The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of religious involvement on mental health assessment. Three different categories of patient religious involvement (agnostic, traditional, and charismatic) were presented (via patient histories) to representatives of three different professional groups (mental health professionals, nonmental health professionals, and pastoral counselors). The following were hypothesized: 1) category of religious involvement would affect the diagnostic judgments of all three professional groups, 2) professional affiliation of subjects would affect their diagnosis of patient, and 3) mental health professionals would give more severe diagnostic evaluations than pastoral counselors to the patients representing the traditional and charismatic categories of religious involvement. The subjects who participated in this study were 94 professionals employed full time in their particular professional field. All subjects had attained as a minimum a masters or masters equivalent degree. The subjects in the mental health professional group and the pastoral counselor group had training in the area of counseling and were conducting counseling sessions as a part of their occupational responsibilities. The data collection took place on an individual or small group basis at the subjects' job sites. The dependent variables were three mental health measures (Mental Health Factor scale, Psychological Adjustment scale, and Diagnosis scale) and one Similarity scale. These were presented on the Diagnostic Evaluation Form. The Mental Health Factor responses consisted of evaluations on six different areas (ego strength, insight into problems, emotional maturity, social adjustment, anxiety, and capacity for self observation). An overall evaluation of psychological adjustment was made on the Psychological Adjustment scale while a diagnostic designation was required on the Diagnosis scale. The subjects indicated theirscale. This study was a 3 (category of religious involvement of patient) x 3 (professional group membership of subject) factorial design. Significance was sought at the .05 level. Analysis was conducted using 3x3 multivariate and univariate analysis of variance on the mental health and Similarity scales' scores. It was not possible to interpret the results regarding the main effects due to a significant interaction (F=2.225, P < .012). In the analysis of variance of selected simple effects it was found that the type of religious involvement did affect the diagnostic judgments of mental health professionals (F=4.570, P<.0003) while not affecting the judgment of nonmental health professionals (F=1.1.16, P <.200) or pastoral counselors (F=.497, P <.810). Mental health professionals perceived agnostic religious involvement as more healthy than traditional religious involvement while charismatic religious involvement was perceived to be the least healthy of all on the Diagnosis scale. The professional affiliation of subjects did not affect mental health evaluation mean scores in any of the simple effects analysis comparisons of professional groups. Mental health professionals and pastoral counselors did not significantly differ in their perceived similarity to either the traditional or charismatic category of religious involvement stimulus patient.Diagnostic bias on the part of mental health professionals against traditional and charismatic religious involvement was present in the results of this study. Certain limitations decrease somewhat the generalizability of these results. Recommendations for future research included duplication of the present study in a more metropolitan and less conservative section of the country, conducting a similar study but adding a patient stimulus which did not have a reference to religious inolvement, and duplicating the research procedure but not identifying the person stimulus as a patient.

The study investigated the reasoning processes used by psychoeducational assessors in interpreting a typical case-file. The methodology used was one adapted from studies of problem-solving skills in other domains. In the models of reasoning derived from these studies, expertise was associated with extensive use of causal reasoning and with a high level of integration between a selectively narrow body of information and the proposed solutions. It was hypothesised that the reasoning processes used by experienced psychoeducational assessors would show similar properties. In addition, it was hypothesised that experienced and trainee assessors could be differentiated by: (a) the degree of affinity shown to a theoretical orientation in psychology, (the degree of affinity shown by the experienced assessors being greater than that shown by the trainees), and (b) the numbers and types of inferences generated from case-file information. The influences of the referral information and subjects' preconceived notions of educational exceptionality on assessment were also considered. / Two groups of 12 subjects each participated in the study; experienced school psychologists (designated the experts), and trainees in psychoeducational assessment (designated the novices). Think-aloud protocols were obtained from the subjects as they interpreted the case-file. A scale for assessing relative preferences for theoretical orientations in psychology was administered to all subjects. Transcriptions of the think-aloud protocols were segmented and coded according to predetermined inference categories. The case-file text and subjects' coded protocols were used to set out formally representations of subjects' reasoning. / The experts and the novices were compared for adherence to theoretical orientation, the numbers and types of inferences generated, and the reasoning strategies employed. No differences were found between the two groups for the variables analysed. However, for some of the experts, but not for the novices, well-integrated reasoning was associated with adherence to initial theories about the case. Consistencies across both groups of subjects in the types of inferences made and the use of case-file information are suggestive of a case-specific approach to assessment. Assessors appear to emphasise a student's academic strengths and, at the same time, to attend to affective problems. Relatively little attention is paid to physiological factors. The variability in the data collected indicates that there are few criteria against which to gauge expertise in psychoeducational assessment. There was no indication that assessors test their diagnostic theories systematically. It is suggested that, in this domain, reasoning strategies of review and revision are desirable and that representational models of expertise should reflect these strategies.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Drexel University, 2006. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-123).

No description available.

Diss.--Universität Zürich, 1989. / Bibliogr. p. 369-379.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2003. / Advisor: Dr. Jon S. Bailey, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 9, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

The present study examined the influence personological variables have on therapists' style of conceptualising a hypothetical client's presenting problem. More specifically, the effects of clinical experience (novice vs. expert) and clinical affiliation (counseling psychologist vs. clinical psychologist) on therapists' style of conceptualizing a client's presenting problem was assessed. The emotional content of the therapists' verbal behaviour during a think-aloud diagnostic task, was analyzed. The Feeling Lexicon indexing procedure was used to assess the emotional content of therapists' discourse during the diagnostic task. Eighteen clinical psychologists and eighteen counselling psychologists were selected to fulfill the criteria for having either novice or expert clinical experience. The findings indicated that: (a) counseling psychologists verbalize more words that connote an emotional content than clinical psychologists and, (b) novice therapists express higher levels of emotionality than expert therapists. Implications for training and clinical practice are discussed.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, August, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 174-189)

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pf file (which also appears in the research.pf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pf file. Title from title screen of research.pf file (viewed on August 20, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.