Sharon L. Bowman

A Call to Action in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Theory Building and Research

Phillips, Ingram, Smith, and Mindes’s significant contribution exposes some of the gaps in our current writing regarding gay men, lesbian women, and bisexual men and women. Counseling psychology should incorporate gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) samples into some of our current mainstream areas of study, including a focus on lesbian women, gay men, and bisexual men and women as separate groups,and more sophisticated theorizing and research. Although counseling psychology is aware that individuals may identify by race/ethnicity, disability, or sexual identity (among other core identities), this contribution reminds us that more than one identity may be salient for any given person.

Working for a Living: The Vocational Decision Making of Lesbians

Abstract While lesbians are similar to other women in that they face discrimination in the workplace based on gender, ethnicity and class, they also have unique needs and confront bias because of their sexual orientation. Thus, choosing an occupation is an extremely important task for many lesbians. In order to adequately serve a lesbian population, vocational counselors need to be aware of how lesbians choose occupations. Astins (1985) and Gottfredsons (1981) theories of career development can be adapted to help explain the vocational needs of lesbians. This article will review the major findings within the field, discuss how the two theories relate to the vocational decision-making process of lesbian women and make suggestions for how to do vocational counseling with lesbians. doi:10.1080/10894160802174359

Determinants of Low-Fat Eating Behaviors among Midlife African American Women.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to explore midlife African American womens low-fat eating habits in the context of health attitudes, social support, and food preferences. DESIGN A cross-sectional design was used. SETTINGS One Midwestern and 1 national African American womens organization were targeted for data collection. PARTICIPANTS African American women between the ages of 45 and 64. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Health Attitudes Scale, Social Support Scale, Eating Behaviors subscale, and Low-Fat Eating subscale. ANALYSIS A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed. RESULTS Highly educated women did not engage in better eating habits than women with less education. Family members provided more criticism and friends provided more encouragement for healthful eating. However, only family encouragement and criticism for healthful eating and food preferences remained predictive of low-fat eating habits in midlife African American women in the final regression model. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Changing attitudes may not influence changes in behaviors. Women experience family support as a significant influence to eating habits. Future nutrition interventions should be inclusive of women at every educational level and have a multidimensional focus that targets family involvement and changing behaviors.

Training and Practice in Trauma, Catastrophes, and Disaster Counseling

Trauma-related assistance in response to disasters or catastrophes is needed locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, and the authors argue that there is a necessity for counseling psychologists and counseling psychology programs to incorporate it into their prevention, training, and social justice repertoire. Counseling psychologists are in a unique position to engage in disaster relief efforts because of their values and training, particularly around work with diverse clients. The authors present examples from two training programs of disaster mental health work completed in the field with students and their preparation of students for this work. They discuss some struggles and challenges in involving students and interventions for resolutions and further show how real-world crisis situations and interventions can easily be used as training tools. The authors discuss a number of themes that emerged throughout the disaster site examples, including students’ flexibility, openness to cultural issues, self-care, good interpersonal skills, resilience, and compassion.

Career Assessment With African-American Clients

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of issues related to using career assessment with African-American clients. We first discuss the philosophy and practice of career assessment, and present an expanded view of assessment. In the second section, we outline general issues in career counseling with African-American clients, including topics to explore in career counseling and the role of the counselors and clients racial identity attitudes. The third section consists of specific issues in using career assessment with African-American clients, such as how race and racial identity attitudes might influence the process of assessment, and psychometric and theoretical issues in using career assessment instruments. The final section offers some directions for future research and practice regarding career assessment.

Examining the Career Decision Self-Efficacy and Career Maturity of Community College and First-Generation Students

This study examined the career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) and career maturity of 268 first-generation baccalaureate and community college student participants. Three independent variables were analyzed, including generational status (first generation and nonfirst generation), college type (baccalaureate, community college), and socioeconomic status (SES; low, medium, and high). The analysis indicated a significant interaction effect for generation by college type, with both first-generation and nonfirst-generation baccalaureate students reporting lower mean scores than community college students. This analysis also revealed an interaction effect for generation by SES, with first-generation students from high-SES backgrounds reporting the lowest levels of CDSE. A separate analysis using career maturity as the dependent variable indicated a main effect for generation, with first-generation students reporting a lower level of career maturity than nonfirst-generation students. The analysis also revealed a robust main effect for college type, with community college students reporting higher levels of career maturity than baccalaureate students.

Minority Women and Career Adjustment

Minority women have experiences that are similar to those of minority men and White women, but their membership in two (or more) minority groups can be the source of unique challenges and stressors in the workforce. This article examines theory and research on minority womens issues with career adjustment, and uses the Theory of Work Adjustment (Lofquist & Dawis, 1991) to discuss a case of a client experiencing racism in her job.

Reducing Premature Mortality in the Mentally Ill Through Health Promotion Programs.

Nearly half of the U.S. adult population will have a major mental illness during their lifetimes. At any point in time, almost a fifth of all American adults have a serious mental illness (SMI). Too many in our society do not understand mental illnesses, placing the blame for the illness on those with the illness, resulting in isolation, marginalization, or incarceration of individuals with SMIs. They may experience stigma, inadequate and delayed health and mental health care, and major socioeconomic disadvantages. They may struggle with activities of daily living, lose many of their resources, and spiral down into poverty. The disadvantages and decreased ability to function experienced by individuals with SMIs lead to increased unhealthy behaviors, reduced participation in wellness-related activities, and premature morbidity and mortality. The general and physical health of individuals with SMIs poses greater challenges from both practice and research standpoints. However, health educators are poised uniquely to provide health promotion programs, conduct research, and advocate for the health and well-being of individuals with SMIs. In this review, we summarize the challenges and opportunities for health promotion in individuals with SMIs.

Eighteen Years of the Great Lakes Regional Counseling Psychology Conference Revisiting the Need for Regional Conferences

The Great Lakes Regional Conference on Counseling Psychology is the only conference to continuously fulfill the 1987 mandate issued by Division 17 for regional counseling conferences. The rationale for regional conferences is reviewed, and the 18-year history of the Great Lakes Regional Conference is examined. The authors conclude by noting the strengths and limitations of regional conferences and recommend that the Society of Counseling Psychology reconsider the issue of regional conferences in counseling psychology.