<p> Literature extolling the psychological benefits of self-forgiveness is robust, yet there are no evidence-based models for facilitating self-forgiveness in individual psychotherapy. Further, there is no consensus in the literature on the definition of self-forgiveness. This quantitative, survey-based study examined licensed clinicians&rsquo; (<i>N</i>=57) perceptions of the efficacy of self-forgiveness treatment interventions, their preferred definitions of self-forgiveness, and how frequently treatment methodologies were utilized. Correlational analyses examined the relationship between clinicians&rsquo; definitions, perceptions of efficacy, and frequencies of use of self-forgiveness methods and the clinicians&rsquo; demographic factors (theoretical orientation, type of licensure, age, years of clinical experience, and type of training). Hong and Jacinto&rsquo;s (2012) definition was the most frequently chosen (36.8%), followed by Hulnick and Hulnick&rsquo;s (2011) definition (35.1%). Most clinicians (57.9%) were not familiar with any of the various treatment methods. Among clinicians familiar enough to rate the methods, Hulnick and Hulnick&rsquo;s (2011) method received the highest efficacy rating (<i>M</i> = 4.11, <i>SD</i> = 1.17), followed by Enright et al. (1996) method (<i>M</i> = 3.67, SD = 0.71). The most frequently used were Jacinto and Edwards&rsquo; (2011) method (<i> M</i> = 2.09, <i>SD</i> = 1.35) and Hulnick and Hulnick&rsquo;s (2011) method (<i>M</i> = 2.04, <i>SD</i> = 1.58). Correlations were significant for theoretical orientation and source of training; theoretical orientation provided the largest explanation for variance. Implications for future research, clinical training, and development of evidence-based treatment modalities are discussed. Linkage between self-forgiveness and remediating shame, recidivism, spiritual psychology, and Jungian psychology are reviewed. Keywords: self-forgiveness, psychotherapy, counseling psychology, spiritual psychology, quantitative study</p>

<p> Persons suffering from addiction have been found to have higher shame and lower self-compassion than non-addicted persons yet lower shame and greater self-compassion are associated with improved treatment outcomes (O'Connor, Berry, Inaba, Weiss, &amp; Morrison, 1994; Wiechelt &amp; Sales, 2001; Brooks, Kay-Lambkin, Bowman &amp; Childs, 2012). This study examined the relationship between various aspects of the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) program and levels of shame and self-compassion. The sample consisted of 148 active AA members; 32% had been members for over ten years whereas 16% had under a year of sobriety. The results found significant negative correlations between level of engagement in AA as measured by the AA Involvement Scale, length of time attending AA meetings, time clean and sober and shame as measured by the Internalized Shame Scale. The study also found significant positive correlations between level of engagement in AA, length of time attending AA meetings, time clean and sober and self-compassion as measured by the Self Compassion Scale. Out of a range of AA activities that included prayer and meditation, working with a sponsor and meeting attendance, the activities most predictive of lower shame and higher self-compassion were active social activities such as meeting with AA members outside of meetings, meeting with sponsees, and being a speaker at meetings. The study also found that participants who completed the fifth step (sharing their amends with their sponsor) had significantly lower levels of shame and higher levels of self-compassion compared to those who hadn't done a fifth step. Likewise, participants who completed the ninth step (making their amends) had significantly lower levels of shame and higher levels of self-compassion than those who had not completed this step. In a step-wise regression that regressed level of engagement in AA, time attending AA meeting, time clean and sober, and completion of the fifth and ninth steps onto shame and self-compassion, only time clean and sober was significant in predicting lower shame and higher self-compassion; this accounted for 21% and 20% of the variance in outcome, respectively. These findings suggest that AA members who actively engage in the program experience continued benefits with more sobriety, lower shame and higher self-compassion. Recommendations for further research are discussed.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to explore clinicians&rsquo; perspectives on assessing older adults with early life trauma. While research has shown that traumatic experiences are common in childhood and early adulthood, there has been a dearth of research on the perspectives of clinicians working with older adults with early life trauma. In this current study, the researcher interviewed 8 licensed clinicians with an average of 11 years of clinical experience working under varying professional licenses. Utilizing grounded theory methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted to answer the primary research question: What are the experiences, insights, and reflections of clinicians on assessing older adults with early life trauma? A grounded theory of <i>barriers and corresponding strategies for assessing older adults with early life trauma</i> was developed from data derived from the interview transcripts of 8 participants. Two categories and 7 subcategories were identified and saturated with 24 major codes and 3 minor codes. The category <i> impact of childhood trauma in late life</i> was determined to be the context of the grounded theory. The context elaborates the prevalence and common types of early life trauma of older adults, its relationship with the aging process, and its impact on mental health. The results indicate there are 6 barriers to assessing early life trauma that can be categorized into two groups: (a) older adult&rsquo;s factors and (b) clinician&rsquo;s factors. In order to tackle these barriers, 9 corresponding strategies proposed by the participants were categorized into three groups: (a) relationship building, (b) information gathering, and (c) knowledge acquiring. The results of this study provide evidence that posttraumatic stress symptoms may emerge or re-emerge in older adults with mental health issues. This is the first study from clinicians&rsquo; perspectives to point out the barriers and corresponding strategies for assessment of early life trauma in older adults. The emergent theory is not a traditional theoretical model, but rather provides practical guidelines for clinicians to be more prepared for the challenges of assessing the early life trauma of older adults.</p>

