Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Counseling and Educational Psychology, 2006. / "Title from dissertation home page (viewed June 26, 2007)." Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-06, Section: A, page: 2061. Adviser: Rex Stockton.

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Feelings of incompetence (FOI) are a pervasive self-care issue for practitioners of psychotherapy, independent of their levels of experience (Theriault & Gazzola, 2008). Supervision may be an effective strategy for alleviating the impact of FOI; however, it is unclear how FOI are managed in supervision and how therapists experience their struggles with FOI in the context of supervision. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with six Master's level counselling interns (5 female, 1 male) who were receiving individual supervision. A modified grounded theory analysis (Corbin & Strauss, 2008) yielded five major categories: Properties of Intern FOI that Required Management in and/or out of Supervision, Actions of the Intern that Pertain to the Management of FOI in Supervision, Attributes of the Intern That Influence FOI-Management in Supervision, Aspects of Supervision That are Helpful to the Management of FOI, and Aspects of Supervision That Hinder the Management of FOI. Implications for counsellor supervisors, counsellor educators, and counselling interns themselves are discussed.

Polyamory is an identity that describes the ability to experience romantic love with more than one romantic partner at a time. Polyamory is often perceived as being perverse, amoral, and relationally broken or deficient; however, people who identify as polyamorous are found to be as mentally healthy and happy as people who are monogamous. Clients who identify as polyamorous may experience their counselor as lacking familiarity with and knowledge of polyamory or as actively working against their identity. This study was a phenomenological inquiry designed to illuminate the counseling experiences of polyamorous people. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with eight participants and analyzed with a modified van Kaam method with relational-cultural theory as the framework. The three major findings that constitute the essence of this inquiry were: (a) participants experienced disappointment and disrespect in the counselor's ignorance of their vital identities, (b) the necessities of trust and connection between participant and counselor for empowerment and growth, and (c) the complementary nature of relationality in polyamory and counseling. These findings indicated counselors should seek a baseline of education on polyamory. The implications for counselor educators were to strive to envelope counselors-in-training in a culture that supports developing multicultural competency and to create continuing education on marginalized populations to best support in-practice counselors. These efforts increase the likelihood that polyamorists are able to receive effective counseling that supports them holistically.

This study was designed to investigate if adults demonstrate egocentric-tendencies, and if so, what factors influence the degree of egocentrism displayed. The investigation was also devised in order to determine if there is a relation between the degree of egocentric-tendencies displayed and marital satisfaction. To measure egocentrism in adults, the Adult Egocentric-Tendency Scale (AETS) was developed. Both the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale and the Marriage Rating Scale were utilized to assess marital satisfaction and functioning. One-hundred-thirty-six (N = 136) first time married individuals from the general population acted as participants. They were administered all three instruments. Findings indicate that egocentric-tendencies are measurable in adults. Furthermore, specific adults (men, those who are highly educated and those with a lower number of children living in the household) tend to display greater degrees of egocentrism. This investigation also uncovered a tendency for marital satisfaction to decrease as egocentrism increases and vice versa. Other factors contributing to marital satisfaction were also explored.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of autosuggestive relaxation on dislocated workers. Workers' stress was measured by the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List-Revised measuring anxiety, depression, hostility, and positive affect, and by the Stress Management Questionnaire measuring somatic stress. Subjects in the treatment group (n = 16) scored significantly (p < .05) lower than control group subjects (n = 9) on posttest scores for anxiety and dysphoria. These findings suggest that autosuggestion may ameliorate the distress resulting from job loss. No significant differences were found between groups for depression, hostility, positive affect, or somatic stress. A positive correlation was found between marital status of main breadwinners and somatic stress; married subjects had more somatic stress than unmarried subjects. The number of children subjects had showed an inverse relationship with posttest positive affect scores and with how good subjects were feeling measured on a 1-10 scale (p < .05).

A survey needs assessment was conducted with casts of an International Educational Program. The purpose was to identify common problems the members faced and to determine their need for counseling services. The data collected included general demographics, symptoms of culture shock, personal and career problems, and counseling needs. Four hundred subjects from 25 different countries participated in this study. It was found that about 50% experienced symptoms of culture shock, personal problems rotated around difficulties at home, and career problems related to applying what they learned while in the program. It was also found that all groups indicated a need for counseling services. However, one particular group indicated a stronger need. Additional information provided by participants was analyzed and reported. From three open-ended questions, the students identified other common problems not mentioned in the body of the questionnaire.