Working with gay men from a narrative counseling perspective: A case study

Narrative counseling continues to gain attention in the family counseling field as a contemporary method of treatment. Scant attention has been given to the application of narrative counseling in working with gay males. Narrative counseling provides a framework to explore how cultural values, worldviews, power, and privilege influence the stories we live and impact emotional well-being. This article summarizes narrative counseling\u27s major concepts, while concomitantly exploring issues that gay males deal with in relation to Western societal attitudes. A case study is provided to illustrate how narrative counseling may be implemented with this population. © 2008 by The Haworth Press. All rights reserved

The Psychosocial Aspects of Adapting to Traumatic Non-life-threatening Disability

Historical attitudes and treatment of persons with disabilities has not been kind. This population has endured institutionalization, torture, sterilization, and forcible euthanasia over the centuries. Presently, persons with disabilities are thought to be helpless, incapable, pitied, and invisible in society, treated as second-class citizens. Statistically, persons with disabilities are highly likely to be unemployed and on government assistance, less likely to be socially engaged in the community, and still deal with physical barriers despite legislation encouraging equal access. Despite second-class citizenry, the majority of people with disabilities generally report having a good quality of life and life satisfaction. Those who sustain a traumatic injury typically grieve the loss of function and lifestyle, but generally transition to a state of acceptance and adaptation within a year. The Criminal Code of Canada was recently amended to permit a family physician the power to grant persons with non-life-threatening disabilities to be euthanized if they so desire without such safeguards as a mandated psychological evaluation. A minority of persons with disabilities living under dismal circumstances in poverty due to lack of government resources may indeed opt for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) not due to their disability, but rather lack of governmental or related support to ensure a better quality of life. These issues are explored in this chapter

Psychosocial Aspects of Disability: Insider Perspectives and Counseling Strategies

What are the differences between individuals with disabilities who flourish as opposed to those who never really adjust after a trauma? How are those born with a disability different from individuals who acquire one later in life? This is the first textbook about the psychosocial aspects of disability to provide students and practitioners of rehabilitation counseling with vivid insight into the experience of living with a disability. It features the first-person narratives of 16 people living with a variety of disabling conditions, which are integrated with sociological and societal perspectives toward disability, and strategies for counseling persons with disabilities. Using a minority model perspective to address disability, the book focuses on historical perspectives, cultural variants regarding disability, myths and misconceptions, the attitudes of special interest and occupational groups, the psychology of disability with a focus on positive psychology, and adjustments to disability by the individual and family. A wealth of counseling guidelines and useful strategies are geared specifically to individual disabilities.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/usufaculty_monographs/1067/thumbnail.jp

An exploratory factor analysis: Factors influencing employers’ disposition to hire and retain persons with disabilities

BACKGROUND: There is a significant disparity in employment rates for persons with disabilities when compared to persons without disabilities. Understanding factors that influence employers’ disposition to hire and retain persons with disabilities is the first step in developing an educational intervention plan that is conducive to employers being more receptive to hiring persons with disabilities. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to survey and explore factors that influence employer’s disposition to hire and retain persons with disabilities and devise a scale that goes beyond attitudes. METHODS: To assess the factor structure and internal consistency of the new scale an exploratory factor analysis was performed on the survey response items to establish reliability and validity. Data was collected from employers located in Cameron and Hidalgo counties located in the Border Region of South Texas (N = 190). RESULTS: The results from the exploratory factor analysis provided a four-factor solution with 16 items. The factors were labeled Fears and Concerns, Employers Resources for Persons with Disabilities, ADA Competence, and Knowledge of Disability. The scale demonstrated overall internal consistency of .709. CONCLUSIONS: The discussion focuses on utility of the scale, recommendations for future research and limitations for the study