<p> The issues of multicultural counseling competence within intensive in-community counseling stem from the lack of research on the lived experiences of African American families receiving intensive in-community counseling services. This research project includes exploring the perceptions of counseling experiences within the African American family, examining the perceptions of multicultural counseling competence in the African American family, and providing a document that explores the African American viewpoints of the home-based counseling experience. This study incorporated phenomenological research and used the CCCI-R to rely on the participants' views of the multicultural counseling competence of home-based therapists. The themes include: (a) awareness of cultural differences; (b) comfort in the session; (c) time to understand the family needs; and (d) counseling strategies. A summary, conclusions, and recommendations for future research are included.</p>

The prediction of wellness factors on alcohol consumption and behaviors related to alcohol among college students

<p> This study examined attitudes towards forgiveness, assertiveness, and self-esteem as moderators between the tendency to forgive and life satisfaction, physical health, and relational abuse. One hundred and seventy two women recruited online completed measures that assessed self-ratings of the above variables. The tendency to forgive was positively associated with life satisfaction although not associated with physical health or relational abuse. Conversely attitudes towards forgiveness were positively associated with physical health, although not associated with life satisfaction or physical abuse. Assertiveness was positively associated with life satisfaction, although not associated with physical health or relational abuse. Self-esteem was positively associated with life satisfaction and physical health and negatively associated with relational abuse. Interaction analyses indicated that attitudes towards forgiveness moderated the relationship between tendency to forgive and life satisfaction. Specifically, the tendency to forgive was positively associated with life satisfaction only among those with low forgiveness attitudes. Assertiveness and self-esteem failed to moderate relationships between the tendency to forgive and any of the dependent variables: life satisfaction, physical health, and relational abuse. Results suggest that the tendency to forgive may be particularly beneficial for those with low forgiveness attitudes, although the present study is the first to obtain such findings. Implications for counselors and suggestions for future research are discussed.</p>

<p> The present study explored the association between attachment style and friendship satisfaction and correlates of well-being such as depression, loneliness, and meaning in life. The study included 88 women over the age of 65. The results indicated that there is a relationship between attachment style and friendship satisfaction and that friendship satisfaction affects older adult female's experience of depression, loneliness, and meaning in life. A woman with a more secure attachment style had higher levels of friendship satisfaction and lower levels of depression and loneliness. There was an inverse relationship between how many female friends a woman has and her levels of depression and loneliness. Additionally, a positive association was found between the number of female friends a woman had and the presence of meaning in her life. Previous studies suggest that friendship and social support is an important source of happiness and well-being in the lives of many. This study confirms that female friendship has a positive influence on factors of well-being for the elderly. The implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.</p>

<p>The relational dynamics between perpetrators and victims of child sexual abuse are rarely discussed. Reviewing the corpus of literature on molestation, and aggregating heuristic inquiry and clinical work, the author investigates in depth the connective, and therefore <i>erotic</i>, psychodynamics of child sexual abuse. The result is a carefully woven portrait of the diverse interpersonal and intrapsychic subtleties of these relationships, through critical psychoanalytic, feminist, sociological, Jungian, mythopoetic, and empirical lenses; and the proposition of an expansive vision beyond understanding, toward collective healing and prevention. Rather than by erecting walls, eros&rsquo; wounds must be healed through deeper connections with ourselves and our gruesome shadows, with monsters, and with the seemingly hopeless. Love&rsquo;s rope is a chain. </p>

<p> Ten women were interviewed about aspects of the sexual relationship they were in when they first experienced female ejaculation. Interview data was analyzed using phenomenology. Analysis revealed the women experienced their first female ejaculation in various types of sexual relationships all of which had some type of personal connection. Three types of personal connections defining their relationships are identified and described including "intimacy, closeness, friendship, or attraction;" "functional;" and "sexual exploration, discovery, learning, or experimentation." The women were experiencing elements that were distinct and unprecedented in the sexual relationship they were in when they first experienced female ejaculation compared to previous and subsequent sexual relationships in which they did not. The most important "primary" elements and differences the women were experiencing are in the following areas: (a) trust, (b) positive traits and behaviors in their partner, (c) sexual receptivity, (d) comfort, (e) feelings for their partner, (f) sexual stimulation, (g) undergoing a biological change or transition, or (h) the overall personal connection that defined their sexual relationship. These "primary" elements and differences in turn created many equally important "secondary" elements and differences the women were experiencing. The "primary" and "secondary" elements and differences the women were experiencing in their sexual relationship when they first ejaculated can help explain the wide range in the age of onset of female ejaculation. </p>

