Book review: Handbook of evidence-based practices for emotional and behavioral disorders: applications in schools

Handbook of Evidence-Based Practices for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Applications in Schools H.M. Walker, & F.M. Gresham (Eds) New York: Guilford Press, 2013. pp. 622, £63.99 (hb). ISBN: 978-1-4625-1216-4

Is Feminism Still Relevant?

Is Feminism Still Relevant? visually displays crucial issues in women\u27s studies to showcase why such questions continue to be relevant. Madeleine\u27s poster features statistical blurbs in a clever circular pattern, with different sections for each facet of the issue she explores. The cloud-like formation of these statistics captures the eye and emphasizes the significance of this topic. Key visual elements: Cloud-like image formation Central box to highlight main problem Predominance of red, white, and blue colors This was created for the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships (CURF) Undergraduate Research Symposium.https://repository.upenn.edu/showcase_posters/1007/thumbnail.jp

Parents' experiences of services addressing parenting of children considered at-risk for future antisocial and criminal behaviour: a qualitative longitudinal study

This paper presents themes from qualitative analysis of interviews with parents and practitioners, aiming to consider how families benefit, or do not, from services' intervention. Eleven London families in contact with child protection services were followed for five years. In-depth, repeat interviews were conducted with mothers and with practitioners they nominated as helpful. The families had originally been referred to a therapeutic parenting programme because their child was considered to be at risk for future antisocial behaviour due to their conduct problems, and additional risk factors in the family. However not all families completed, or even began that programme. The interviews explored families' interactions with all services over the five years including social work, mental health and family support provision. The analysis suggested a number of changes in parenting which appeared to be related to improved outcomes for children and their families. For example, changes in mothers' conceptualisation of their child's behaviour, brought about through therapeutic intervention, could transform parent-child relationships and thereby improve longer-term outcomes. However, other mothers could bring about change without these cognitive shifts, through use of strategies to manage children's behaviour or improve mothers' own wellbeing. Services sometimes played an important role in these changes. The analysis also suggested features of provision which prevented intervention with families being effective. Services' focus on parenting, and the associated perceived blame, can sometimes undermine parents and be counter-productive, whereas empowering parents through developing shared goals seems more useful

What can the experiences of young adult carers tell us about what can make services more helpful for them and their families?

Young adults who provide unpaid care for older relatives have poorer outcomes than their peers in education, employment, health and wellbeing. Services that can potentially have a positive impact on their lives include services provided to the person they care for. However, survey research in England has indicated that receipt of such services is not necessarily linked to fewer negative consequences for young adult carers. We conducted in-depth interviews with fourteen young adult carers who had responded to the original survey. We explored their experiences with services for the care recipient and what factors limit or enhance the usefulness of those services. We found three interrelated themes. First, difficulties accessing services can add to stress, and make problems harder to address when services are implemented; second, lack of continuity of services, and practitioners, undermines relationships and future trust in services, whereas consistent relationships are beneficial. Third, young adult carers described the benefits that resulted from their being involved in discussions and decisions about services, and the problems when this does not happen. The wellbeing of the young adult carer and the person receiving care are shown to be inextricably interrelated; we draw out implications for efforts to improve services

The smiling assassin? Reconceptualising redundancy envoys as quasi-dirty workers.

Despite redundancies having far-reaching consequences for organisations, relatively limited attention has been paid to the conflicting experiences of those implementing the redundancy process - the redundancy envoys. By drawing on theories of cognitive dissonance and "dirty work", we explain how individuals implementing redundancies can experience a disconnect between their outward and inner emotions. We reconceptualise redundancy envoys as quasi-dirty workers, as they intermittently perform "dirty work" tasks that may be perceived as morally tainted, whilst recognising their conventional role incorporates tasks perceived as contrary to that of "dirty work". Our study draws on insider research access to redundancy envoys over a five-year period during the implementation of four consecutive redundancy programmes, providing the opportunity to observe decisions and actions in "real time". We offer a contemporary reconceptualisation of the redundancy envoy, which permits a deeper understanding of the negative impact on redundancy envoys and offers opportunities to examine how this can be reduced. In addition, it is anticipated that the results of this study will offer support to HR functions in reducing the stigma of "dirty work" for redundancy envoys with the intention of enhancing the management of redundancy implementation

Practical Interventions for Groupwork Leader Training in Master’s Counseling Programs

