Multicultural education in Clinical Psychology Programs and the needs of racial minority trainees.

With more racial minorities entering the field of clinical psychology, the training needs of racial minority students in doctoral programs must be considered. Few studies address training in multicultural education from the perspective of racial minority students despite their increasing presence in the field. This may be due to assumptions educators make based on their level of competency in the area of multiculturalism. Thus, the goal of this exploratory study is to help determine the multicultural training needs of racial minorities enrolled in clinical psychology programs. This exploratory study was quantitative and used snowball sampling to survey racial minority trainees in doctoral programs in clinical psychology. Sixty one participants completed the survey. Results indicated that multicultural/diversity classes are valued by racial minority students and are relevant to them. However, the majority of students do not feel challenged, suggesting that their needs are not being fully met. It is recommended that their unique needs be included in the curriculum for multicultural education.

Leading With the Relationship: The Role of the Therapeutic Relationship in Motivational Interviewing

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a brief evidence-based treatment that is most commonly used to treat addictive behaviors and to encourage diet and lifestyle changes and treatment adherence in health care settings. In recent years MI's use has been expanded to multiple other client populations in clinical psychology, as well as to other sectors, such as in education, and international non-profit work (Hettema at al., 2005). MI was inspired by research that demonstrated a high correlation between therapist application of the client-centered skill of accurate empathy and a reduction in drinking behaviors (Miller et al., 1980). MI contains both relational and technical components that are intended to operate synergistically. Despite a large body of research on MI treatment outcomes, variation in effectiveness has been found among studies, and the active ingredients of MI, particularly the relational aspects, are not well understood. As a result, the use of MI in many treatment settings is limited to the technical components of MI without a theory-based integration of the therapeutic relationship. This paper focuses on the contribution of the relational component to the effectiveness of MI, and explores the synergistic relationship between the technical and relational components of MI. A literature review of MI and the trans-theoretical literature on the therapeutic relationship is followed by two case illustrations. The paper concludes with recommendations for the field.

Competencies Needed By Mental Health Professionals Working With Parents of Children With Asthma

This paper describes clinical competencies necessary for mental health professionals working with parents of children with Asthma. Seven highly accomplished mental health clinicians from the Pediatric Behavioral Health Department at the nationally ranked hospital, National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado were interviewed about the competencies they feel are needed to work with this specific population. The results of these interviews are organized into knowledge, skills and attitudes. Recommendations for other mental health providers are provided.

A Meta-analytic Review of Acceptance-Based Behavioral Interventions for the Treatment of Anxiety

The relative popularity of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has grown in recent years, and inspired the development of contemporary acceptance-based treatment approaches. Acceptance-based therapies differ from traditional cognitive- behavior therapy (CBT) on pragmatic grounds, the import of which implicates the purpose of therapy. CBT utilizes exposure and cognitive change techniques primarily in service of symptom change outcomes; whereas, ACT utilizes exposure and acceptance for purposes of promoting psychological flexibility in the pursuit of personal values. The purpose of this meta-analytic study was to determine the relative efficacy of acceptance- based versus symptom-change behavioral approaches with anxiety disorders and to quantify this impact. A comprehensive literature search turned up 18 studies that met inclusion criteria for this analysis. An effect size was calculated using the standardized mean gain procedure for both the acceptance-based and symptom-change approaches, along with the waitlist control groups. The results demonstrate a large effect size for the acceptance-based approach (Weighted mean ES = .83) and a medium effect size for symptom-change approach (Weighted mean ES = .60). The waitlist control groups demonstrated a small effect size (Weighted mean ES = .24). Based on this review, it is suggested that graduate and internship programs in Clinical Psychology should promote evidence-based training in the use of acceptance-inspired behavioral therapies.

Dyslexia: Success, Failure, and Self-Concept

The purpose of this study is to investigate the experience of college-aged students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia. Research has shown that many people with dyslexia experience a variety of social and emotional struggles throughout their education. Using qualitative research techniques, this study provides a description of the experience common among college students with dyslexia. Specifically, the study examines the experience of dyslexic students as it relates to attributions of successes and failures, locus of control, self-concept, and how personal knowledge about the diagnosis impacts their experience.

Intercultural Communication Between Forensic and Clinical Psychologists

While working in clinical and forensic psychology settings, a communication difficulty between the two professions became apparent. Forensic psychologists often appeared cold and callous from the clinical psychologist’s perspective, while clinical psychologists often appeared naïve or too client centered from the forensic psychologist’s perspective. I wondered if viewing each subfield of psychology as a culture could facilitate better communication through intercultural communication. Guided by Intercultural Communication in Contexts (Martin & Nakayama, 2010) in approaching intercultural communication between the two professions, I explored factors contributing to each profession’s cultural identities. Once this was established, I attempted to explore the different ways each culture could communicate more effectively. By recognizing and utilizing the strengths from each profession and understanding the possible pitfalls of one’s own, we may become competent in intercultural communication