<p> Money is generally assumed to be a good thing, but there is a downside to wealth. Research has shown that more money does not necessarily lead to greater happiness, but the reasons why remain unclear, and there is a paucity of studies comparing the wealthy to the non-wealthy. This study explored the effect of money on well-being, as well as the various problems associated with abundance. Having more money creates its own unique set of problems, as one must tend to one&rsquo;s money, protect it, and deal with the insatiable urge to accumulate more of it. It was proposed that those who have a lot of money exhibit more paranoia, higher levels of money addiction, and less quality of life, than those who have only have average amounts of money, which may explain why more money does not equal more happiness. Two groups, a wealthy &ldquo;target&rdquo; group and a non-wealthy &ldquo;control&rdquo; group, each completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-16), the Paranoia Checklist, the revised Workaholism scale, quality of life as indexed by the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF, the Flourishing scale, and a demographic questionnaire. On average, the wealthy in the target group were found to have greater quality of life than the control group, mostly due to greater reported physical health and environment than their less wealthy counterparts. The other variables did not demonstrate a significant relationship or difference; in fact, on the variables of narcissism and money addiction level, the two groups were found to be nearly identical. However, once age was controlled for, paranoia was found to have a statistically significant relationship with Income. In other words, as predicted in the hypothesis, those with wealth exhibited greater paranoia than those with only average amounts of income when their ages were held constant; paranoia predicted wealth. The present study suggests one possible explanation for why more money does not necessarily lead to more happiness &ndash; the wealthy are more paranoid and distrustful of others than the non-wealthy.</p>

<p> Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has been shown to be an effective alternative therapeutic approach for adults of various presenting problems as well as those with whom traditional forms of cognitive-behavioral therapy have been futile (Asmundson &amp; Hadjstavropolous, 2006; Bach &amp; Hayes, 2002; Clarke, Kingston, James, Bolderston &amp; Remington, 2014; Dimidjian, Hollon, Dobson, Schmaling, Kohlenberg et al., 2006; Martell, Addis, &amp; Dimidjian, 2004). Recently, researchers and theorists have posited about the application of ACT with youth, however, little research has been conducted utilizing quantitative measures of change in psychological flexibility. This article presents a single-subject multiple probe experimental design of ACT adapted for application to adolescents. This study compared outcomes of two therapeutic approaches, ACT modified for adolescents and Treatment as Usual, by assessing changes in values (PVQ II; Blackledge, Ciarrochi, &amp; Bailey, 2005), acceptance (CAMM; Greco &amp; Baer, 2006), defusion (AFQ-Y; Greco, Murrell, &amp; Coyne, 2005), committed action (diary card and direct behavioral observation), and quality of life (YQOL-R; Edwards, Hueber, Connell, &amp; Patrick, 2002). Behavioral changes as observed by parent and teacher report (BASC-2; Reynolds &amp; Kamphaus, 2004) were assessed at both pre- and post-intervention to provide an objective measure. By the end of treatment, the ACT participant showed a significant decrease in internalizing problems compared to the TAU participant, indicating improvements in psychological flexibility. Change in isolated ACT processes was non-significant between participants. Findings provide evidence supporting previous research suggesting that ACT can be successfully adapted to and may improve the psychological flexibility of adolescents. </p>

