DOCSLIB.ORG

September2010ctonline.Pdf

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
September2010ctonline.Pdf CounselingTodaySeptember 2010 Cover Story 28 Strength in numbers By Lynne Shallcross Counselors who specialize in group work believe the empowering sense of community and connection helps certain clients blossom in ways that may be hard to achieve with individual therapy. Features 28 36 Livelihoods and cultures in crisis By Lynne Shallcross Louisiana counselors provide on-the-ground accounts of how one of the largest oil spills in history is affecting the mental health of residents in Gulf Coast communities. 41 Breaking the cycle of addiction and crime By Chris Morkides Drug courts offer substance abuse treatment, mental health counseling, job counseling and social skills training to nonviolent offenders who otherwise face time in jail or prison. 36 44 Reader Viewpoint One school’s response to external traumatic events By Thomas J. Pallardy Concerned by how their own students and staff members might respond to media coverage of the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech, St. Laurence High School in Illinois developed a plan to help members of its community process external traumatic events. 48 Reader Viewpoint 41 Addressing spiritual diversity By Angela St. Hillaire Although a diversity perspective is being preached in counselor education, a review of the literature suggests that spiritual diversity might remain a neglected aspect of multicultural training. Extras 50 Soledad O’Brien, Judith Beck to keynote 2011 ACA Conference An award-winning news correspondent and an expert in cognitive therapy will address counselors gathering in New Orleans next March for the annual conference. Contents September 2010 | Counseling Today | 3 CounselingTodaySeptember 2010 Columns 10 Washington Update 11 The Two-Minute Advocate Counselor Career Stories 12 Numbersby the Numbers 16 New Perspectives Children and traumatic events 18 Private Practice in Counseling Although the exact emotional toll the Gulf Coast oil spill will take on residents remains to be seen (see “Livelihoods and cultures in crisis,” page 36), studies of past traumatic events Resource Reviews 22 suggest that children’s mental health needs should be monitored closely. Several new studies on children and disaster were 24 Spotlight on Journals published as part of a special section in the July/August issue of the Child Development journal. Among the findings: 26 ACA Blog Sampler Children of the 9/11 attacks n Children whose mothers reported symptoms of post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression were three times more likely to be emotionally reactive and seven times Need to Know more likely to display aggressive behavior three years later. From the President n Children directly exposed to the attacks were only slightly 5 more likely to experience PTSD but significantly more likely to be depressed than children who were not directly exposed. 7 Executive Director’s Message Children of Hurricane Katrina 8 Letters to the Editor n Young children were found to be more deeply af- fected than adolescents; three years 52 NBCC Perspective after Katrina, children ages 9 to 11 were four times more likely than those ages 54 Division, Region & Branch News 15 to 18 to exhibit symptoms of PTSD. Bulletin Board 56 n Although one of the studies found behavioral problems to decrease 57 News & Notes over time, it also found that more than 25 percent of the 60 Classifieds younger children were still showing signs of PTSD and depression three years after the hurricane. n Girls of any age were found to be twice as likely to struggle in adapting after the disaster. 4 | Counseling Today | September 2010 From The President CounselingToday Volume 53/Number 3 Counseling Today Staff Publisher Beauty, sadness, Richard Yep Associate Publisher laughter, learn- Carol Neiman Editor-in-Chief Marcheta Evans ing Jonathan Rollins 800.347.6647 ext. 339 [email protected] Senior Writer ave you ever had an opened my mouth, it removed all doubt Lynne Shallcross experience that was that I might be from their country. As 800.347.6647 ext. 320 [email protected] Hoverwhelmingly beautiful and represents the true spirit of the Malawian sad at the same time? I just returned from people, I was immediately invited to Advertising Representative such an experience. I had the wonderful return to the village to spend at least five Kathy Maguire opportunity to spend three weeks on years so they could teach me the language. 607.662.4451 the continent of Africa in the country of I laughed, thinking to myself that they [email protected] Malawi. must consider me a really slow learner! Graphic Designer Malawi is one of the poorest nations in But in that exchange, they also asked me Carlos J. Soto II Africa, and life expectancy is only about not to forget about them. As I looked into 800.347.6647 ext. 377 [email protected] 50 years (less than a decade ago, it was their eyes, I was moved to tears. There is barely over 40). The country’s slogan is no way I will forget this experience as long CT Column Editors “the warm heart of Africa,” and I couldn’t as I have breath in my body. Washington Update agree more with this description. As a To see the resiliency of people and Scott Barstow counselor, I have worked in some of the to witness how children learned, even 800.347.6647 ext. 234 poorest areas in the deep South, but I in classes of 200 or more, was truly [email protected] have never in my life encountered such