality and distress.

Stigma is one of the most commonly cited barriers toward seeking mental health services for men in the military. Although factors like socialized masculine norms (i.e., restrictive emotionality) and levels of distress are associated with stigma in civilian samples, less is known about these factors for men in the military. This study examines how distress and restrictive emotionality relate to help-seeking stigma in a sample of 271 men in the military. Results indicate that distress, restrictive emotionality, and the interaction between the two are uniquely associated with help-seeking stigma. Specifically, for men reporting high distress, restrictive emotionality is not associated with stigma. However, for men reporting low-to-moderate distress, greater restrictive emotionality significantly predicts greater stigma. These results have important implications for the development of future interventions designed to decrease stigma in the military.

Defining Forgiveness: Historical Roots, Contemporary Research, and Key Considerations for Health Outcomes

In the growing literature on the psychology of forgiveness, definitions play a crucial role. Depending on how one defines forgiveness, the information gathered, conclusions drawn, and implications suggested can differ widely. This is particularly true for the relationship between forgiveness and health outcomes. In this chapter we review the theological, philosophical, and cultural roots of forgiveness as well as contemporary research into forgiveness as a multifaceted construct. Throughout the chapter, implications for how a given definition may relate forgiveness to health are offered. Ultimately, rather than arguing for a single broad definition, we provide five key considerations for use in future research into the forgiveness-health link.

The Importance of Counseling Self-efficacy: Physiologic Stress in Student Helpers

ABSTRACT This study tested whether high counseling self-efficacy was associated with less physiologic stress for student helpers facing difficult helping situations. A total of 225 students completed a counseling self-efficacy measure before providing supportive help. During this time, participants’ blood pressure and heart rate were evaluated. Between the time that participants learned about their upcoming roles as student helpers and began experiencing session-management problems, diastolic blood pressure decreased for those with high self-efficacy, but not for those with low self-efficacy. The results suggest that mental health agencies may consider utilizing counseling self-efficacy measures to identify and develop capable student helpers.

Understanding group therapists' use of spiritual and religious interventions in group therapy.

Abstract The current study examined therapist characteristics that are related to the use of spiritual and religious interventions in group therapy and to perceived barriers to attending to spirituality in group therapy among a sample of experienced group therapists. Results demonstrated that greater therapist spirituality was associated with more frequent use of both spiritual and religious interventions, as well as lower perceived barriers to attending to spirituality in group therapy. Religious commitment was only uniquely related to perceived barriers, such that therapists with higher religious commitment actually perceived greater barriers. Training in religion and spirituality and comfort with spiritual discussions was also related to therapists’ use of religious and spiritual interventions and perceived barriers.

Substance Misuse Prevention and Economic Analysis: Challenges and Opportunities Regarding International Utility

Economic analyses of substance misuse prevention assess the intervention cost necessary to achieve a particular outcome, and thereby provide an additional dimension for evaluating prevention programming. This article reviews several types of economic analysis, considers how they can be applied to substance misuse prevention, and discusses challenges to enhancing their international relevance, particularly their usefulness for informing policy decisions. Important first steps taken to address these challenges are presented, including the disease burden concept and the development of generalized cost-effectiveness, advances that facilitate international policy discussions by providing a common framework for evaluating health care needs and program effects.