Assessing the counselling needs of high school students in Kenya

The Student Counselling Needs Scale (SCNS) was administered to 867 participants recruited from high schools in Kenya. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis yielding five factors: human relationships, career development, self development, social values, and learning skills were assessed. The findings highlighted the importance of using assessment instruments to identify students’ counselling needs in Kenya.     

An examination of the adjustment journey of international students studying in Australia

This study examined at two Australian university campuses the types of problems that prompt international students to seek counselling services. The concerns reported by ninety students fell within three broad categories; adjustment issues, academic concerns and psychosocial problems. Follow-up interviews with a subset of these students (21) were used to gain more detailed information about their personal adjustment issues and also their experience of counselling services. Counsellors were also interviewed to obtain their perspective on the adjustment and counselling experience of students. Most problems for students occurred within the first 12 months of commencing studies and for many tended to reduce in incidence thereafter, but for some students the issues and problems remained ongoing. While the findings are limited to international students at only two Australian campuses, and furthermore the sample sizes are not large, the results suggest that these students often face extreme adjustment difficulties. Moreover, it is suggested that such students tended to only access counselling services when near the point of collapse, or following academic referral. The importance of pre-departure orientation packages for prospective students, while still in their home country, might reduce the incidence of such adjustment issues.     

Client-centred counselling — An interdisciplinary examination

Summary In this paper I want to explore some of the preconceptions that underpin what is frequently called client-centred counselling.My aim has been to discuss its theoretical foundations by referring to one of the most widely used current positions, i.e. the client-centred theory of Carl R. Rogers.Taking Rogers' theoretical position as a starting point I criticise this for certain inconsistencies and omissions. Then proceeding to his conception of interpretation I claim this also to be lacking.In attempting to reconstruct a more viable position the phenomenological foundation of his theory is examined. This, in turn, is shown to be problematical and an attempt is made to rectify it. I then return to the theory of interpretation to replace the one criticised earlier in Rogers' work.University of Leeds     

Social support: Implications for counselling

Drawing on contemporary theory and research related to social support, the author provides a rationale for incorporating work on social support into existing models of counselling. Some informal methods of assessing social support are described, and a number of implications for intervening in the client's psychosocial world are outlined.Plenary address to the XIIth International Round Table for the Advancement of Counselling, June 1986, Lund, Sweden.     

贫困大学生人际适应不良的心理咨询案例报告

本文通过对一位贫困大学生人际适应不良问题进行诊断和分析,采用认知疗法、合理情绪疗法等帮助其重新认识自我,树立人际交往的自信心,建立良好的人际沟通模式.经过四周咨询和心理辅导,来访者认知观念与行为方式有了明显改变,显示咨询效果良好.     

High ability students with coexisting disabilities: Implications for school psychological practice

School psychologists are well-positioned to change the educational landscape for twice-exceptional students, or those who possess high ability in one or more talent domains along with one or more disabilities. Better understanding of the nuanced cognitive and psychosocial assessment patterns within this population may increase well-needed participation in gifted education opportunities and the likelihood of receiving accommodations, as well as decrease missed diagnoses. Based on our review of the empirical literature within domains of twice-exceptionality (e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and specific learning disability), we provide recommendations for how school psychologists can interpret formative and summative assessments taken by twice-exceptional students and subsequently help design educational plans that will meet their unique needs.     

The effects of sex education on psychological counselling students in Turkey

Sex education is not included in Turkey’s national curriculum and is rarely referenced in school and university curricula. This is even true for those undertaking training in psychological counselling where the need may be great. Only a very few university schools of education offer an elective sex education course. A group of 64 guidance and psychological counselling students in ?stanbul Maltepe University was formed and provided with a 13-week sex education course. Before and after this course, the Sexual Attitudes Scale (SAS) was used for data collection using a semi-experimental design. Significant differences were detected between pretest and post-test SAS scores and on all SAS subscales. Results show that comprehensive sex education is effective in positively changing the sexual attitudes of PC students, challenging homophobic responses and displacing patriarchal attitudes. Based on these findings, the provision of sex education courses more generally in university schools of education is recommended, especially in conservative countries such as Turkey.     