amazing. The students were sitting Counselor Career Stories poverty as I saw on my visit to Malawi. bunched together on concrete floors, Rebecca Daniel-Burke At the same time, I have never witnessed with little or no learning supplies. How 800.347.6647 ext. 230 such caring and such giving of the little could learning possibly occur in such [email protected] they do have. I experienced this firsthand conditions? Yet, somehow, it did. The Resource Reviews by the way they gave to me, a complete purpose of my visit was to work with the Ruth Harper stranger from the United States. native educators to develop textbooks [email protected] It is natural for people to be curious and guided supplementary materials for when they meet someone different from literacy development through a USAID Private Practice in Counseling Robert J. Walsh and Norman C. Dasenbrook themselves. In this case, I think it was grant, but I walked away forever changed [email protected] more of a shock for them to see me than in regard to how I view learning and to see the “white” people from the United material wealth. Spotlight on Journals States. Upon seeing me, they expected This month’s Counseling Today cover Sheri Bauman [email protected] me to be Malawian and to speak the story focuses on group work. When I native language of Chichewa. When I first heard the topic, it reminded me of a New Perspectives opened my mouth to speak, they were book I read many years ago called “Why Donjanea L. Fletcher taken aback, and for a second, they were Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in [email protected] confused about who I was and what the Cafeteria?” by Beverly Tatum. Just the The Digital Psyway language I was speaking. title alone reminds me of how we can Marty Jencius I’ll share a funny story that happened gravitate toward the familiar and have a [email protected] when I visited one of the orphan care tendency to separate ourselves from one centers in a very rural village about 15 another. How often do we take the time kilometers from any road. The village to explore outside of our comfort areas? chiefs who were there to greet us wanted As counselors, we ask our clients and a private audience with me to verify that students to expand beyond their comfort I was not Malawian and that I could not speak the language. Once again, when I Continued on page 58 September 2010 | Counseling Today | 5 !S<?L<OFFSCHA5B;N!IOHM?FILM 1IFONCIH$I=OM?>!IOHM?FCHA ,??>NI)HIQ CH1=BIIFM 1?=IH>#>CNCIH Sheri Bauman John J. Murphy This informative book offers complete, Dr. Murphy offers a refreshingly positive up-to-date coverage of the growing and practical approach to resolving a problem of cyberbullying. Written for diverse range of problems from preschool counselors, teachers, school leaders, through high school. Drawing on the and others who work with children most recent research and on his extensive and teens, Cyberbullying addresses the experience as a school practitioner and real-life dangers students face on the trainer, he presents a step-by-step guide Internet. Includes a discussion of the to solution-focused counseling in today’s different types of cyberbullying and schools. This strength-based approach is cyberbullying environments; an overview illustrated through real-world examples of prominent theories of aggressive behavior; practical tips and dialogues from actual counseling sessions. User-friendly to identify and follow cyberfootprints; proactive responses to forms, questionnaires, and handouts are provided for cyberbullying; effective, nonpunitive strategies for responding immediate application with students, teachers, and parents. to cyberbullying; useful information on current technology 2008 | 280 pgs | Order #72873 | ISBN 978-1-55620-247-6 and popular websites; and much more. List Price: $47.95 | ACA Member Price: $35.95 2011 | 215 pgs | Order #72900 | ISBN 978-1-55620-294-0 List Price: $29.95 | ACA Member Price: $24.95 =NCP?'HN?LP?HNCIHM $IL)C>M;H>2??HM 1OC=C>?.L?P?HNCIHCHNB?1=BIIFM Jeffrey S. Ashby, Terry Kottman, and Don DeGraaf %OC>?FCH?M@IL+C>>F?;H>&CAB1=BIIF This engaging guide contains 50 action- 1?NNCHAM 1?=IH>#>CNCIH oriented activities that can be used David Capuzzi in groups with children, adolescents, In this book, David Capuzzi encourages and adults.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Therapy, Counseling, and Other Supportive Mental Health Resources
    Therapy, Counseling, and other Supportive Mental Health Resources Local Therapy and Counseling Agencies Frontier Behavioral Health Provides services for adults, youth, and elders who are dealing with a wide range of mental, emotional, and behavioral health concerns, including but not limited to individuals who are impacted by substance use disorders. Many types of treatment options are available. Services are available to individuals with state health insurance. Multiple locations 509-838-4651 https://fbhwa.org/ Community Behavioral Health Services through Catholic Charities Provides individual, group, and family therapy services, case management, and peer support options for individuals with wide ranging mental health concerns. Accepts multiple insurance options and is committed to providing services regardless of client ability to pay. 1960 N Holy Names Court Spokane, WA 99224 (509) 242-2308 https://www.cceasternwa.org/counseling Lutheran Community Services Provides individual, group, and family counseling for adults as well as children who have experienced trauma, sexual assault, and/or trafficking. Additionally offers peer support and care coordination services. Accepts WA State Medicaid, Crime Victim’s Compensation, and some insurance plans. 