Deborah J. Oehlman Forbes Abstract Women’s friendships have long had cultural and psychological significance, particularly in the maintenance of positive social and emotional wellbeing. Inexplicable dissolution of these relationships correlates with a significant disruption of core human needs and mental health outcomes. Empirical research has found that ostracism, a variant of interpersonal rejection, is …
Category Archive: Abstracts
Exploring the future social identity of a PhD student dealing with anxiety: A psychotherapy client study
Nicholas Sarantakis Abstract This psychotherapy case study examines the brief therapeutic journey of a young woman presenting with academic anxiety and the flexible person-centred approach adopted by her therapist, the author. Application during therapy sessions of concepts from humanistic therapy and beyond, such as configurations of self and imagining future possible selves, enabled the …
Connecting with clients: Building therapeutic alliances with people who are incarcerated
Deborah Denton and Linda Grenade Abstract Prison counselling is often regarded as involving additional challenges to those generally faced by practitioners working within the community. One of the most critical relates to the worker–client therapeutic alliance and how this can best be established. Drawing on data collected as part of a broader doctoral study, …
Tree of Life: Acceptability and feasibility with older Bosnian women of refugee background
Nigar G. Khawaja, Kate Murray, and Shaheeda Sadeed Abstract There is a growing awareness that mental health issues of culturally and linguistically diverse individuals from refugee backgrounds can benefit from therapeutic intervention to promote wellbeing. However, there are numerous barriers to services for these populations. There is increasing recognition that culturally sensitive and safe therapeutic …
Meeting the needs of a culturally diverse nation: An evaluation of a behavioural program adapted to treat Vietnamese Australians experiencing gambling problems
Sue Bertossa, My Phuong Sramek, Kate Fairweather, and Sharon Lawn Abstract Equity is an important principle of health care in Australia, and redesigning health services to meet the needs of culturally marginalised groups has the potential to improve accessibility to psychotherapy. This paper describes the collaborative efforts of an ethno-specific service and a specialist treatment …
Age with ACT: A pilot acceptance and commitment therapy group for older adults receiving a community mental health service
Paul Sadler, Isabelle Gardner, Sarah Hart, Shama Aradhye, and Julian Nolan Abstract The aim of this pilot study was to assess whether an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) group could benefit the mental health of older adults (aged 65–84) in a community psychiatric setting. Ten older adults participated in a 6-week pilot ACT group (M …
Clarifying a muddy pond: A Pākehā therapist’s account of navigating a critical moment in the integration of narrative therapy and person-centred therapy
Sarah Penwarden Abstract In this paper, as a Pākehā[1]/non-Māori therapist, I reflect on my desire for integration between two diverse modalities: person-centred therapy and narrative therapy. Drawing on the dissonance experienced in a moment of a conversation where I responded solely with one modality, I question whether integration of diverse approaches is possible. I …
The challenges faced by university educators in Singapore when referring students to counsellors: An instrumental case study
Steven Ng Poh Yaip and Dr Ada Chung Yee Lin Abstract This study examines the difficulties faced by two university professors working in a public, autonomous university in Singapore, when referring students to counselling services. Educators typically observe how students interact and behave in class, and may refer students to counselling services. However, there …
Counselling Skills and Competencies Tool: Scale development and preliminary data
Jane L. Fowler, John G. O’Gorman, and Mark P. Lynch Abstract This paper reports on the development of the Counselling Skills and Competencies Tool (CSCT) as a practical instrument that can be used in teaching and assessing counselling skills and competencies. Members of an entry-level counselling course, experienced and beginning counsellors, and people not …
A snapshot of the counselling and psychotherapy workforce in Australia in 2020: Underutilised and poorly remunerated, yet highly qualified and desperately needed
Alexandra Bloch-Atefi, Elizabeth Day, Tristan Snell, and Gina O’Neill Abstract The aim of the 2020 workforce survey was to profile professionals affiliated with the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) to inform future policy and service planning. PACFA is a national peak body for Australian counsellors and psychotherapists, representing 3,500 members across all …
Integrating the transpersonal approach into counselling: A semi-structured phenomenological inquiry
Malini Turner Abstract This study investigated the benefits of integrating the transpersonal approach in counselling practice. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to examine the data gained through semi-structured interviews with four social worker-counsellors. Results suggested that the transpersonal approach may provide counsellors with the benefit of using spiritual variables to enrich their practice. …
Tuning-in to clients: The use of semiotics in counselling
Thomas Mark Edwards Abstract Semiotics is about signs, but more so about meaning-making. It therefore has immediate relevance to counselling. The current paper not only seeks to introduce semiotics to counsellors but also to offer skills and methods to enhance the ways in which practitioners see, hear, and understand their clients via the use …
Advanced empathy: A key to supporting people experiencing psychosis or other extreme states
Richard Lakeman, DNSci, Adjunct Associate Professor, Southern Cross University Abstract The capacity to be empathic and communicate empathically are foundational skills of counselling and psychotherapy, if not all interpersonal helping endeavours. Empathy requires the capability, inclination, and capacity to take the perspective of others, appraise and understand their experiences without being overwhelmed, and communicate …