Research on embedded counselling:an emerging topic of potential importance for the future of counselling psychology

A significant proportion of the counselling that people receive takes place within informal, situated encounters between service users and practitioners in fields such as nursing, medicine, teaching and social work. However, almost all of the research that has been carried out into the process and outcomes of counselling consists of studies of formal, contracted counselling and psychotherapy based in therapy clinics and offices. The competent and effective delivery of counselling that is embedded in a primary professional role, such as that of nurse, teacher or social worker, presents considerable challenges for practitioners. Research evidence around the process and outcomes of embedded counselling represents a valuable resource that has the potential to enhance the quality of counselling conversations enacted by practitioners in health, education, social work and other professions. An overview is provided of different types of research that has been carried out into informal and embedded counselling, and of the main themes that have emerged from these studies. Suggestions are made for the further development of this field

How soccer players head the ball: a test of optic acceleration cancellation theory with virtual reality

We measured the movements of soccer players heading a football in a fully immersive virtual reality environment. In mid-flight the ball’s trajectory was altered from its normal quasi-parabolic path to a linear one, producing a jump in the rate of change of the angle of elevation of gaze (α) from player to ball. One reaction time later the players adjusted their speed so that the rate of change of α increased when it had been reduced and reduced it when it had been increased. Since the result of the player’s movement was to regain a value of the rate of change close to that before the disturbance, the data suggest that the players have an expectation of, and memory for, the pattern that the rate of change of α will follow during the flight. The results support the general claim that players intercepting balls use servo control strategies and are consistent with the particular claim of Optic Acceleration Cancellation theory that the servo strategy is to allow α to increase at a steadily decreasing rate

‘It was almost like the opposite of what I needed’:a qualitative exploration of client experiences of unhelpful therapy

Background: The issue of unhelpful and harmful therapy outcome has received an increasing amount of attention within the research literature in recent years. However, little research exists on the client's perspective of what constitutes unhelpful therapy.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore clients’ experiences of unhelpful therapy.Method: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with ten therapists who, as clients, experienced unhelpful therapy. Interview transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: Participants recounted therapy episodes characterised by an absence of negotiation, collaboration and care; pivotal moments when they knew that they would not return; and ongoing negative effects.Conclusions: The findings of this study have implications for training and strategies for supporting clients who have been harmed by therapy

Client preferences in counselling for alcohol problems:a qualitative investigation

Background: Incorporating client expectations and preferences into the counselling process can lead to more positive outcomes and lower rates of dropout.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore preferences for counselling held by clients prior to the commencement of therapy.Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five clients seeking help from an alcohol counselling service and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: Each client described a distinctive individual preference profile. While holding clear preferences for what would be helpful in counselling, clients were also open to new possibilities. They possessed a personal understanding of why certain activities and types of relationship might be helpful for them, and an appreciation of the types of therapeutic process that might lead them to quit therapy.Conclusions: These findings suggest that clients are able to articulate their preferences, when offered the opportunity, and that qualitative methods have the potential to open up new understanding of the structure and meaning of preferences from the point of view of the client

On being part of the solution, not the problem: taking a proportionate approach to managing records

Purpose – This article seeks to provide a perspective on a future pathway for records management that is based on taking a proportionate approach rather than striving for perfection. This approach requires a re-interpretation of traditional principles and their application in practice and recognition of the predominance of people in successful information and records management in the digital domain. Design/methodology/approach – The views are the author's based on the headline findings of a major research project (AC+erm) which investigated issues and practical strategies for accelerating positive change in electronic records management. They incorporate views on contextual developments since the project, in particular the characteristics of today's hybrid and increasingly mobile office environment such as the use of recognition technologies. Findings – The ten headline findings of the AC+erm project are shared. Two strategic findings are highlighted, namely, articulating a vision of successful electronic records management and the approach to applying records management principles in order to realise that vision of success. The article then focuses on two of the other findings, about the need for information and records professionals to adopt proportionate and risk based approaches and to ensure they (the records professionals) are an essential part of the solution not the problem. Post the project, views on these and tactics for addressing them are discussed with reference to real examples and potential future research and development. Research limitations/implications – The research that provides the context for the article was qualitative and therefore its findings transferrable rather than generalisable. The views expressed about tactics for moving forward are intended to contribute to the debate about approaches to managing records in the democratic, digital domain. Practical implications – A proportionate approach to managing records by definition implies a risk-based approach. This may prove challenging in organizational, societal and cultural contexts that are risk averse. Originality/value – The research which underpins this article was the first on the subject to be conducted in the UK and adopted a unique evidence-based approach. Undertaken in the context of the “promise” of electronic document and records management systems, its findings are relevant in the broader systems solutions. They provide a context for this perspective on current and potential tactics for addressing strategic issues for managing records in the digital domain. This provides a significant contribution to knowledge and debate in this field

Given Credit Management Behavior, what effect does educational debt have on mortgage approval timetables?

Educational debt in the United States is a major concern as many young people enroll in undergraduate institutions beyond their financial means and the gap between the cost of an education and family income widens. Research suggests that an individual’s level of educational debt will have an effect on their financial future, but measuring the extent of damage incurred is much more difficult and needs further examination. This paper analyzes the relationship between the level of educational debt at graduation and time between graduation and home mortgage approval. This paper also examines the relationship between credit management behavior and mortgage approval. This study finds that educational debt does not have a significant effect on mortgage approval timetables. This paper also reports that credit management behavior has a significant effect on a person’s approval timetable and that bad credit management behavior increases the period between graduation and mortgage approval

PLURALISM ABOUT TRUTH IN EARLY CHINESE PHILOSOPHY: A REFLECTION ON WANG CHONGS APPROACH

The debate concerning truth in Classical Chinese philosophy has for the most part avoided the possibility that pluralist theories of truth were part of the classical philosophical framework. I argue that the Eastern Han philosopher Wang Chong (c. 25-100 CE) can be profitably read as endorsing a kind of pluralism about truth grounded in the concept of shi 實, or actuality . In my exploration of this view, I explain how it offers a different account of the truth of moral and non-moral statements, while still retaining the univocality of the concept of truth (that is, that the concept amounts to more than the expression of a disjunction of various truth properties), by connecting shi with normative and descriptive facts about how humans appraise statements. In addition to providing insight into pluralist views of truth in early China, the unique pluralist view implicit in Wang\u27 work can help solve problems with contemporary pluralist theories of truth

Inadequate budgets and salaries as instruments for institutionalizing public sector corruption in Indonesia

Soeharto used the Indonesian bureaucracy to generate rents that could be harvested by 'insider' firms, while also encouraging it to extort money from 'outsider' firms and individuals. This necessitated incentives that would ensure strong loyalty and minimize internal opposition. Government entities were provided with insufficient budget funding to cover their costs, and their officials were expected to generate cash from illegal activities, making public sector employees financially dependent on corruption. Any employee who opposed this system could expect to be restricted to earning no more than the pitifully low formal salary entitlement. The system therefore became strongly self-reinforcing

Review of Pynchon's Against the Day: A Corrupted Pilgrim's Guide edited by Jeffrey Severs & Christopher Leise

Review of Pynchon's Against the Day: A Corrupted Pilgrim's Guide edited by Jeffrey Severs & Christopher Leis