Counseling Skills Pre-Practicum Training at Guidance and Counseling Undergraduate Programs: A Qualitative Investigation

WOS: 000315264600004This study was aimed to describe counseling skills pre-practicum training at guidance and counseling undergraduate programs in Turkey. A descriptive study was conducted based upon qualitative data. The research group of this study consisted of 11 guidance and counseling undergraduate programs voluntarily participate into study. The Survey Form developed by the researcher and consisted of 10 open-ended questions was used. A content analysis was carried out. The results showed that undergraduate programs mostly aimed to teach therapeutic conditions and reflection of content/feeling skills in the course; did not use a counseling skills training program as a base and mostly used instruction method to teach counseling skills; and implemented paper-pencil tests to assess counseling skills. Teaching basic counseling skills and developing professional identity and self-efficacy were mostly emphasized as an importance of course for counselor education. One of the main problems of undergraduate programs regarding pre-practicum counseling skills training course was excessive number of students. In the light of results, it could be stated that the counseling skills pre-practicum training was not conducted in a qualitative manner within the scope of counselor education in Turkey. The results were discussed regarding counseling skills training and counselor education and suggestions were provided

Clinical supervision: An emerging counseling specialty in Turkey

WOS: 000433711800003Clinical supervision is currently a hot topic among counselor professionals in Turkey. In this article, we first present the current status of the counseling profession, along with counselor education programs and accreditation efforts. Then, we detail current clinical supervision practices (i.e., parameters/predominate approaches in undergraduate and graduate counselor education programs, post-training practices), as well as ongoing efforts and challenges to adopt supervision standards. Next, we describe the profile of clinical supervisors and supervisor training. Finally, we report recent critical events and developments, and offer suggestions for further steps in promoting clinical supervision as a specialty area of the counseling field in Turkey

Examining Individual-Counseling Practicum in a Turkish Undergraduate Counseling Program

9th National Congress of Counseling Psychology and Guidance -- 2007 -- Izmir, TURKEYWOS: 000271960500004Problem Statement: A critical component in counselor education training is the practicum experience. Practicum is the first opportunity to assess the counseling student's ability to apply the knowledge and skills obtained from course work with clients. For an effective practicum process, supervised clinical work is a pivotal experience in the development of professional counselors. Regarding counselor education, under the core areas of helping skills, practicum experience is provided by the Individual-Counseling Practice I-II courses in Turkey. Therefore, in the present study, the effectiveness of these courses is examined. Purpose of Study: The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of individual-counseling practice courses on the basic counseling skill competency levels of Turkish undergraduate counseling students and to investigate the supervision process of the courses. Methods: A mixed methods approach was used to obtain well-validated and substantiated findings. A one-group pre-test post-test design study was carried out with a sample of 42 senior counseling students. The Counseling Skill Discrimination Scale (CSDS) was used to gather data. Focus group interviews were conducted with 10 counseling students to gain a deeper understanding of the counseling students' evaluations of the courses. Findings and Results: The results showed that individual counseling practicum courses seemed to be effective in improving the reflection of content skill and also general basic counseling skills competency level of counseling students but not in improving the reflection of feeling skill. The results of the focus group interviews also are discussed with respect to counseling skills enhancement, supervision intervention, methods, supervisory relationship, and evaluation process. Conclusions and Recommendations: The overall results of this study seemed to suggest that individual-counseling practice courses offer an enriching experience for the undergraduate counseling students and foster the steps toward the development of skillful counselors. However, the supervision process of the individual-counseling practice courses needs an improved structure and organization

