<p> This study explored the relationships among master's level counseling trainees' level of training, ability emotional intelligence (EI), and psychophysiological correlates of emotion regulation recorded during a video-simulated client interaction. Agreement exists among counselor educators, researchers, and theorists that counselors' emotion regulation is foundational to the competent delivery of counseling treatment. The literature further suggests that counselors and trainees experience frequent emotional challenges that overwhelm emotion regulation skills, interfere with competent delivery of service, and affect client outcomes. However, little research in counseling training and supervision has investigated trainees' emotion regulation or factors that support adaptive emotion regulation while trainees interact with clients who are experiencing emotional distress. </p><p> Participants were 66 master's level counseling trainees from counseling programs accredited by the Counsel for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. Participants' EI was operationalized as scores on the Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, &amp; Sitarenios, 2003). Emotion regulation was operationalized as electrodermal activity (EDA), high-frequency heart rate variability, and the standard deviation of normal heartbeat intervals (HRV-SDNN). Correlation and regression analyses indicated that psychophysiological correlates of trainees' emotion regulation were not significantly correlated with training. However, HRV-SDNN significantly correlated with total EI, and the EI subscale Perceiving Emotions, while EDA significantly correlated with the Managing Emotions subscale.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to identify potential predictors of alcohol screening and brief intervention outcomes for severe-risk drinkers. Specifically, age, gender, race, blood alcohol level, counseling intervention type, type of injury, hazardous alcohol use, symptoms of alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use were examined to see whether the variables were able to predict reduction to low-risk levels among severe-risk participants. A total of 101 participants were included in this research study. The variables were collected at baseline via the screening process of the alcohol screening and brief intervention (ASBI) procedures. The AUDIT (Babor et al., 2001) instrument was utilized to gather the hazardous alcohol use, symptoms of alcohol dependence, and harmful alcohol use variables. The other variables were gathered from participant self report. </p><p> Two logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyze the data in SPSS. The analysis indicated that one variable was statistically significant, blood alcohol level. The odds ratio of .993 suggested that for every one unit increase in blood alcohol level, a severe-risk participant was .993 times as likely to reduce their drinking to low-risk at six month follow-up. These findings show little support for the individual predictors examined within this analysis, which were all completed during the screening phase of the ASBI process. This lack of significance for individual predictors emphasizes the need for future research to examine the components of a successful brief counseling intervention.</p>

<p>The study examined the sense of self-efficacy that clergy experience while providing pastoral care by analyzing 104 pastors' responses to the Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy Scale (CASES). The variables that predicted higher self-efficacy scores included the number of years the participant worked as a pastor, the number of hours spent each week in counseling activities, and the number of counseling/pastoral care courses completed during seminary or pastoral training. Training with clinical pastoral education (CPE) and lay counseling activities, however, predicted lower CASES scores. This regression model accounted for 29% of the variance in CASES scores. Clergy reported significantly lower self-efficacy in their counseling skills in the Counseling Challenges factor of the CASES than in the Helping Skills and Session Management factors. This suggests that the pastors experience the lowest counseling self-efficacy (CSE) when faced with challenges such as severe psychopathology or manipulative individuals. The results carry implications for the training and continuing education that is offered to clergy. The study suggests that it could be beneficial with clergy training to focus on the areas in which CSE was lowest and on the variables that are associated with higher CSE. </p>

