Robert H. McPherson

Houston, 2001 Context and Legacy

This article presents an overview of the Houston 2001 National Counseling Psychology Conference. The authors discuss the context for the 4th National Counseling Psychology Conference, documentthe process of decision makingaboutthe conference, andexamine the content of the conference. The authors also examine a unique feature of the conference, the social action groups, discussing their philosophical underpinnings as well as how they were organized, what took place, and recommendations drawn from the groups. The authors evaluatethe outcomes of the Houston Conference andalso assess the conference within the context of the legacy of the three other counseling psychology conferences held at Northwestern University in 1951, in the Greyston Conference Center at Teachers College in 1964, and in Atlanta in 1987. Finally, the authors make recommendations for the field to move the conference’s initiatives forward and plan for future conferences.

School Attachment: perspectives of low‐attached high school students

Abstract Attachment to school plays a vital role in the success or failure of todays middle and high school students. Many researchers identified attachment to school as contributing to student self‐esteem, motivation, effort, behaviour and academic achievement. However, definitions of school attachment have been varied and based largely upon observation of student behaviour. In an attempt to elucidate this definition, the construct of school attachment was examined from the perspective of students who were classified as low‐attached to school. Specifically, in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews of 10 students were conducted and analysed qualitatively. Results indicated that students who were low‐attached described their lives at school as lonely and isolated, and saw themselves as alienated from the school community. They perceived a low level of support and encouragement from the school personnel and from their peers. A broad understanding of school attachment as well as factors which contribute to stud...

The relation of individuation and psychosocial development.

In this study, the authors examined gender differences in levels of individuation, the relation of individuation and psychosocial development, and whether this relation is of a curvilinear nature. Two hundred and twenty-four students completed the Measure of Psychosocial Development (G. A. Hawley, 1988), the Level of Differentiation of Self Scale (LDSS ; J. Haber, 1990a), and the Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire, Version C (J. H. Bray & D. M. Harvey, 1987). The authors used a general linear models procedure to examine the hypothesis. A positive relation between individuation and the psychosocial resolution of identity and intimacy was demonstrated. Curvilinearity was found in the relation between the LDSS measure of individuation and identity. Results support C. Gilligans (1982) argument that gender differences exist in the developmental patterns.

Stability and Change in Counseling Psychologists' Identities, Roles, Functions, and Career Satisfaction Across 15 Years

The authors examined changes in the profession of counseling psychology by comparing results of similar surveys of Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) members administered 15 years apart (in 1985 and 2000). The authors found the roles and settings of SCP members were relatively stable across this period but observed that notably fewer respondents were engaged in vocational counseling or vocational assessment and that the proportion of women SCP members nearly doubled over this time period. Year 2000 data also included the responses of counseling psychologists who were not SCP members. Numerous differences emerged from a comparison of SCP members and nonmembers. For example, members were more likely than nonmembers to (a) be employed in university settings, (b) identify as academics, (c) be either an American Psychological Association (APA) fellow or an American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) diplomate, and (d) publish in professional outlets.

Counseling Psychology’s Ambivalent Relationship with Master’s-Level Training

Inspired by efforts by those who seek to redefine the practice of psychology as a master’s-level specialty, the authors examine counseling psychology’s heightened ambivalence regarding master’s-level training. First, they present a historical review of this issue. Next, they discuss current social and political pressures that, they suggest, have resulted in renewed tensions in the training of master’s-level practitioners for the field of counseling psychology. They conclude with specific recommendations regarding the manner in which counseling psychology should (a) train master’-level providers, (b) attempt to document the added value doctoral training, and (c) politically respond to this issue.

The Association Between Parenting Stress, Parenting Self-Efficacy, and the Clinical Significance of Child ADHD Symptom Change Following Behavior Therapy

We examined parenting stress (PST) and self-efficacy (PSE) following participation in behavioral parent training (BPT) with regard to child treatment response. Forty-three families of children diagnosed with ADHD participated in a modified BPT program. Change in PST and PSE was evaluated using a single group, within-subjects design. Parenting outcomes based on child treatment response were evaluated based upon (1) magnitude and (2) clinical significance of change in child symptom impairment. Parents reported significant improvements in stress and self-efficacy. Parents of children who demonstrated clinically significant reduction in ADHD symptoms reported lower stress and higher self-efficacy than those of children with continued impairments. Magnitude of child impairment was not associated with parent outcomes. Clinical implications for these results include extending treatment duration to provide more time for symptom amelioration and parent-focused objectives to improve coping and stress management.

Intuition and Moral Development

Abstract The relation between the sensing (S)/intuition (N) dimension of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and moral development was investigated using two samples of 74 participants each who were administered the MBTI and Rests (1988) Defining Issues Test (DIT). Correlation coefficients were computed for the P scores of the DIT and for the continuous scores of each of the four preference scales of the MBTI. The coefficients of the two samples were statistically pooled, and the results supported the hypothesis that, of the four personality dimensions of the MBTI, the S-N dimension would be the only one to have a positive relation with ones level of moral reasoning.

Construct validity of the diagnostic inventory of personality and symptoms : external correlates

This study extended knowledge of the construct validity of Vincents Diagnostic Inventory of Personality and Symptoms (DIPS) by examining the relationships between the DIPS and the MMPI, the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, the Profile of Mood States, the Symptom Check List-90, and the California Psychological Inventory. Subjects were 300 predominantly male psychiatric inpatients. Correlational analyses revealed that the DIPS clinical scales were related most strongly to MMPI and MCMI clinical scales. Eleven of 14 DIPS clinical scales showed clinically significant correlations with similar scales of the external measures. The validities of the Stress-Adjustment Disorders and Psychological Factors Affecting Physical Condition scales were not ascertained directly.

The Relationship Between Educational and Demographic Variables and Supervisor's Multicultural Counseling Competencies

Abstract A survey to investigate the level of multicultural counseling competencies of 250 randomly selected supervisors yielded a 34% response rate. The level of multicultural counseling competencies was collected using the Multicultural Counseling Inventory (MCI) and a form requesting demographic and educational information. Some of the findings were: (a) there was a moderate significant relationship between single course training (College Semester Courses and < 4-Hour Workshops) and the MCI score, (b) single course training (2-Day Workshops and 4-Hour Workshops) had a moderate significant relationship with multicultural awareness, and (c) infusion courses (Courses Integrated into the Curriculum) had a moderate significant relationship on counseling skills.

Tobacco use and quit behaviors among delinquent youth: a pilot study.

With rates of adolescent tobacco use steadily increasing over the past 20 years, assisting youth to quit, particularly those youth most susceptible to tobacco use, has become a national focus. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine and profile the smoking patterns of a small sample (n = 37) of juvenile offenders in Texas. In contrast to anecdotal reports, the sample group from this study did not differ clinically from the general population of adolescent tobacco users. Importantly, the study participants indicated previous attempts to stop smoking. The authors conclude that delinquent youth may be responsive to cognitive behavioral smoking cessation programs that also address the management of peer networks.