Introduction to the Special Issue: Integration of Practice, Advocacy, and Research in Counseling Psychology

In this article, we introduce the special issue of The Counseling Psychologist on the integration of practice, advocacy, and research in counseling psychology. This special issue was driven by Dr. Shavonne Moore-Lobban’s project as a member of the Society for Counseling Psychology Leadership Collaborative. The aim of the special issue is to highlight the unique practice, advocacy, and research contributions of practitioners, and specifically focus on the integration of the three roles of everyday counseling psychologists. There are six practitioner-led manuscripts that strengthen a focus within counseling psychology of the integration across the three roles, and through the diverse lens of counseling psychologists as therapists, supervisors, educators, researchers, program developers, and advocates. The development of this special issue is reviewed. We provide a brief summary of the manuscripts and discuss implications for continued integration.

Experiences of adult cancer patients receiving counseling from nurses: a qualitative systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Counseling is a brief psycho-educational intervention that is useful in facilitating personal growth and adaptive resolution of life stresses. With increased recognition on the psycho-emotional needs of patients with cancer, it is prudent to consider the possibility of expanding the role of nurses in the provision of counseling.

OBJECTIVE

This qualitative systematic review aimed to establish the best available evidence on the experiences of adult cancer patients receiving counseling provided by nurses.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

This review included studies on adult cancer patients of at least 18 years of age who were diagnosed with oncological malignancies of any type and staging. The phenomena of interest were the experiences of adult cancer patients who received nurse counseling (patient education, psycho-education and/or supportive counseling) that was conducted face-to-face or via other communication modes. The review included studies done in institutional and community settings. Qualitative data including, but not limited to, designs of phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, action research, feminist research and mixed methods research were considered.

SEARCH STRATEGY

A three-step search strategy was utilized to find both published and unpublished studies in the English language. Databases searched included CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, JSTOR, PsycINFO, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online Library and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Two reviewers independently appraised the 14 included studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for qualitative research. The studies were of moderate to high quality, mostly, falling short in quality due to lack of statements locating the researchers and their influence on the research. Data were extracted from included papers using the standardized JBI data extraction tool.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Two reviewers independently reviewed and pooled similar findings into categories. All three reviewers then collaborated in finalizing these derived categories to generate a meta-synthesis.

RESULTS

Five synthesized findings were generated during the meta-synthesis: (1) Nurses provide tailored information and teaching to enhance patients' coping; (2) Nurses attend to patients' emotional needs; (3) Nurses assume the role of a significant person in the patients' journey; (4) Patients feel valued as a whole person and the ready availability of nursing interactions; and (5) Nursing role ambiguity and time constraints limit nurse counseling.

CONCLUSION

Overall, cancer patients' experiences with nurse counseling are positive and beneficial to them. Despite some nursing role ambiguity and time constraints impeding nurse counseling, this review has established the diverse instrumental roles nurses have played in enhancing adaptive coping in patients across their illness trajectory. In particular, the nurses' presence and availability, a trusting nurse-patient relationship, use of psychotherapy techniques, a holistic approach, human touch and continuity of care were highlighted as key factors in enhancing healing. The role of the nurse navigator and the use of expressive writing warrant more attention when tending to patients' psycho-emotional distress.

Discursive Psychology: Implications for Counseling Psychology

In this article, we present discursive psychology (DP), a qualitative approach that focuses on the study of conversational and textual materials, including everyday interactions. Although DP is well-established methodologically and theoretically, and is used widely in Europe and in the Commonwealth countries, it is relatively unknown in counseling psychology in the United States. As such, the purpose of this article is to provide a general overview of DP and offer guidance for researchers who may be interested in studying and using DP. We thus discuss practical considerations for utilizing DP, including the development of research questions, carrying out data collection, and conducting DP-informed analyses. We also provide a general overview of the history of DP and key resources for those interested in studying it further, while noting the usefulness of DP for counseling psychology.

Portrait of Counseling Psychology: Demographics, Roles, Activities, and Values Across Three Decades

We summarize the results of a national survey ( N = 799) conducted to provide a current snapshot of counseling psychologists, what they do, how and where they do it, and the extent to which they ascribe to specific counseling psychology values. We describe our sample and compare Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) members to non-SCP counseling psychologists belonging to the American Psychological Association. Of those within the SCP, we compare early career professionals (ECPs) with mid to senior-level professionals. Finally, we compare findings from our survey with those from two previous surveys. Our findings highlight the diversity in the roles, activities, workplaces, and perspectives of contemporary counseling psychologists; differences between counseling psychologists who are SCP members and nonmembers, and between ECPs and more senior professionals; and changes in the profession’s character over time. Considerations for the SCP are discussed.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Two Assessment Feedback Models in Reducing Career Indecision