<p> A qualitative inquiry was conducted on the experiences of nine participants who attended an emotion-focused, experiential program, <i>Tri-Life Leadership Training (TLT).</i> The purpose of the TLT program is the development of self-leadership via improved emotional functioning, defined as <i> affective well-being.</i> The program structure is an 8-day workshop in two segments composed of psychoeducation, experiential group exercises, and individually tailored, emotion-focused work. Participants were referred adults who met program selection/exclusion criteria. Participants were individually interviewed one week after the program about their <i> experiences</i> (process) and if any <i>changes</i> (outcome) resulted. Outcome was assessed based on participants&rsquo; experience of emotional resolutions, diminution of negative core beliefs, positive behavioral changes, and improved relationships. Self-report questionnaires (Outcome Questionnaire-45.2, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and PANAS-X), used in a descriptive manner, were administered pre- and post-program. Interviews were coded using Thematic Analysis to determine <i>patterns</i> across the data set. Themes were derived theoretically based on Emotion-focused Therapy (EFT), and results discussed in light of program interventions and outcomes to elucidate EFT theory and process. The value of the TLT program and the EFT model appeared to be supported by the data. The findings suggested that the TLT program had a positive impact on perceived affective well-being. The participants attributed process and outcome changes to both relationship and task factors. The findings showed that an empathic therapeutic and working relationship along with experiential tasks designed to arouse and process emotional material may explain the high level of experienced change. Results confirmed the value of an emotion-focused perspective, and further that experiential work can be successfully conducted in a group format.</p>

<p> Despite the availability of various substance abuse treatments, substance misuse and the negative consequences associated with it remain a serious problem in our society. Various types of meditation have been evaluated for treatment of substance use disorders, but the research has not drawn any specific conclusions. This may be due to lack of both an equivalent control group and spiritual emphasis. Therefore, the current study included a spiritual emphasis (12-steps) and inner eye concentrative meditation (n=15), a progressive relaxation group (n=10), and a treatment-as-usual control (TAU) group (n=21). Subjects at an intensive outpatient treatment center for substance use disorder were offered either progressive muscle relaxation, raja yoga meditation, or TAU, depending on which branch of the treatment center they were receiving treatment. The meditation technique was a simple meditation technique where the attention of focus remains on the point between the eyebrows. The current study examined changes in substance use, general psychological distress and dysfunction, craving, and 12-step involvement between the three conditions over a 6-week period. Compared to the average of all groups meditation was significant in predicting abstinence from substances, ?2 (2) = 6.39, p = .0115. This finding gives some credence to spirituality being a protective factor against substance use, and suggests the benefits of using non-secular meditations in drug treatment facilities.</p>

