Michael D. Brubaker

Justice Making in Groups for Homeless Adults: The Emancipatory Communitarian Way

The need for group counseling services for homeless adults is increasing with recent economic and natural disasters, representing crises that exacerbate the ongoing financial and social marginalization of this population. To address their needs, Emancipatory Communitarianism (EC; Prilleltensky, 1997) is suggested for group counselors working to promote critical consciousness, a strengths orientation, self-determination, communal responsibility, and advocacy for the homeless who experience oppression through various forms of social injustices. This article will outline the underlying principles of this approach and provide key strategies for implementing EC in a group counseling setting with homeless adults.

Exploring Dimensions of Advocacy in Service: A Content Analysis Extending the Framework of Counselor Community Engagement Activities in Chi Sigma Iota Chapters

ABSTRACT Counselor Community Engagement (CCE) is a collaborative process whereby counselors and community members identify, plan, and execute strategies that promote wellness and human dignity within the community. Although Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) has an established framework for CCE inspired by Dr. Jane E. Myers (10 Key Considerations), no study has explored the use of this framework in practice. Using directive content analysis methodology, these researchers examined the 2013–2014 CSI Chapter CCE activities (n = 247), confirming the degree to which the 10 Key Considerations reflect CCE activities and refining the framework to support purposeful engagement and advocacy with individuals, groups, and communities. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are provided.

Addiction in LGBTQ Communities: Influences, Treatment, and Prevention

On June 28, 1969, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a neighborhood bar in Greenwich Village, New York City, decided they were no longer going to t...

Young Adults' Perceptions of an Adolescent's Use of Marijuana and Alcohol.

Adolescent substance use is a serious problem often invoking negative reactions. The current study extends the literature in this area. A total of 425 college students read one of five vignettes, each of which described an adolescent who used marijuana, hard liquor, or drank an occasional beer (control) and who had received or not received treatment. Participants responded to questions assessing acceptance, willingness to help, and beliefs about the adolescents academic functioning. Students provided higher acceptance of the adolescent who drank an occasional beer compared to the one who had received treatment for alcohol use and the one who was using marijuana, but did not receive treatment. Results differed based on question type, suggesting that interpretation of stigma is complex and that context plays a role in understanding perceptions. Future research, focusing on reasons for differences in judgments across contexts, will provide new information.

Community Mental Health Provider Responses to a Competency-Based Training in Suicide Risk Assessment and Prevention

The present study evaluates of a competency-based suicide prevention training. A sample of community mental healthcare providers took part in a suicide risk assessment and prevention training, completing pre-post measures of knowledge, competency/skill and attitudes, as well as baseline interprofessional education (IPE) socialization. Training yielded moderate-to-large improvements in suicide-related knowledge, perceived risk assessment/prevention skills, attitudes toward helping patients, and professional capacity to work with suicidal patients. Small pre-post differences were observed recognizing the need for additional training. IPE socialization moderated impacts on professional capacity. This study offers support for the promising impacts of competency-based and IPE-specific training.

Inappropriate Comparisons: The LGB Population's Missing Reference Group

ABSTRACT Given that many professional organizations emphasize the need for comparing assessment results to appropriate reference groups in their codes of ethics, we consider this practice through an ecological perspective as it applies to the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) population. The purpose of norming and types of assessment bias is discussed with respect to LGB population, which frequently lack specific norming data. The authors discuss whether the LGB population has characteristics similar to other commonly normed for groups and explore how group-shared constructs such as minority stress and internalized homophobia may introduce bias and affect the validity of assessments. A social anxiety assessment as well as a personality disorder inventory are examined for bias as case examples explaining how these assessments may exhibit bias when used with the LGB population. Increases in validity and effects on treatment planning are discussed as benefits of providing LGB-specific norms. Risks of providing these norms, such as minimizing subgroup differences and possibly increasing the risk of discrimination are also addressed before providing clinicians with recommendations as to how they may minimize the risk of bias in their assessment process.

Interpersonal Contact and Attitudes toward Adolescents Who Abuse Substances.

Only 7.6% of adolescents in need of substance abuse treatment actually receive it. Many adolescents are hesitant to seek treatment due to public stigma (i.e., negative attitudes and beliefs of the general public toward individuals who abuse substances). However, decades of research indicate that interpersonal contact with stigmatized groups helps reduce stigma. This study used structural equations and data from 638 undergraduate students to test the relationships between students’ total interpersonal contact with individuals who abuse substances and their attitudes toward those individuals. We found that total contact did not have significant effects on stigma and was associated with better helping attitudes toward adolescents who abuse alcohol but not marijuana. In addition, African Americans and females endorsed greater stigmatization of adolescents who abuse alcohol but better helping attitudes toward those who had received treatment. Increasing contact with individuals who abuse substances, irrespective of type and valence, may not be widely useful as a way of improving attitudes toward such people.