210 W. Sprague Ave. Spokane, WA 99201 (509) 747-8224 https://lcsnw.org/office/spokane/ Partners with Families and Children Offers adult, child, and family therapy for families who have been affected by abuse or neglect. Additionally offers Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, EMDR therapy, and trauma focused group therapy, and substance use disorder treatment options. Accepts all insurances and is committed to providing services regardless of client ability to pay. 106 W Mission Ave Spokane, WA 99201 (509) 473-4810 https://partnerswithfamilies.org/ YFA Connections Provides outpatient and intensive outpatient services for adults working to overcome substance abuse disorders as well as adults with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health disorders.
    [Show full text]
  • Using Technology Creatively to Empower Diverse Populations in Counseling
    VISTAS Online VISTAS Online is an innovative publication produced for the American Counseling Association by Dr. Garry R. Walz and Dr. Jeanne C. Bleuer of Counseling Outfitters, LLC. Its purpose is to provide a means of capturing the ideas, information and experiences generated by the annual ACA Conference and selected ACA Division Conferences. Papers on a program or practice that has been validated through research or experience may also be submitted. This digital collection of peer-reviewed articles is authored by counselors, for counselors. VISTAS Online contains the full text of over 500 proprietary counseling articles published from 2004 to present. VISTAS articles and ACA Digests are located in the ACA Online Library. To access the ACA Online Library, go to http://www.counseling.org/ and scroll down to the LIBRARY tab on the left of the homepage. n Under the Start Your Search Now box, you may search by author, title and key words. n The ACA Online Library is a member’s only benefit. You can join today via the web: counseling.org and via the phone: 800-347-6647 x222. Vistas™ is commissioned by and is property of the American Counseling Association, 5999 Stevenson Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304. No part of Vistas™ may be reproduced without express permission of the American Counseling Association. All rights reserved. Join ACA at: http://www.counseling.org/ Suggested APA style reference information can be found at http://www.counseling.org/library/ Article 14 Using Technology Creatively to Empower Diverse Populations in Counseling Renae Reljic, Amney Harper, and Hugh Crethar Reljic, Renae, Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Resource Guide for Mental Health 2021-2022
    2021 -2022 Resource Guide for Mental Health It’s okay not to be okay. www.squarecarehealth.com Table of Contents Contents Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................... Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1 Postpartum Care: ................................................................................................................................. 2 Links to resources for Fathers & Families experiencing Postpartum Depression: .................................. 7 Fertility Specialists: .............................................................................................................................. 8 Infertility Counseling: ......................................................................................................................... 16 Online Therapy for Moms: ................................................................................................................. 21 Outpatient Psychiatry Services: .......................................................................................................... 25 Outpatient Psychiatry Services that provides Therapy: ...................................................................... 31 Psychotherapy Services ONLY: ........................................................................................................... 48 Resources for LBGT+
    [Show full text]
  • Virtual Group Therapy
    VIRTUAL GROUP THERAPY Evidence summary for child and youth mental health service providers March 2021 Suggested citation: Edwards, M., Sundar, P., Brown, J., & Summers, N. (2020). Virtual group therapy: Evidence summary for child and youth mental health service providers. Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health. https://www.cymh.ca For information about this report, contact Dr. Jaime Brown at [email protected]. Virtual group therapy 2 Table of contents Overview.............................................................................................................................4 Methodology .......................................................................................................................5 Findings ..............................................................................................................................6 Evidence on how to deliver virtual group therapy for children and young people with mental health challenges ................................................................6 In-person group therapy for children and young people .........................................6 Effectiveness of virtual group therapy .....................................................................7 Adapting in-person group therapy to virtual formats ...............................................8 Strategies for delivering virtual care .......................................................................8 Dealing with common challenges when delivering virtual group therapy .....................9
