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Mental health and Asperger's syndrome: what clinicians need to know
- Authors:
- LEATHER JoAnn, LEARDI Matthew
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 22(8), 2012, pp.1014-1020.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In today’s psychotherapy practice, there is an increase in the number of clients with Asperger’s syndrome (AS) seeking treatment for a variety of mental health issues. This paper aims to explain what clinicians need to know and understand when treating individuals with AS. It addresses the presentation of AS and what clinicians need to focus on during intake, while establishing a therapeutic relationship, and the range and severity of co-morbid issues within this population. The paper also discusses diagnosis of AS and the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy in the treatment of symptoms of AS and explains the use of medication and psychosocial support. Implications for practice are discussed.
Counselling in the workplace: how time-limited counselling can effect change in well-being
- Authors:
- COLLINS Jill, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 12(2), 2012, pp.84-92.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Many employers provide counselling support on work and personal issues for their employees. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the workplace counselling service offered by the staff counselling service of a large university. Specifically, the study investigated whether the counselling made a difference to client well-being and, if so, whether the difference lasted. The study participants were 182 clients who had referred themselves to the University Counselling Service and received at least 1 session of counselling. The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) was completed by the participants at the beginning and end of counselling, and at 3 and 6 months following. A non-treatment comparison group completed the survey at the same intervals. The results show clearly that the effect of time-limited counselling (average 7 sessions) on distressed clients is positive. The treatment group acquire an increased sense of well-being as a result of the experience of counselling with a significant statistical difference between pre-and post-counselling treatment group scores on the WEMWBS and consistently higher scores found post counselling. The improvement was maintained at the same level for at least 6 months following the end of counselling.
A preliminary comparison study of online and face-to-face counseling: client perceptions of three factors
- Authors:
- HOLMES Courtney, FOSTER Victoria
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Technology in Human Services, 30(1), January 2012, pp.14-31.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Online or computer mediated counselling is being used increasingly to supplement or replace face to face services. Traditionally counselling has been structured around the human experience and relies at least in part on the therapeutic relationship. This preliminary study examined the similarities and differences between online (telephone, chat, email or vide conferencing) and face-to-face (individual, group, couples or family) counselling for a variety of issues around general mental health, working alliance, and social presence. Participants included 50 current counselling clients in the US (37 face-to-face, 13 online) who all were recruited through online mediums. The results indicate that online counselling clients perceived a significantly stronger working alliance on the total Working Alliance Inventory-Short Form as well as the Goal subscale compared to those who received face-to-face only counselling. No significant differences existed between the groups on general mental health or social presence. It is concluded that although a more controlled study with a larger sample is needed, it is possible that a strong working alliance and similar perception of social presence can be developed through online counselling.
Barriers to successful treatment completion in child sexual abuse survivors
- Authors:
- MCPHERSON Paul, SCRIBANO Philip, STEVENS Jack
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27(1), January 2012, pp.23-39.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Child sexual abuse (CSA) often necessitates psychological treatment to address the symptoms of trauma. However, barriers to counselling services can compromise long-term well-being. This study examined the characteristics between CSA patients who engaged versus those who do not in mental health treatment, and identified factors associated with successful completion of mental health treatment goals. A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 499 CSA patients, aged 3 to 16 years, referred to mental health services following a child advocacy centre (CAC) assessment. About 52% linked with mental health services and 39% of patients that successfully linked with mental health services completed therapy. Findings revealed that successful linkage was independently associated with referrals to other counselling services, and independently associated with caregiver participation in therapy. In contrast to previous reports, efforts at the CAC seem to overcome linkage barriers in this population. However, there remained challenges in achieving successful completion of treatment goals in this population. The authors concluded that engaging caregivers’ in therapy services had a positive effect with successfully achieving treatment goals.
Psychological interventions for alcohol misuse among people with co-occurring depression or anxiety disorders: a systematic review
- Authors:
- BAKER Amanda L., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Affective Disorders, 139(3), August 2012, pp.217-229.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Psychological interventions, including motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), seem to be effective in the treatment of co-occurring mood or anxiety disorders and alcohol misuse, although the evidence was based on only eight randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Even brief interventions were associated with beneficial mental health and alcohol use outcomes.
The future is appy
- Author:
- TOPHAM Phil
- Journal article citation:
- Therapy Today, 23(3), April 2012, pp.14-18.
- Publisher:
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
Apps are increasingly being used to support CBT-based interventions for mental health problems. In this article, the author describes his involvement in the development of an app to help students with social anxiety in learning situations. In this design, the app would complement face-to-face work, although it could also be used for students who might not choose to access counselling anyway. But the author stresses that, while we know that the therapist/client relationship is a crucial part of effective therapy, we don’t yet know enough about what happens to people psychologically when they switch on their computer or mobile phone to access an app. While apps are well suited to task-based therapy, he suggests, they don’t have the capacity to recreate the interpersonal elements of counselling or psychotherapy.