<p> Since scuba diving in underwater caves became popular a half century ago, more than 400 cave divers have lost their lives in the United States. Cave diving has been described as one of the world's most dangerous extreme sports. Despite these demonstrable dangers, both younger open water divers and older more sedentary divers are seeking certification as cave divers at the greatest rate to date. This study sought to further the understanding of personality and interpersonal relationship functioning by studying adult male cave divers who were either married or in a committed relationship. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the dyadic relationships of adult male cave divers, as measured by the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, in relation to the five personality traits measured by the Zuckerman Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire. The secondary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between dyadic adjustment and the personality trait of alexithymia, as measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Two hundred sixty eight participants, all fully certified cave divers, volunteered to complete an online survey. Significant negative correlations were found between Zuckerman's neuroticism-anxiety, aggression-hostility, and dyadic adjustment. The most significant negative correlation was that between dyadic adjustment and alexithymia. There were no significant correlations between Zuckerman's' impulsive sensation seeking, sociability, and activity scales and score of dyadic adjustment. These findings may be useful in developing family therapy interventions for cave divers and their families, and possibly for other extreme sports participants as well. </p>

<p> Forgiveness as a process of resolving interpersonal transgressions is associated with greater individual and relational health. This study expands current conceptualizations of forgiveness as a relational enterprise by asking two questions: What are the relational motivations for which people forgive? In what way or ways does the experience of being in relationship change after forgiving? Semi-structured individual and dyadic interviews of five adult romantic couples were conducted to examine the research questions. An open-coding analysis of the first research question yielded 11 motivation categories: Focusing on Myself, Reconnecting with my Partner, Giving to my Partner, I Want to Acknowledge my Partner's Efforts, Insight and Understanding, Acknowledging and Accepting Responsibility, Religious and Social Aspirations, The Relationship is the Priority, Getting on the Same Page with my Partner, Focusing on Moving Forward, and Other Motivations. The analysis also yielded 9 categories of changes associated with forgiveness: Moving Toward Selflessness, Personal Growth, Hopefulness, Better Communication, Creating Space for Vulnerability and Intimacy, Developing Trust, Clearer Expectations and Beliefs Abut the Relationship, We Have More Commitment and Resilience, and Other Changes. The relative frequencies of the categories in individual and dyadic interviews were explored to better understand the context in which these aspects of forgiveness manifest. A framework for interpreting these results was created to position the motivation categories within private, obligational, or relational orientations toward forgiveness. Similarly, the categories of change were interpreted to reflect three larger themes of how participants' used forgiveness to achieve relational goals by reflecting, engaging, and investing. Implications for these findings are applied to the theory and empirical literature on forgiveness in relationships. Clinical implications for couples therapy are addressed. </p>

<p> The focus of the current study was on examining possible differences in college students' adjustment based on residency status (i.e., international Asian vs. domestic students) and illness status (i.e., having a family member with a chronic illness vs. not having a family member with a chronic illness). The study also examined the associations between overall college student adjustment and the family and illness-related factors of role conflict, uncertainty in illness, and illness-related communication avoidance for students will a chronically ill family member. The literature review drew from the fields of college student development, family studies, communication, and nursing. Data were collected from 232 students (85 international Asian and 147 domestic) from two Midwestern public universities. A MANCOVA and a hierarchical regression were performed to address four research questions and test three associated hypotheses. Results indicated that international Asian students scored lower than their domestic peers on the college student adjustment domains of social adjustment and institutional attachment. Students who had a family member with a chronic illness scored lower on the college student adjustment domain of personal-emotional adjustment than students who did not have a family member with a chronic illness. Finally, there was a negative association between role conflict and overall college adjustment regardless of residency or illness status. Recommendations are discussed for counseling psychologists working in a variety of settings across college campuses. </p>

<p> In Education, there has been an amplified interest regarding the need for distance education practices over the course of the last century (Allen &amp; Seaman, 2010, 2013, 2014). The purpose of the present study was to explore the attitudes and experiences of counselor educators in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited counseling programs in relation to distance education. A secondary purpose was to gather data about the implementation of distance education activities in these programs. Exploring this phenomenon provided an up to date picture of the lived experiences of counselor educators with distance education. </p><p> This research study employed a phenomenological design with a quantitative survey and qualitative follow-up interviews. The sample for the quantitative phase of the study consisted of 41 CACREP-accredited counseling programs that successfully completed the researcher-designed survey instrument. Maximum variation purposive sampling for the qualitative phase of the study identified four participants for follow-up interviews. Three themes emerged from participant interviews that described the lived experiences of counselor educators with distance education: external encouragement for implementation, adequate preparation and support for development and delivery, and evolving design for counseling programs and courses. </p><p> The results of the study indicated that implementation of distance education in counselor education programs was related to both extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors. Factors such as institutional encouragement, incentives, student needs, adequate support services for distance education, competitive program marketability, and university-level teaching experience, were identified as influencing distance education adoption in counselor education programs. </p><p> The results of the study provided information helpful to counselor educators and university administrators planning to implement distance education in counselor education programs. In order for counselor education programs to serve a larger population and remain competitive, they may need to consider incorporating distance education activities within their curriculum. Counselor education preparation programs may need to further infuse instructional components in their curriculums that prepare graduates with the skill and knowledge necessary to implement distance education. A wide range of support services need to be available to assist faculty that want to develop and implement distance education activities. It is recommended that counselor education programs first use a hybrid model in knowledge base courses and transition to making available full distance education courses that include skilled based coursework. </p>