    [Show full text]
  • American Counseling Association 2012 Conference & Expo
    ARG_ACA_SponsorshipAd012612_BW_55_Layout 1 1/27/12 10:10 AM Page 1 tradition | passion | excellence a passion to help At Argosy University, we are committed to a student-centered, life-focused experience both in the classroom and beyond. Our programs focus on real life and real student needs, featuring practical knowledge taught by experienced, passionate faculty. For students currently working or desiring to work in the field of counseling psychology, Argosy University offers both a Master’s and Doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology. Students learn skills that integrate individual and group theoretical foundations of professional counseling psychology into appropriate client interaction and intervention skills. Argosy University. Passionate Learners. Counseling Psychology is available at 12 nationwide campus locations. 855-274-6798 (855-ARGOSYU) argosy.edu See AUprograms.info for program duration, tuition, fees, and other costs, median debt, federal salary data, alumni success, and other important info. Financial aid is available to those who qualify. Argosy University is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100, Alameda, California, 94501, http://www.wascsenior.org). The EdD Counseling Psychology programs (including those with the optional concentration in Counselor Education and Supervision) offered at the Argosy University’s campuses in Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Washington, Utah, DC, and Virgina are NOT designed
    [Show full text]
  • Grief Counseling from a Multicultural Perspective
    Scholars Crossing Department for Counselor Education and Faculty Publications and Presentations Family Studies 8-10-2019 Grief Counseling from a Multicultural Perspective Deborah A. Braboy Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/ccfs_fac_pubs Part of the Counseling Commons Recommended Citation Braboy, Deborah A., "Grief Counseling from a Multicultural Perspective" (2019). Faculty Publications and Presentations. 152. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/ccfs_fac_pubs/152 This Conference Presentation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department for Counselor Education and Family Studies at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Central Virginia Counselor Development Symposium Liberty University Lynchburg, VA | August 10, 2019 Liberty University – Center for Counseling and Family Studies has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Providers, ACEP No. 4592. Program that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Liberty University – Center for Counseling and Family Studies is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. Table of Contents • Detailed Conference Schedule and Session Information • Summary Schedule with Tracks Identified o School Counseling o Clinical Counseling o Special Populations/Advocacy o Digital/Telementalhealth o Supervision • Presenter Biographies • Sponsors NOTE: The opening session, lunch, and poster sessions will take place in the Montview Alumni Ballroom. All other sessions will be held in various rooms of the Freedom Tower, as indicated on the schedule. Conference Schedule & Session Information Saturday August 10th, 2019 Registration Table Opens 8:00- 8:30 AM Location Montview Alumni Ballroom 8:30- 9:30 AM Welcome Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Volume 10, Issue 4 in This Issue Contents
    About The Professional Counselor Editorial Staff Amie A. Manis, Editor Catherine Clifton, Managing Editor Gretchen C. Porter, Sr. Copy Editor The Professional Counselor Kristin Rairden, Sr. Graphics Specialist (TPC) is the official, peer- Rachel P. Sommers, Media Support Specialist reviewed, open-access Kylie P. Dotson-Blake, Publisher electronic journal of the National Board for Certified Senior Advisory Board Counselors, Inc. and Judith C. Durham Lynn K. Hall James P. Sampson, Jr. Affiliates (NBCC), dedicated Samuel T. Gladding Theodore P. Remley, Jr. to research and commentary on empirical and theoretical Editorial Review Board 2020 topics relevant to professional counseling and Hannah Acquaye Courtney E. Gasser Jessica Lloyd-Hazlett Susan A. Adams Gary G. Gintner Sandra Logan-McKibben related areas. TPC publishes Kathryn Alessandria Barry Glick Huan-Tang Lu original manuscripts relating Ellen Armbruster Charlotte Hamilton Miles J. Matise to the following topics: Jennifer Beebe Latoya Hanes-Thoby Mary-Catherine McClain mental and behavioral Sara Bender Shannon Hodges Carol McGinnis health counseling; Kirk Bowden Linda Holloway Cherise M. Murphy Kathleen Brown-Rice Eleni Maria Honderich Cheryl W. Neale-McFall school counseling; career Matthew R. Buckley Franc Hudspeth Allison Paolini counseling; couple, Rebekah Byrd J. Richelle Joe J. Dwaine Phifer marriage, and family Joel Carr David Jones Dustin Reed counseling; counseling Keith M. Davis Maribeth F. Jorgensen Wendy Rock Mary M. Deacon Viki P. Kelchner Jyotsana Sharma supervision; theory Daniel DeCino Elizabeth Keller-Dupree Katharine Sperandio development; ethical Karen Decker Carie Kempton Angelica Tello issues; international Joel F. Diambra David S. King Michael M. Tursi counseling issues; program Karen Dickinson Jason King Alwin E.
