Understanding Interprofessional Perceptions and Experiences: An Investigation of Professional Counselors and Allied Health Professionals

INTRODUCTION Interprofessional collaboration is essential to improve coordination, communication, quality, and safety of patient care. Interprofessional perception is an important variable in interprofessional collaboration as it can impact attitudes, ability to successfully engage in interprofessionalism, and willingness to engage. The study focuses on understanding perceptions and experiences of interprofessional collaboration of professional counselors and other allied health professionals. METHODS Participants were recruited online and through snowball sampling. The survey was taken by a diverse sample of healthcare professionals. The survey items consisted of demographic information, the 18 item Interprofessional Education Perception Scale (IEPS), and the 16 item individual construct subscale for the Perception of Interprofessional Collaboration Model Questionnaire (PINCOM-Q). Chi-Square and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the groups on the IEPS and the PINCOM-Q. RESULTS Results suggested that 31% of professional counselors had previous interprofessional education (IPE) and 41.4% reported that they had engaged in interprofessional clinical experience, and the majority of counselors have positive perceptions of interprofessional collaboration. Results from the ANOVA indicated that counselors have similar professional perceptions as other behavioral health professionals, however their professional beliefs are different from that of other allied health professionals. CONCLUSION Professional counselors are gaining experiences with interprofessionalism and seem to have positive perceptions of interprofessional collaboration. It is thought that the inclusion of professional counselors on interprofessional teams will not only affect the teams positively but also the clients that are served

The Cumulative Effect of Hyperactivity and Peer Relationships on Reading Comprehension

The impact of hyperactivity and peer relationships on academic achievement has long been highlighted in the professional literature. This study highlights how much variation in reading comprehension scores, an indicator of academic achievement, are accounted for by hyperactivity, conduct problems, and peer problems. The participants included 129 students in first through sixth grade in an urban school district in the Northeast. A multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the unique contributions of hyperactivity, peer relationships, and conduct problems on reading comprehension. Results indicated that increasing levels of peer problems were associated with decreasing reading comprehension scores

Research and Leadership Development Through Participation on a Inter Professional Research Team

This case study details one research team and includes a conceptual tri-level leadership model for team participation and project organization. Participants included seven students and one assistant professor. Findings highlight team development, recruitment, expectations, leadership gains, and implications for the profession

Preparing 21st Century Counselors and Healthcare Professionals: Examining Technology Competency and Interprofessional Education Comfort

Healthcare professionals are expected to work in interprofessional teams while also communicating distantly with these team members through telehealth platforms to improve patient care. This study sought to understand how comfort with technology, interprofessional education, and collaboration was perceived by graduate students in counseling, dental hygiene, nursing, and physical therapy. A quantitative investigation with N=111 students resulted in comfort with technology among all groups but there were significant differences among the allied health professions regarding positive professional identity and willingness to engage in teamwork and collaboration. The data revealed that both preparation, rationale for interprofessional work, and placement of interprofessional training in curricula might improve interprofessional training in these health professions

Accessing Human Services Programs: Areas of Improvement with Awareness and Communication

Lack of accessibility to human services programs is a major barrier to service provision. Archival focus group data from 21 non-profit and public human services agency representatives examined consistency and discrepancies among reported services and services that were identifiable on the internet. This study is important because the internet is often the first step a consumer takes toward seeking help, if the information is not accessible online, this is a barrier to service. Our results found grave discrepancies between available information on websites and reported services during the focus group. Additionally, we found that most websites were not accessible to low readers or persons who spoke a language other than English. Lastly, we found that many of the services were not accessible to people currently “in crisis” rather the services were geared toward people who were “at risk” or “safe”. Implications for administrators and policy conclude

The Cumulative Effect of Hyperactivity and Peer Relationships on Reading Comprehension

The impact of hyperactivity and peer relationships on academic achievement has long been highlighted in the professional literature. This study highlights how much variation in reading comprehension scores, an indicator of academic achievement, are accounted for by hyperactivity, conduct problems, and peer problems. The participants included 129 students in first through sixth grade in an urban school district in the Northeast. A multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the unique contributions of hyperactivity, peer relationships, and conduct problems on reading comprehension. Results indicated that increasing levels of peer problems were associated with decreasing reading comprehension scores

Professional Counseling\u27s Alignment with the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice

Previous findings show that there is a misconception of the counseling profession and a lack of awareness of their role in interprofessional collaboration; which may lead to underutilization of counselors for team based care. As an example, in 2009 six professional health related associations developed core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice and counseling associations were not involved in the development. This manuscript introduces the profession of counseling to others in medical health professions in hopes that similarities will bridge the gap between knowledge and future collaborative practice. The manuscript shows how the profession aligns with the core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice (CCIPC), ethical codes, accreditation bodies, and existing counseling literature. It concludes with implications for practice, system level support, and policy

Perceptions of the Counseling Profession: From Health Science Graduate Faculty and Students

Counseling is considered a newer healthcare profession and possibly unknown to others. This study uses a post-positivist phenomenological approach exploring healthcare faculty and students\u27 perceptions of counseling professionals after participating in a semester long interprofessional health promotions and maintenance course. Results indicated most professions are unaware of counselors, their scope of practice, and their benefit to interprofessional teams. Participants showed growth in their knowledge. Results indicate the importance of interprofessional education and need for advocacy awareness

Human Service Students\u27 and Professionals\u27 Knowledge and Experiences of Interprofessionalism: Implications for Education

Interprofessionalism is an approach to delivering optimal client care in which providers from multiple professions work collaboratively on care teams. Human Service Professionals (HSPs) are generalists who frequently work together with professionals in related fields. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which HSPs and helping professionals in related fields have engaged in interprofessional experiences. Researchers also investigated the impact that having previous interprofessional experiences had on participants\u27 perceptions of interprofessionalism. Results revealed that professionals and students who had previous interprofessional experiences were significantly more likely to have positive perceptions about interprofessional cooperation. However, results also indicated that only a small proportion of HSPs and mental health professionals in related fields reported engaging in interprofessional experiences. Suggestions for how educators can infuse interprofessionalism into the curriculum for human services and related programs are provided

Black and Latino Fathers of Students With Autism: Culturally Responsive Support

Perspectives from five Black and Latino fathers of students with autism are shared from this qualitative pilot study. The fathers were asked to describe the most helpful forms of support from school counselors. One-time, semi-structured interviews were conducted and interpreted with the thematic analysis method. Results suggest support from other parents, and specifically from other fathers, with shared experiences is most helpful. Recommendations for school counseling practice and research are shared