Introduction: Historically, postnatal depression (PND) has been the main focus for maternal mental health. However, there is evidence that women experience other emotional difficulties in this period. Mental health is particularly important in the postnatal period as maternal morbidity has far reaching consequences for mother, child and partner. Despite effective treatments being available a large number of women do not seek help for postnatal mental health problems. This study aims to explore emotional distress in the postnatal period and examine factors influencing postnatal emotional distress, in order to facilitate detection and prevention. It aims to gain a better understanding of what the perceived barriers to seeking help in the postnatal period may be, and explore what interventions may be acceptable to women at this time in their lives. Method: A review of the literature failed to find a measure suitable to assess barriers to help-seeking. A questionnaire was developed based on qualitative literature, interviews with postnatal women and expert opinion. This questionnaire was piloted in a pack of questionnaires including: a measure of distress (DASS-21), social support (SOS) and life events (adapted form of the LTE). The study used a cross-sectional survey design to investigate the symptomatology of depression, anxiety and stress in a group of postnatal women in West Lothian. A between subjects design was adopted to look at differences between women with and without significant levels of symptomatology. Results: The responses to questionnaires were entered into SPSS. 16.7 per cent of the sample was identified as suffering from depressive symptomatology, 9.1per cent anxiety and 18.2 per cent stress symptomatology (as identified by the DASS-21). Multiple regression revealed that stressful life events and lack of social support were predictive of postnatal emotional distress. In addition parity was predictive of depressive symptomatology. Barriers to help-seeking were influenced by social support and level of distress, suggesting that vulnerable women may be less likely to seek help. In addition information was gathered about women’s preferences for support with postnatal emotional distress. Discussion: Evidence was presented for widening the focus of PND to look at postnatal emotional distress. Risk factors predictive of distress were highlighted and interventions suggested based on these and women’s treatment preferences. Barriers to help-seeking appear to be more salient for vulnerable women, who are most in need of support. The implications of this research are relevant for policy makers and further research in aspects of perinatal and postnatal mental health.

<p> The long-standing scientific and popular recognition of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a diagnosis of pervasive neurodevelopmental impairment attests to its clinical utility and legitimacy as a neuropsychological construct. However, its symptomatological overlap with proposed diagnoses that capture the pervasive behavioral and attentional sequelae of early developmental trauma as well as certain symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) give rise to etiological and diagnostic complications when considering the heterogeneous presentation of ADHD across the lifespan. The current study addresses this gap in knowledge by exposing systemic fluctuations in the neuropsychological profiles of individuals based on their exposure to trauma and trauma-related symptomology. In service of this task, the current study used a de-identified archival dataset from a neuropsychological testing facility in Austin, Texas. Only profiles of individuals 16 and older being assessed for attentional dysfunction were included. The first analysis aimed to develop a significantly predictive best fit regression model to differentiate the Conners&rsquo; Continuous Performance Test 2^nd Edition (CPT-II) profiles of trauma-exposed from non-exposed individuals. The second analysis sought to discover replicable patterns linking specific trauma symptom clusters and features with significant CPT-II scores identified in the first analysis. Women did not evince significant correlations differentiating traumatized from non-traumatized subjects, but males exhibited a significant three factor model. Trauma-exposure in the male sample was negatively correlated with omission errors and confidence index scores, and positively correlated with hit-rate standard error, a measure of response inconstancy. Response inconstancy was further predicted by peri-traumatic dissociation and re-experiencing. Confidence index scores, the rating of a profile&rsquo;s consistency with ADHD, were negatively associated with post-traumatic stress, and positively associated with re-experiencing. It was surmised that the analysis was influenced by discrete groups of testers seeking assessment for differing reasons. However, the discovery of a significant positive correlation between trauma-exposure and response inconstancy and the association of this measure with higher rates of peri-traumatic dissociation and re-experiencing provides evidence of attentional disturbance associated with traumatization. The association of confidence index scores with re-experiencing suggests a vulnerability factor of ADHD subjects for traumatization. Overall, a bidirectional relationship linking trauma and attentional-dysfunction was supported.</p>

<p> Previous research has demonstrated mixed results that locus of control and belief in a just world impact juror&rsquo;s verdicts for defendants, however previous research is lacking on how these factors influence juror&rsquo;s likelihood of rendering a Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity verdict for a mentally ill defendant. The current study examined whether mock juror&rsquo;s belief in a just world influenced the relationship between locus of control and an NGRI verdict. Seventy-nine students completed an online survey that included locus of control and belief in just world scales and rendering a verdict for a mentally ill defendant charged with First-Degree Murder. While belief in a just world did not impact the relationship between locus of control and the likelihood of rendering an NGRI verdict, both belief in a just world and locus of control were statistically significantly correlated to an NGRI verdict. </p>