    [Show full text]
  • A Look Into Counseling's Future
    A look into counseling’s future Also inside: • Counseling foster children and adopted children • Applying the grief process to everyday losses • What goes into developing counselor identity? • Engaging millennial students in the classroom ACA 2012 Annual Conference & Expo • March 21-25 • San Francisco CounselingTodayMarch 2012 Cover Story 32 What the future holds for the counseling profession Compiled by Lynne Shallcross As ACA celebrates its 60th year as an organization, 19 counseling leaders assess the trends taking place within the profession and society at large and do their best to predict the direction counseling will take over the next decade. Features 32 52 Fitting together as a family By Lynne Shallcross Counselors can help foster children, adopted children and parents to address the wide range of challenges that might be encountered as they attempt to weave together a secure and cohesive family unit. 58 Space to grieve everyday losses By Stacy Notaras Murphy Getting laid off, moving away from friends or even aging can launch people into the 52 same grief process that accompanies the death of a loved one, but clients often need help recognizing these losses as “grief-worthy” and adjusting to their new reality. 62 Knowledge Share A closer look at developing counselor identity By Timothy E. Coppock Clients will benefit if they are treated by professional counselors who are not only competent in their counseling skills but also confident in the specific role that professional counselors play in providing services. 58 66 Reader Viewpoint Engaging millennial students in today’s counseling classroom By Jeannine Studer & Blanche O’Bannon Today’s counseling students possess a unique array of characteristics and perspectives not previously seen in classrooms, and instructors risk shortchanging these students when they do not take the time to better understand them and their learning needs.
    [Show full text]
  • Designing Peer Support Chats for Mental Health Katie O’Leary,1 Stephen M
    CHI 2018 Honourable Mention CHI 2018, April 21–26, 2018, Montréal, QC, Canada “Suddenly, we got to become therapists for each other”: Designing Peer Support Chats for Mental Health Katie O’Leary,1 Stephen M. Schueller,2 Jacob O. Wobbrock,1 Wanda Pratt1 1The Information School | DUB Group 2Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies University of Washington Northwestern University Seattle, Washington, USA 98195 Chicago, Illinois, USA 60611 {kathlo, wobbrock, wpratt}@uw.edu [email protected] ABSTRACT One way to overcome these barriers is to provide training and Talk therapy is a common, effective, and desirable form of mentoring to build the capacity of peers with mental health mental health treatment. Yet, it is inaccessible to many challenges to support each other. Peer support is the people. Enabling peers to chat online using effective backbone for several well-established forms of mental health principles of talk therapy could help scale this form of mental services, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, crisis counseling, health care. To understand how such chats could be designed, and telephone support lines. This peer-to-peer support can we conducted a two-week field experiment with 40 people take many forms, including peer-led and peer-run experiencing mental illnesses comparing two types of online organizations, and peer-support workers providing care and chats—chats guided by prompts, and unguided chats. Results support within traditional organizations and services [60,72]. show that anxiety was significantly reduced from pre-test to post-test. User feedback revealed that guided chats provided Most of this peer support has traditionally been face-to-face, solutions to problems and new perspectives, and were but is being transformed through online access.