<p> Multidisciplinary scholars have argued the importance of nature in human health for the past several decades (Kellert &amp; Wilson, 1993; Roszak, 1992), and numerous researchers have identified the positive effects of nature on human wellness (Brymer, Cuddihy, &amp; Sharma-Brymer, 2010; Kuo, 2010). The profession of counseling is based on the philosophy of human wellness (Myers, 1992), although the current multidisciplinary wellness models (Myers &amp; Sweeney, 2008) seem to overlook the wellness benefits of nature. As a way to begin the systematic exploration of nature in professional counseling, Reese and Myers (2012) developed the construct of EcoWellness and described the construct as the missing link in holistic wellness models in counseling. They recommended that the next step in exploring the construct included the development of an instrument operationalizing EcoWellness and its underlying constructs. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop and assess the initial validity and reliability of the Reese EcoWellness Inventory (REI). </p><p> The researcher utilized a six-step instrument development method that included the pilot testing of an initial 111-item instrument with a convenience sample of college students (<i>N</i> = 264). After modification of the REI, a revised 62-item instrument was tested and evaluated with a simple random sample recruited from Researchmatch.org (<i>N</i> = 853). Participants completed the REI, the Five-Factor Wellness Inventory (Myers &amp; Sweeney, 2005b), and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale Short Form (Strahan &amp; Gerbasi, 1972) in testing the initial validity and reliability of the REI. Results of confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses and the associated univariate tests demonstrated a mixed picture of the instrument's validity and reliability. A lower-level factor model was tested and it was found to possess adequate model fit. It was determined that the second-order factor of EcoWellness dictated the relationships between the lower-level factors. The development and testing of the REI provides an initial empirical foundation for the integration of nature into professional counseling and counselor education. Further research is needed to replicate and extend the study findings through utilizing samples more inclusive of national distributions of demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and ethnicity.</p>

<p> This quantitative replicated study was adapted from Nielson et al. (2008). It explored the relationship between exposure to bullying and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder as experienced by Licensed Professional Counselors (L PCs), who are themselves targets or have witnessed bullying in the workplace. The research questions probed (a) incidences of workplace bullying of LPCs, (b) the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms because of workplace bullying, and (c) the manner in which sense of coherence moderates PTSD-related symptoms for counselors experiencing bullying. Online surveys were sent to LPCs via email as a means of data gathering. LPC email addresses were obtained from Medical Solution links. The instruments chosen for the study were three validated surveys. The 54 LPC participants have provided their perceptions and personal experiences on workplace bullying, post-traumatic stress disorder, and a sense of coherence. The findings showed that the LPC respondents in this study were extensively exposed to workplace bullying. It was also established that there were no significant differences in the self-reported PTSD symptoms of LPCs who have experienced workplace bullying and those who did not. Lastly, the study concluded that high, moderate, or low sense of coherence (SOC) makes no significant differences in the development of PTSD-linked aftereffects to bullying. These findings add to the body of knowledge concerning bullying of licensed professional counselors, its aftermath, and any long-lasting effects of post-traumatic stress.</p>

<p> The effects of homonegativity for same-sex attracted individuals in the United States can lead to serious physical and/or mental health problems, affecting more than 9 million lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. While research into LGBT issues has been undertaken in earnest since the 1970s, there has been little examination on the role of homonegativity for gay men, nor the types of support that would be helpful to combat the effects of homonegativity. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of homonegativity among gay White men in the San Francisco Bay Area. Participants were recruited through the use of convenience sampling, snowball sampling, and strategically placed posters in locations frequented by gay men. The 12 participants were between the ages of 29 and 81 and identified as gay men who had experienced at least one significant gay relationship. The research questions explored these men's perceptions and experiences of homonegativity and its impact upon various aspects of their lives. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis utilized to identify relevant themes and interpretations. Participants acquired new knowledge and meaning through the exposure and discussion of in-depth concepts of homonegativity. They also identified experiences that included internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural homonegativity. Ten prominent themes emerged from this study. Among them were: prescriptive gender role compliance; a general unease with being gay; experiences of bullying, verbal and physical attacks; workplace discrimination; religious exclusion and discrimination; the effect of negative media portrayals of homosexuality; and experiences of governmental discrimination. Seven themes emerged from an exploration of homonegativity, prominent ones were: lack of family support, safety concerns, experiences of homonegativity from their partners, and an acknowledgement that homonegativity impacts their relationships. Participants reported that the process of being exposed to new and expanded concepts of homonegativity created insight into how homonegativity operates in their lives and relationships. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.</p>

