An Exploration of Empathy and Personality in Preservice Counselors

Empathy allows individuals to care for the well-being of others and act with compassion. Research indicates that empathy is an essential ingredient for developing successful counseling relationships, leading to positive change for clients. Determining how empathy is related to personality provides counselors with valuable information for exploring the impact of personality on empathy in counselor trainees. To explore the relationship between empathy and personality among counselor trainees, the researchers compared scores on the MBTI® and the IRI. Results of this study suggest a clear relationship between personality and empathy and were similar to the findings of previous researchers. In addition, this study demonstrated that the MBTI® type preferences of extraversion, intuition, feeling and perceiving are significantly higher than introversion, sensing, thinking and judging on the various empathy scales, specifically in the areas of empathic concern, perspective taking, personal distress and fantasy. Implications were discussed for both counselor educators and practitioners.

Ohio Mental Health Professionals’ Attitudes, Knowledge, and Experience Regarding Medical Marijuana

Increasing positives attitudes toward medical marijuana (MM) is evident by the number of states who have authorized MM and in national surveys. Based on 177 participants responding to an anonymous electronic survey, the study found that Ohio licensed counselors and social workers hold generally positive views about MM regardless of one’s license or supervisory status. Participants’ attitude toward national legal adult use and opinion regarding recreational use significantly predicted participants attitude toward national legalization of MM, but age, having a chemical dependency license, and personal use of MM did not add to the prediction model. In addition, most reported having clients who use marijuana and directly asked about MM, yet nearly all had clients they believed should not use MM and would be reluctant to refer if a history of substance abuse was present. Additional concerns about MM were expressed by participants, and the training needs for practice and future directions for research are discussed.

Coming Alongside Supervisees: Introducing the Skillset of Companioning to Counselor Supervision

Robert Wolfelt (2005) introduced the idea of companioning into the field of grief counseling. Companioning could also be utilized as a skillet within counseling supervision. As supervision is an essential element of counseling, integrating this skillset would be beneficial to the counseling profession. The topic of companioning and its 11 tenets are first explored and then placed within the context of counseling supervision as a useful and valuable skillset for working with supervisees. The skillset is then explored through various existing models of supervision and illustrated through a case study. Finally, implications for supervisors and educators, as well as future research within the counseling profession, are included.

Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP) Group Intervention: A Systematic Review

A systematic review was conducted to examine the evidence base for Mindfulness-Based Strengths Practice (MBSP) as a group intervention. Four studies met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. Results indicate MBSP is an effective group intervention yielding significant positive outcomes. Recommendations for researchers and group practitioners are provided.

Clinical Supervision of Group Work: A Conceptual Review

Despite the vast amount of group work that is conducted in clinical mental health agencies across the nation, scholarship on the supervision of group work is limited. This article will review the literature pertinent to the supervision of group work and highlight salient research of the supervision of group work with special populations. Recommendations for clinical supervisors and supervisees engaged in group work are provided.

Sexting between minors: Ethical, legal, and clinical considerations

Sexting has not been specifically addressed in relevant professional ethical codes or state/federal laws. Complicating this issue is the lack of consensus on the definition of sexting resulting in variance in the reported prevalence of sexting. Counselors are charged with addressing the ethical and legal challenges related to sexting when minors seek counseling due to treatment needs resulting from their involvement in sexting, referrals from schools and school counselors, or the mental health issues associated with sexting (e.g., trauma, anxiety, low self-esteem). In this article, the authors explore the definitions of sexting and the prevalence of sexting and minors, discuss the ethical and legal implications and the clinical considerations of sexting and minors, and provide treatment recommendations.

The Impact of Trauma Exposure: Vicarious Traumatization and Posttraumatic Growth among Counselor Trainees

Trauma is an endemic concern among counselors, and its presence may impact counselor trainees differently than seasoned counselors. Using consensual qualitative research, we explored the professional development of counselor trainees’ and how providing counseling to clients who had experienced trauma impacted them personally and professionally. We outline nine domains gleamed from interviews that include elements of vicarious traumatization and posttraumatic growth, and include implications for counselor education, supervision, and research.

The Mind Body Transformation Model (MBTM): An Integrative Clinical Approach to Trauma Treatment with Children

Children exposed to traumatic events often experience emotional, physical, and psychological disturbances as well as disruption of the normative course of development. Meeting the needs of child survivors requires flexibility and individualized care. The integrative trauma treatment approach presented here, the Mind Body Transformation Model (MBTM), provides practitioners with an innovative framework for organizing trauma treatment for minor clients. The primary aim of this approach is to mitigate the immediate impact of trauma and remediate long-term effects. This integrative trauma treatment model borrows from several evidence-based traditions, selecting those strategies that enhance attunement, attachment, and coregulation between child and caregiver. MBTM is currently in practice at the Trauma Treatment Center and Research Facility in Rio Rancho, NM, with youth at risk for negative health outcomes. This manuscript provides insight regarding the origins, theoretical foundation, and practical application of MBTM.

Shifting the Culture of Counseling Skills Courses: Alleviating Pervasive Anxiety through Experiential Approaches

Counseling skills courses serve as a foundation upon which counselors-in-training (CITs) build their professional skills and identity. However, basic skills courses also often ignite pervasive anxiety in CITs, which can hinder skill development. The present manuscript presents experiential tools to use in counseling skills courses to effectively combat CIT anxiety: setting the groundwork with clear expectations of CIT performance, anxiety-reducing activities, and facilitating experiential role play activities. An accompanying figure and sample class schedule demonstrate a conceptual framework for intentionally infusing each of these three components into counseling skills courses to reduce pervasive anxiety in CITs.