    [Show full text]
  • Distance Counseling: Perceived Advantages and Disadvantages Among Christian Counselors
    Distance Counseling i DISTANCE COUNSELING: PERCEIVED ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES AMONG CHRISTIAN COUNSELORS A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Liberty University In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Anthony J. Centore March 2006 Distance Counseling ii Distance Counseling iii Abstract of Dissertation Presented to the Center for Counseling and Family Studies of Liberty University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy DISTANCE COUNSELING: PERCEIVED ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES AMONG CHRISTIAN COUNSELORS by Anthony J. Centore 2006 Chairperson: Fred Milacci D.Ed. Committee: David Jenkins Psy.D. Gary Sibcy Ph.D. Tim Clinton Ed.D Department: Center for Counseling and Family Studies Abstract The perceived advantages and disadvantages of distance counseling provision by email, online text chat, telephone and videoconference were investigated among 1863 Christian counselors. Participants completed a 148-item self-report survey measuring general, clinical, ethical, and practice management issues that have been proposed in recent literature as intrinsic advantages or disadvantages to distance counseling provision. In most cases, Christian counselors’ perceptions aligned with literature, with a moderate tendency to perceive disadvantages over advantages. By means of computing several exploratory one-way ANOVAs, counselor characteristics including reported age, gender, Distance Counseling iv professional status, counseling experience, proficiency with technology, and sufficient availability of clients in a counselor’s area to maintain a fulltime practice were investigated to determine whether these characteristics were associated with attitudes toward distance counseling. A post hoc analysis using LSD determined that counselor non-professional status, high proficiency with technology, and the insufficient availability of clients to maintain a fulltime practice were significantly associated with positive attitudes toward distance counseling mediums.
    [Show full text]
  • Journaling: an Underutilized School Counseling Tool
    1 Journaling: An Underutilized School Counseling Tool Brett Zyromski Southern Illinois University at Carbondale Journaling: An Underutilized 2 Abstract The effectiveness of journaling as a therapeutic and teaching tool is well documented. However, specific examples of school counselors utilizing journaling as a therapeutic tool are sparse. Existing school counseling literature was reviewed and journaling as an educational and therapeutic tool was explored and related to the school counseling environment. Suggestions for using journaling as an effective school counseling resource were offered and possible applications of online and paper and pencil journaling as a school counseling tool were presented. Journaling: An Underutilized 3 Journaling: An Underutilized School Counseling Tool For school counselors seeking a flexible intervention that can be utilized in individual counseling, small groups, or classroom guidance, journaling provides a solution that has been well supported in other fields. Although school counseling and journaling have been shown to positively affect physical, emotional and mental health, journaling continues to be an underutilized school counseling tool. Journaling saves time because there is a limited amount of face-to-face contact time in group and one- on-one counseling sessions. Journaling can be implemented in one-on-one sessions, small group sessions, or as an integral part of classroom guidance. Students benefit from journaling as a therapeutic tool, as an avenue for storytelling, as a tool to assist in recovery from trauma, and as a cross-grade writing interaction tool. Students also benefit when journals are used as a tool to improve group dynamics in classes or small groups, as a problem solving tool, as a tool to encourage emotional healing from issues such as divorce, loss of a family member, friendship issues, and many other issues (Allan & Bertoia, 2003).
    [Show full text]
  • Large-Scale Analysis of Counseling Conversations: an Application of Natural Language Processing to Mental Health
    Large-scale Analysis of Counseling Conversations: An Application of Natural Language Processing to Mental Health Tim Althoff,∗ Kevin Clark,∗ Jure Leskovec Stanford University althoff, kevclark, jure @cs.stanford.edu { } Abstract could make a difference in someone’s life. Thus far, quantitative evidence for effective conversation Mental illness is one of the most pressing pub- strategies has been scarce, since most studies on lic health issues of our time. While counsel- counseling have been limited to very small sample ing and psychotherapy can be effective treat- sizes and qualitative observations (e.g., Labov and ments, our knowledge about how to conduct successful counseling conversations has been Fanshel, (1977); Haberstroh et al., (2007)). How- limited due to lack of large-scale data with la- ever, recent advances in technology-mediated coun- beled outcomes of the conversations. In this seling conducted online or through texting (Haber- paper, we present a large-scale, quantitative stroh et al., 2007) have allowed counseling ser- study on the discourse of text-message-based vices to scale with increasing demands and to col- counseling conversations. We develop a set of lect large-scale data on counseling conversations and novel computational discourse analysis meth- their outcomes. ods to measure how various linguistic aspects of conversations are correlated with conver- Here we present the largest study on counseling sation outcomes. Applying techniques such conversation strategies published to date. We use as sequence-based conversation models, lan- data from an SMS texting-based counseling service guage model comparisons, message cluster- where people in crisis (depression, self-harm, sui- ing, and psycholinguistics-inspired word fre- cidal thoughts, anxiety, etc.), engage in therapeutic quency analyses, we discover actionable con- conversations with counselors.
    [Show full text]