<p> Breast cancer survivors represent the largest proportion of cancer survivors, and the rate of young breast cancer survivors who are diagnosed before the age of 40 is increasing. Cancer survivorship has begun to address many aspects of survivors' quality of life, yet the role of work and career issues have been understudied. To explore the work lives and career development of young breast cancer survivors, this study consisted of qualitative interviews with 13 young women who were diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 40. Participants also completed the Quality of Life-Cancer Survivors (QOL-CS) Breast Cancer Version (Ferrell, Dow, &amp; Grant, 1995). The qualitative data was analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research Methodology (Hill et al., 2005; Hill, Thompson, &amp; Williams, 1997). The 11 domains that emerged from the data were: (1) discovery of breast cancer and the navigation of treatment; (2) career development: influences and sacrifices; (3) cancer-related work challenges; (4) coping with cancer-related work challenges; (5) re-appraisal of career development after cancer; (6) components of career and life satisfaction after cancer; (7) impact of breast cancer on life outside of work; (8) lessons learned from breast cancer; (9) thoughts about the future; (10) advice for other survivors; and (11) participants' feelings about participating. Overarching themes of re-appraisal and meaning-making appeared across the domains. The experience of breast cancer before the age of 40 intensified most participants' need for purpose in life. Many sought work that provided a sense of meaning, yet their need for financial security and insurance prevented some of them from having the freedom to make that sense of meaning the primary focus of their career or from redirecting their career paths to one that better expressed their re-appraised life meaning. Findings are integrated with literature on women's career development, Career Construction Theory (Savickas, 2002, 2005), and Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent, Brown, &amp; Hackett, 1994, 2000, 2002) and implications for research and practice are discussed.</p>

<p> This thesis examines the impact of music on people from a depth-psychological perspective and explores how music can deeply touch and change clients&rsquo; lives and allow for healing. In so doing, this thesis will contribute to increased understanding of the need for music therapeutically. Utilizing qualitative methodology and a hermeneutic approach, this thesis considers the significant impact of music on the body, brain, mind, spirituality, and emotions, and examines how music can be used as a healing power. The research question guiding this thesis is: How can music be used in a client&rsquo;s therapeutic process to allow for the needed healing? The results explain what music therapy is and how it is used therapeutically, and how it promotes healing while bringing a greater understanding and appreciation for music therapy.</p>

<p> The predictive validity of the Displaced Aggression Questionnaire (DAQ) was studied by allowing participants to engage in both displaced and direct aggression. Participants were given the DAQ and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), assessments of trait displaced and direct aggression, respectively. Participants were then provoked and given the opportunity to engage in both direct and displaced aggression. Results indicated that both the DAQ and the AQ were positively correlated with both displaced and direct aggression. Furthermore, the type of aggression dependent measure (viz., physical versus verbal) did not moderate these effects. Finally, there was a significant negative correlation between the DAQ and the Differentiation of Self Questionnaire, which measures the process of separating from ones multigenerational family, indicating that higher levels of trait displaced aggression are associated with negative differentiation from one's family of origin. Implications for both predicting and reducing aggressive behavior are discussed. </p>

<p> Ninety-five percent of college students procrastinate (O'Brien, 2002), often leading to poor grades (van Eerde, 2003) and anxiety (Rothblum, Solomon, &amp; Murakami, 1986). People seek to avoid aversive stimuli, therefore the more aversive a situation, the more one will avoid (Steel, 2007). This includes avoidance of a task or situation, and experiences associated with that task. Rather than changing ineffective behavior, many suppress or avoid negative experiences, often resulting in ineffective functioning (Hayes, Luoma, Bond, Masuda, &amp; Lillis, 2006). This process, experiential avoidance, is at the core of the psychological flexibility model and is linked to psychopathology (Hayes &amp; Gifford, 1997). Given that procrastination is an avoidant behavior, applying this model can be a useful treatment method. The current study examines the impact of a flexibility-based intervention on procrastination with college students using both EMA and questionnaire assessments. As predicted, results indicated a significant relationship between procrastination and psychological inflexibility. Following an ACT intervention, procrastination decreased, while committed action significantly increased. Moderation analyses did not indicate psychological flexibility as affecting the strength of procrastination over time. Implications for future procrastination studies using EMA are discussed. </p>