Sondra Smith-Adcock

Female Adolescents' Delinquent Activity: The Intersection of Bonds to Parents and Reputation Enhancement.

According to the reputation enhancement theory, social bonds influence adolescents’ delinquent activity indirectly through the reputations they select. Findings from the current study of a school-based sample of female adolescents indicate that bonds to parents affect reputation enhancement beliefs, which, in turn, predict delinquent activity. Furthermore, mother-daughter bonds appear to moderate the relation between reputation enhancement and delinquency, where under the condition of weak bonds to mother, the relation between reputation and delinquency is the strongest.

Using Psychodrama Techniques to Promote Counselor Identity Development in Group Supervision

Abstract The authors briefly introduce the concepts, techniques, and theory of identity development associated with J. L. Morenos (1946, 1969, 1993) Psychodrama. Based upon Loganbill, Hardy, and Delworths (1982) model, counselor identity development is conceptualized as consisting of seven developmental themes or vectors (e.g., issues of awareness and effective use of emotions in counseling, issues of professional ethics in counseling practice, etc.). Development along these seven psychosocial vectors may be regarded as resembling the process of role repertoire expansion described in Morenos (1993) identity development theory. The authors present four representative psychodrama activities that have been used with supervisees in group supervision.

Child-Centered Classroom Management

Teachers who are child centered focus on building empathy, responsibility, and prosocial behaviors in children. In child-centered classroom management, teachers intentionally communicate to children that they are fully accepted as they are and capable of directing their own behavior. Thus, children are allowed to find their own strengths, make choices for themselves, and accept the consequences of their choices. In this article, the authors present a rationale for elementary classroom teachers to become more child centered in their day-to-day interactions with students. A case vignette is included to illustrate child-centered classroom management.

Three Creative Approaches to Counseling Supervision

Counselor supervision is fundamental to the development of ethical and competent counselors. As with any approach to working with students, a “1-size-fits-all model” is not always the most effective approach to supervision with developing counselors. Creative approaches to counselor supervision involve the use of nonlinear and nontraditional methods. In this article, the authors apply 3 creative approaches to a single case. Through this case application, they demonstrate the effectiveness of bibliotherapy, psychodrama, and sandtray in the supervisory process.

Reputation Enhancement and School Delinquency: A Prospective Study using the National Educational Longitudinal Survey [NELS: 88]

High school delinquency, adolescent behaviors ranging from repeated school misconduct to being arrested, is a critical concern in the United States. Though widely believed that reputation is related to adolescent behavior, few studies have addressed the relationship between adolescent reputation and delinquency. Using the National Educational Longitudinal Study: 88 (NELS), the current study examined adolescents’ individual characteristics, reputation enhancement, peer affiliation, parent involvement, and school delinquency. Results showed that peer affiliation and school bonding had strong indirect effects on high school delinquency through reputational constructs. Practice implications for school settings are included.

Creative Group Strategies for Interviewing Applicants for Counselor Education Programs

Counselor educators have the challenging task of screening applicants for their programs. This process involves assessing applicants’ academic potential, as well as their dispositions and behaviors. This manuscript focuses on the use of creative group strategies to assess the personal characteristics of applicants in gatekeeping for the counseling profession. The authors present several creative strategies to assist counselor educators in screening applicants.

The Influence of the Mass Media on Relational Aggression among Females: A Feminist Counseling Perspective

This article highlights the nature of relational aggression among females in the mass media and how to use the same media to counteract aggression. Relationally aggressive behaviors depicted in media include backstabbing, manipulating, and gossiping. These behaviors are associated with negative mental health outcomes for girls and women. We offer counseling interventions using a feminist framework with the understanding that females develop self-identity within the context of broader sociocultural structures.

On-task behavior of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Examining treatment effectiveness of play therapy interventions.

This study focused on examining the treatment effect associated with two 12-session interventions (child-centered play therapy and nature-based child-centered play therapy) among early elementary schoolchildren (N = 8) who had an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis. Children were randomly assigned to one of the treatment groups or the waitlist group. We found that the child-centered play therapy intervention ranged from debatable (n = 1) to effective (n = 2) and the nature-based child-centered play therapy intervention ranged from debatable (n = 1) to very effective (n = 1), with one participant also scoring in the effective range for improving on-task behavior. In comparison, the waitlist group participants had a large fluctuation in scores, with the analysis revealing that noninvolvement in treatment was ineffective for improving on-task behavior.

A Qualitative Study of an Intensive Filial Intervention Using Child–Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to hear from a group of African American parents who were living in poverty about their experience participating in a short-term, intensive child–parent relationship therapy intervention (CPRT). The parents who participated were recruited from a parent enrichment program for parents of preschoolers and were interviewed about the parent–child relationship before and after the group sessions. In addition, parents reported on barriers to utilizing counseling services related to their parenting needs. Following an intensive 4-week CPRT group intervention, the parents described their experiences about participating in the group sessions and how it impacted their parent–child relationship. Parents discussed changes in their perceptions of parenting, child’s play, and CPRT group process. Implications are discussed.