Groupwork in counseling has been utilized to promote client wellness, but little attention has been paid to the development and standardization of group leadership skills training in counselor education. This paper highlights this gap and offers practical, evidence-based solutions to help counselor educators train effective group leaders at the master’s level. The authors developed skill-building solutions using the core competencies for group leadership training in the Professional Standards for the Training of Group Workers (2000) by the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW)

Supporting Mental, Emotional, and Sexual Wellness for LGBTQ+ College Students: A Special Commentary

This brief commentary addresses the importance of campus-wide sexual health initiatives for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other sexual and affectional identities (LGBTQ+) college students. LGBTQ+ college students in the emerging adulthood life stage are particularly susceptible to stigmatized, inequitable physical and mental healthcare, making the need for intentional and affirming support from college counselors, on-campus healthcare providers, and student affairs professionals essential. This article addresses LGBTQ+ friendly communication strategies, specific counseling modalities for work surrounding LGBTQ+ college student sexual health, implications for counselor education and supervision, as well as ongoing research priorities for college counselors. Because sexual health is relevant throughout the lifespan, we emphasize the importance of instilling strong foundational principles of consent, safety, responsibility, and joyful exploration during this phase

Preventing at-risk children from developing antisocial and criminal behaviour: a longitudinal study examining the role of parenting, community and societal factors in middle childhood

Background Many childhood risk factors are known to be associated with children’s future antisocial and criminal behaviour, including children’s conduct disorders and family difficulties such as parental substance abuse. Some families are involved with many different services but little is known about what middle childhood factors moderate the risk of poor outcomes. This paper reports the quantitative component of a mixed methods study investigating what factors can be addressed to help families improve children’s outcomes in the longer term. The paper examines six hypotheses, which emerged from a qualitative longitudinal study of the service experiences of eleven vulnerable families followed over five years. The hypotheses concern factors which could be targeted by interventions, services and policy to help reduce children’s behaviour problems in the longer term. Methods The hypotheses are investigated using a sample of over one thousand children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Multiple logistic regression examines associations between potentially-moderating factors (at ages 5–10) and antisocial and criminal behaviour (at ages 16–21) for children with behaviour problems at baseline. Results ALSPAC analyses support several hypotheses, suggesting that the likelihood of future antisocial and criminal behaviour is reduced in the presence of the following factors: reduction in maternal hostility towards the child (between ages 4 and 8), reduction in maternal depression (between the postnatal period and when children are age 10), mothers’ positive view of their neighbourhood (age 5) and lack of difficulty paying the rent (age 7). The evidence was less clear regarding the role of social support (age 6) and mothers’ employment choices (age 7). Conclusion The findings suggest, in conjunction with findings from the separate qualitative analysis, that improved environments around the child and family during middle childhood could have long-term benefits in reducing antisocial and criminal behaviour

Drawing on parents’ experiences to explore how to prevent high-risk primary school children developing antisocial and criminal behaviour

Much evidence links early childhood factors to later antisocial and criminal behaviour. However, many ‘at-risk’ children do not develop such behaviours. Some families are subject to intensive intervention from services including social, health, criminal justice and special education services, yet little is known about what aspects of support are useful for the most vulnerable families in the longer term. This mixed methods study investigates parents’ experiences of the full range of services with which they and their children are involved during middle childhood. The major component is a longitudinal five-year qualitative interview study of eleven families, including practitioners parents nominated as helpful. Children were at-risk because of their difficult behaviour and additional family risk factors. Inductive thematic analysis suggested factors which appeared important in changing child behaviour and family functioning. A subset of these factors were further investigated using quantitative longitudinal analysis of a large cohort data set, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), to examine associations with antisocial and criminal behaviour at ages 16–21. The original contribution to knowledge is identification and explanation of factors influencing how families benefit, or fail to benefit, from intervention. These include the conflicting roles of services tasked with support, reform and surveillance of families. Some parents are skilfully supported to make lasting changes in their parenting behaviour, but non-familial influences such as peers, neighbourhood and school experiences mean improvements in parent-child relationships do not necessarily translate to improvements in the child’s behaviour and wellbeing outside the family. In addition, the study contributes analyses linking middle childhood factors to lower chance of future antisocial and criminal behaviour. These factors include changes in maternal hostility and depression, financial circumstances and children’s relationships with teachers. Findings suggest families could be helped by easier-to-access, on-call, non-judgemental support and, in schools, attention to consistent, supportive relationships