Does Adlerian Theory Stand the Test of Time: Examining Individual Psychology from a Neuroscience Perspective

The authors explored foundational principles of Individual Psychology through a neuroscience lens. In particular, the authors identified neuroscience support for the principles of social embeddedness, purposefulness of behavior, and holism. The authors also offered suggestions for expanding Adlerian theory through the integration of neuroscience-informed developmental theory, conceptualization of functionality, and interventions

Examination of Student Outcomes in Play Therapy: A Qualitative Case Study Design

Outcome research examining the effectiveness of teaching methods in counselor education is sparse. The researchers conducted a qualitative investigation utilizing an instrumental case study to examine the influence of a constructivist-developmental format on a play therapy counseling course in a large CACREP accredited university in the Southeastern United States. Results indicated that the constructivist-developmental lens was effective in promoting the professional development of counselors-in-training. The researchers offer course-specific recommendations as well as areas of future research

Wellness in the Helping Professions: Historical Overview, Wellness Models, and Current Trends

Introduction Wellness and the concept of holism have rich histories throughout the helping professions. However, Westernized medical models often promote the concept of treatment rather than prevention, limiting the helper’s ability to focus on wellness when working with clients/patients. Therefore, in order to support a re-integration to holistic wellness and the prevention of illness, and re-focus on a wellness ideology, we conducted a thorough theoretical overview of wellness in the helping professions to: (a) provide a historical overview of wellness in helping professions, (b) discuss prominent wellness models, (c) review wellness assessments, (d) present wellness supervision models, and (e) offer implications for helping professionals, helping educators, and helping-professionals-in-training (HPITs) who would like to implement or re-integrate wellness techniques across occupational and personal realms. Discussion The history of healthcare is rich with wellness undertones and holistic foundations for practice. However, the helping professions have been shifting away from traditional wellness ideologies with the emphasis on current healthcare trends and the philosophical struggle of balancing both wellness tenets and a popular medical model for practice. Following a thorough discussion of historical implications of wellness, wellness models, wellness assessments, and wellness supervision, implications for a re-integration of a wellness ideology are highlighted for (a) helping professionals, (b) healthcare educators, and (c) HPITs. In regard to practicing healthcare providers, helping professionals are only as helpful as they are well. We suggest that helping professionals refocus their practice to include wellness and integrate such practices into their daily routine to combat compassion fatigue and/or burnout (which are common occurrences among helpers). Wellness practices may include meditation; breathing exercises; reflection; journaling; and other avenues to reflect, respond, and re-center throughout the day to remain within their own window of tolerance, reducing potential for burnout. Helping professional educators, on the other hand, are tasked with training the next wave of helpers. As such, they are responsible for assessing personal levels of wellness in order to ensure they are modeling wellness-behaviors for their HPITs. Regarding healthcare training programs and curriculums, administrators may introduce wellness courses or infuse wellness throughout the life of the program/training experience so HPITs are learning about wellness education and how to implement it across diverse situations. Furthermore, consistent wellness infusion in curricula could promote wellness behaviors and practices beyond the training experience. Finally, HPITs (similar to practicing professionals and healthcare educators) are not insulated from the effects of unwellness. As such, HPITs are encouraged during their clinical experiences to assess their own wellness and partake in activities to increase their wellness awareness. HPITs can formally (see the section on wellness assessments) or informally assess (refer to the wellness models section) their current levels of functioning and learn of potential wellness discrepancies early on in their careers, which in turn can help mitigate negative effects of being a helper in the future. Conclusion With the influence of Westernized viewpoints and a medical model symptom-reduction focus, a re-orientation to wellness could benefit helpers. Furthermore, as helpers continue to face heavy caseloads, high stress environments, and increased propensity for burnout and related issues, increasing wellness and wellness awareness can serve as a protective factor against the deleterious effects of helping for both helpers and the individuals they serve. By reviewing the literature on wellness (e.g., models, assessments, supervision) in the helping professions and applying wellness perspectives in personal and professional endeavors, helping can once again be at the fore-front of wellness-based treatment, training, and living