EFFECTS OF SOLDERING AND LASER WELDING ON BOND STRENGTH OF CERAMIC TO METAL

Pan European Federation Conference of the International-Association-for-Dental-Research -- SEP, 2008 -- London, ENGLANDWOS: 000287012100005PubMed ID: 21194585Statement of problem. Welding or soldering of metal frameworks negatively affects the overall bond strength between the veneering ceramic and metal. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of soldering and laser-welding procedures on the bond strength between ceramic and metal. Material and methods. Thirty Ni-based metal specimens (Wiron 99) (8 x 4 x 4 mm) were fabricated and divided into 3 groups; soldered (S), laser welded (L), and control (untreated cast alloy) (n=10). In S and L specimens, a notch (1 x 1.5 mm) was prepared longitudinally on the surface of each specimen and filled with compatible alloy (Wiron soldering rods and Wiroweld NC, respectively). Vickers hardness measurements were made after polishing the surfaces with a metallographic polishing kit. A veneering ceramic (VITA VMK 95) was vibrated, condensed in a mold, and fired on the metal frameworks. The specimens were sectioned in 2 axes to obtain nontrimmed bar specimens with a bonding area of approximately 1 mm(2). Forty bars per block were obtained. Each bar was subjected to microtensile bond strength (mu TBS) testing with a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min. The mu TBS data (MPa) were recorded, and SEM was used for failure analysis of the tested bars. The measurements were statistically analyzed using a 1-way ANOVA and Tamhane tests (alpha=.05). Results. The mean differences in mu TBS of veneering ceramic to soldered (10.4 +/- 2.4 MPa) and laser-welded (11.7 +/- 1.3 MPa) metal surfaces were not significantly different and were significantly lower than that of the cast alloy (25.4 +/- 3.6 MPa) (P<.05). The mean Vickers hardness of cast alloy was significantly higher (236 +/- 17 HV) than soldered (114 +/- 9 HV) and laser-welded groups (129 +/- 11 HV) (P<.05). Conclusions. Soldering and laser welding significantly decreased the mu TBS of a veneering ceramic to a base metal alloy. (J Prosthet Dent 2010;105: 28-34)Int Assoc Dent Re

A Customized Zirconia Abutment Design Combined with a CAD/CAM Laminate Veneer: A Clinical Report

WOS: 000351884800006PubMed ID: 25738340An alternative prosthetic treatment approach for single implants in the maxillary esthetic zone with an improper implant axis, limited interocclusal distance, inadequate abutment retention, and screw holes located at the labial surface is presented in this clinical report. The gingiva and soft tissues were contoured with provisional composite restorations to mimic the emergence profile of lateral incisors. Prefabricated zirconia abutments were customized with laminate veneer preparations by appropriate ceramic build-up with reference from the reshaped gingiva to avoid labiolingual overcontour. The laminate veneers were fabricated by computer-aided design/computer-assisted manufacture to cover the screw hole of the angulated abutment at the labial surface. Preliminary results revealed improvement in esthetics; however, long-term clinical follow-up should be performed

Kefir Prevents Adipose Tissue Growth Through the Induction of Apoptotic Elements in High-Fructose Corn Syrup-Fed Rats

Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the diet is a causal factor in the development of abdominal obesity; however, the molecular mechanism behind this association is still up for debate. This study evaluated the metabolic disturbances that are caused by HFCS on adipose tissue as well as the possibility of kefir as a therapy to prevent these metabolic disturbances. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control, kefir, HFCS, and HFCS+kefir. HFCS (20%, w/v) was given in drinking water and kefir (1 mL/100 g body weight) by gastric gavage daily for 8 weeks. Levels of insulin signaling, inflammation, and apoptosis-associated proteins of adipose tissues were determined with Western blot and immunohistochemical techniques. Gene expressions were evaluated with semi-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The indirect terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method was used to assess changes in apoptotic cells, and hematoxylin/eosin staining to determine adipocyte number and diameter. Accordingly, HFCS boosted protein kinase B (Akt) and p-Akt while reducing nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) levels and kefir treatment restored Akt induction in HFCS-treated rats despite raising NF-κB, and TNFα. Increased expression of Akt and B-cell lymphoma-2 gene (Bcl2) was contrasted with decreased expression of Nfkb, Tnfa, tumor protein 53 gene (p53), and caspase-8 gene (Casp8). Furthermore, while there was a marked reduction in TUNEL-positive cells in the HFCS group, the number of such cells was greater in the HFCS+kefir group. These results show that HFCS intake suppresses apoptosis in adipose tissues, which may be responsible for tissue development and abdominal obesity and may be reversed with kefir administration due to the activation of apoptosis-associated genes and proteins