The Pedagogy of Counseling: A Critical Examination

The Trainees’ Perspective

Few empirical studies have inquired into the process of learning therapeutic skills or have focused on the interaction between trainees and trainers from the trainees’ perspective. We implemented a qualitative study focusing on the experiences of Norwegian therapists’ participation in an empathy training program. The aim of the study was to better understand the trainees’ conception of the learning process. The trainers’ use of an individualized, noncritical, and empathic orientation toward the trainees was reported as important for learning. The trainees reported much strain and considerable challenge when trying to change their therapeutic style. The results are discussed in relation to pedagogical principles of empathy training.

The Soul of Work

Working from a paradigm that considers work issues as either central or contextual requires a shift in the way many counseling psychologists think about the world. Perhaps the easiest time to implement such a paradigm is while students are in training, when they are confronted daily with new ways to think of the world. The purpose of this article is to examine how the use of case studies during training can serve to locate vocational psychology within counseling psychology, with one result being the enhancement of trainees’ ability and willingness to consider the whole person (when vocational issues are primary) and to consider work as a major contextual issue (when it is not the presenting concern). To accomplish this goal, the authors’ approach is threefold: (a) to offer support for the use of case studies in teaching,(b) to provide a brief discussion of reasons that students struggle with the location of vocational psychology within counseling psychology and how the use of case studies helps address this struggle, and (c) to describe specific ways to integrate cases into courses (vocational as well as nonvocational), including ethical issues in handling cases.

Trainee difficulties with therapeutic engagement: a qualitative study of in-session critical incidents

Trainee therapists or psychologists starting to practice psychotherapy are met with a number of inherent difficulties in engaging their clients in the treatment process. Using interpersonal process recall and interpretive phenomenological analysis, 18 counselling/clinical psychology trainees were interviewed about core difficulties they faced in engaging their clients in a therapeutic process. Interviews look place after 10 weeks of training and trainees were asked to self-select a single video-taped session for the interview. The analysis uncovered seven main themes: (1) difficulties with ‘personal material’; (2) difficulties with certainty, control, and idealized intentions; (3) frustrations with the client’s presentation; (4) difficulty in becoming the focus of attention; (5) reactions triggered by perceived exclusion; (6) anxieties about difference; and (7) interpersonal strategies to manage intense emotions. Findings are understood to be organized around the trainee’s struggle for self-definition and agency at the expense of empathic relating.

Impact of family environment on future mental health professionals' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men

This study explored the relationship between dimensions of functioning in the family of origin of graduate students in helping profession programs and their attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. One hundred forty-three participants completed the Family Environment Scale (FES-R: Moos & Moos, 1986), the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men scale (ATLG: Herek, 1994), and demographic questions. Results suggest that three family dimensions (conflict, intellectual-cultural orientation, and moral-religious emphasis) significantly predicted attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. The results also revealed that younger students held more negative attitudes toward lesbians and gay men than their older peers. Implications for educators, researchers, and practitioners are discussed.

Clinical supervision in advanced training in child and adolescent psychiatry: a reflective practice model

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to provide a model for supervision in advanced training in child and adolescent psychiatry that is in keeping with adult learning principles and that gives supervisors a framework that allows fulfillment of their multiple roles. Guidelines to develop reflective practice in trainees, thus enhancing clinical competence and life-long learning, are presented.

CONCLUSIONS

Reflective practice in supervision encourages the development of competence in trainees. This model is especially relevant for training in child and adolescent psychiatry, but can also be applied to other subspecialty training areas.

Career Problem Assessment: A Conceptual Schema for Counselor Training

Counseling students learn about various theories, models, and career assessment measures during their training. However, the transition to practicum and internship often challenges students to decide on when to apply career theories and measures to specific problems. An assessment schema is proposed to assist counselor trainees with a systematic approach to conceptualizing a client's career problem. With this assessment schema, counselor educators can help trainees organize data into meaningful categories, reduce conceptual confusion, and engage students in the study of careers.