We examined the relative effectiveness of information giving (IG) and therapeutic assessment (TA) models of career assessment feedback in reducing career indecision. Clients initiating career counseling at a large Midwestern University completed measures of career choice anxiety (CCA), vocational identity, and career decision-making self-efficacy prior to and following a two-session intervention. We also administered measures of treatment integrity and session helpfulness immediately following treatment. Clients were randomly assigned to an intervention based upon either an IG or TA model of assessment feedback. Results indicated that TA participants’ vocational identity scores improved significantly more than those of IG participants; a medium-to-large effect size was identified. TA and IG participants’ CCA and decision-making self-efficacy scores significantly increased but not differentially following treatment. Participants of both groups rated their feedback sessions as “greatly helpful.” We discuss implications for career assessment as well as the limitations of the study.

Shopping for Old and New Wine

With this rejoinder, we address some of the concerns and questions raised by Ridley and Mollen (2012) and Hill (2012). Specially, we reflect upon Ridley and Mollen’s commentary about whether the three theories in this major contribution can be deemed emergent or whether they are simply old thought in new packages. We also address Hill’s question regarding the theories chosen and her concerns about why so few counseling psychologists are involved in creating theories. Finally, in response to these thoughtful commentaries, we also briefly discuss our views on theory building and scientific development in the field of counseling psychology.

A journal for our challenging, changing times: an editorial vision for the next five years of the Journal of Clinical Psychology

The Journal of Clinical Psychology now features articles accepted by the new editorial team that will direct the journal over the next 5 years. Timothy R. Elliott serves as editor-in-chief and James Overholser is the senior associate editor. Associate editors are Linda Castillo, Kathleen Chwalisz, Stephanie Felgoise, and Bruce Rybarczyk. This editorial presents the editorial vision for the journal over the next 5 years, and presents changes in journal content.

Addressing the Decline in Counseling and Supervision Process and Outcome Research in the Journal of Counseling Psychology

Scheel et al. have argued convincingly that there has been a decline in counseling-related research in the Journal of Counseling Psychology ( JCP) and The Counseling Psychologist ( TCP). This response focuses on the relatively steady 35-year decline in this type of research published in JCP. The author conducted a new analysis based on the frequency of PsycINFO thesaurus terms used to index 2,330 articles published in JCP over successive 5-year periods from 1975 to 2009. Results confirmed the basic conclusions of Scheel et al. that studies of the counseling and supervision process and outcome have declined over this period. Results also indicate the other types of research that have grown in frequency. These include studies of attachment behavior, multicultural issues, sexual minorities, coping, well-being, social support, and psychotherapy. The author argues that these new research areas are “counseling related” as well and that they have not crowded out the traditional studies Scheel et al. highlight.

Declining Counseling Research in Counseling Psychology Journals: Is the Sky Falling?

Scheel et al. note a rather precipitous decline over the past 30 years in the number and proportion of counseling-related research articles appearing in Journal of Counseling Psychology ( JCP) and The Counseling Psychologist ( TCP ). Certainly, counseling psychology as a field has changed over its 65-year history, and a great deal of that change has occurred during the past 30 years. But whether the frequency and proportion of counseling-related research in JCP and TCP provide an adequate picture of that change and whether that change is somehow fundamental to our field would be difficult to discern from these data. Although the reasons behind the decline in counseling-related research being published in JCP and TCP may be difficult to determine, there may be real consequences for the prestige of the journals and the field.

Counseling-Related Research in Counseling Psychology: Creating Bricks, Not Edifices

Three counseling psychology colleagues (Lichtenberg, 2011; Mallinckrodt, 2011; Murdock, 2011 [all this issue]) provide differing perspectives about the findings from our target article (Scheel et al., 2011) of the decline of published counseling-related research in our major journals. In this rejoinder we respond to each author’s viewpoints concerning the decline.We reiterate our explanations for the decline, which include (a) stringent and narrowly defined criteria for publication, (b) elimination of analogue research from publication, (c) fewer mentors of process and outcome research, (d) declining interest in counseling-related research, and (e) difficulties in gaining access to counseling-related data.We offer a metaphor for the current state of research in counseling psychology of creating a confusing pile of bricks, not building edifices, and suggest it is time to create specialized journal outlets in counseling psychology to focus and connect counseling-related research with other important contexts of our field.

The Ghosts of Counseling Psychology: Is Counseling Research Really Dead?

Scheel et al. offer an interesting analysis on the publication rate of counseling-related research articles in counseling psychology’s two major journals. In this reaction to their work, the author considers various aspects of their results and contemplates possible explanations for the decline of counseling-related publications.