The Sexual Values and Behaviors Discrepancy Model

Founded in theory and empirical research, we developed the Sexual Values and Behaviors Discrepancy Model (SVBDM) as reflective model for counselors to follow in order to assist their clients in safely reducing discrepancies between their ideal and practiced sexual beliefs, values, and behaviors. The SVBDM is a wellness-informed and sex-positive approach to working with clients and is comprised of three steps: Identification and Operationalization of Potential Sexual Issues, Counselor’s Self-Assessment, and Reducing Discrepancies and Maintaining Safety. We note practical implications and potential limitations of this model as well as recommendations for future research

Confirming the Constructs of the Adlerian Personality Priority Assessment (Appa)

The primary purpose of this study was to confirm the four-factor structure of the 30-item Adlerian Personality Priority Assessment (APPA) using a split-sample cross-validation confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The APPA is an assessment, grounded in Adlerian theory, used to conceptualize clients based on the four personality priorities most commonly used in the Adlerian literature: superiority, pleasing, control, and comfort. The secondary purpose of this study was to provide evidence for discriminant validity, examine predictive qualities of demographics, and explore the prevalence of the four priorities across demographics. For the cross validation CFA, I randomly divided the sample, 1210 undergraduates, at a large public research university (53% Caucasian, 13.1% Hispanic/Latino(a), 21.4% African American, 5.4% American Indian, and 5.8% biracial; mean age =19.8; 58.9% females), into two equal subsamples. I used Subsample 1 (n = 605) to conduct the initial CFA. I held out Subsample 2 (n = 605) to test any possible model changes resulting from Subsample 1 results and to provide further confirmation of the APPA's construct validity. Findings from the split-sample cross-validation CFA confirmed the four-factor structure of the APPA and provided support for the factorial/structure validity of the APPA's scores. Results also present initial evidence of discriminant validity and support the applicability of the instrument across demographics. Overall, these findings suggest Adlerian counselors can confidently use the APPA as a tool to conceptualize clients

Integrating Interpersonal Neurobiology With Play Therapy

Advancements in neuroscience support play and empathic attunement as contributors to brain development and formation. As such, a natural connection seems to exist between play therapy and current neuroscience concepts. This article assimilated theories from the interpersonal neurobiology model (Siegel, 2012), including the 9 levels of integration, with play therapy processes and practices. Identification of complementary components may bolster efforts to advocate for the play therapy field as well as inform intentional intervention by practitioners

Concerns About Confidentiality: The Application Of Ethical Decision-Making Within Group Play Therapy

Working individually with children requires careful ethical and legal practices. When multiple children are involved in the process, as in group play therapy, adhering to ethical standards becomes more complex. Professional literature is reviewed for the purpose of understanding ethical implications of group play therapy with children. Confidentiality and the ethical decision-making process is discussed, identifying a specific model to use when working with children. The Principles, Principals, and Process (P3) Model is described and utilized to demonstrate the process of making an ethical decision. © 2014 Association for Play Therapy

Creative Use Of Sibling Play Therapy: An Example Of A Blended Family

Sibling relationships are important in children\u27s development (Edward, 2011). In today\u27s changing society, families often include stepsiblings who are trying to find their roles in a new family system. In this article, we describe our creative approaches in counseling sessions with a sibling group from a blended family. The process of two counselors working together is described, as are three semistructured activities that are particularly appropriate for sibling groups. The case example is used throughout the article to illustrate the process of the interventions described. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

The Online Dating Intensity Scale: Exploratory Factor Analysis in a Sample of Emerging Adults

We performed an exploratory factor analysis on the Online Dating Intensity Scale with a sample of emerging adult college students (N = 494). The data analyses resulted in a 1-factor, 5-item assessment that explained 60.79% of the variance