Responding effectively to the mental health needs of international students

Drawing on the data from HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council) sponsored project `Responding Effectively to the Mental Health Needs of Students,' this article describes the difficulties academic staff experience when responding to students with mental health problems. The views of academic staff are also recorded concerning what was helpful to them when considering these needs. This data is linked to research on working cross culturally with international students and set within a national framework. Research data is also accessed from focus groups which centred on the mental health needs of international and home students. Identical questions were posed to both groups students and similarities and differences recorded. International students voiced experience of a range of economic, social and academic pressures which appear to be different in degree and often in kind from those experienced by `home' students. These factors in extreme cases may trigger and/or exacerbate mental health problems. Whilst these findings are mainly qualitative, they have a resonance with and help illustrate existing research. Finally this paper considers the potential of academic staff, student groups and the policies of the institution of higher education to contribute to improvements of the welfare of international students.     

The determination of factors related to academic achievement in the university: Implications for the selection and counselling of students

An initial diagnosis of some educational and psychological capacities of students on arrival at university were studied. This enabled us to find out what factors had a greater influence on academic achievement at the end of the first year. Using the techniques of multiple regression we established the optimal achievement performances expected from each of the students. Secondary school marks, the academic achievement tests and the intermediate examinations at university were the best set of predictors of academic performance. Differential aptitudes of intelligence increase considerably the accuracy of the prediction. Values of R of between 0.71 to 0.88 were reached depending on the criteria used. The usefulness of the prediction equations as a tool for increasing personalized attention to students is pointed out and a case made for the establishment of objective mechanisms for admission to higher education.

     

A model of psychological well-being among international students*

This study aims to investigate the relationship between acculturation attitude (i.e. adjustment and attachment attitudes) and individuals’ psychological adaptation (i.e. life satisfaction, depression and self-esteem). Additionally, the relationship between the dimensions of psychological adaptation with psychological well-being and their mediation effect are examined. Data were collected from 974 randomly selected international students pursuing their Master or Doctoral level studies in six Malaysian public universities using a structured questionnaire. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was applied to examine the relationships in the research model. The results revealed that both adjustment and attachment attitudes are significantly related to life satisfaction and self-esteem while only adjustment attitude associates with depression. All the three dimensions of psychological adaptation are significantly related to psychological well-being. Moreover, the mediation effect of life satisfaction, self-esteem and depression are supported for the relationship between adjustment attitude and psychological well-being. Study implications and contributions are presented.     

Are we meeting the counselling needs of the student community? A needs assessment involving students on a South African campus

The object of the study was to determine the major needs of students at the University of the Western Cape (U.W.C.). A second aim was to determine how students view the nature of the Centre for Student Counselling (C.S.C.). No needs assessments have previously been done on the U.W.C. campus and this lack of knowledge pertaining to the needs of students could have meant a misdirected focus in terms of the provision of counselling services.The study was done with a representative sample of students from all the year groups. Students were asked to fill in a questionnaire consisting of two parts. In Part I a student had to indicate how prevalent he thought a particular set of problems were on campus. In Part II he had to indicate whether he would have referred a friend to the C.S.C. with a particular problem.The results had indicated that problems were predominantly seen to be in the vocational-academic area and that students were more willing to refer fellow students to the C.S.C. with the above-mentioned problems than with problems of a more personal-social nature. Although the results were to be expected, it was emphasized that vocational-academic problems are often used as a smoke-screen and that counsellors should also be aware of underlying social-emotional problems.     

An examination of psychological characteristics and their relationship to academic entitlement among millennial and nonmillennial college students

Academic entitlement (AE) has been a concern among college educators due to millennial college students entering the educational setting. Although there is theoretical justification to support such conjecture, it remains unclear whether AE is more prevalent among this generation. The present study examines the relationship between narcissism, self-esteem, gratitude, and AE between millennial and nonmillennial college students. Among millennial college students, narcissism, self-esteem, and gratitude were found to be significant predictors of AE; however, among nonmillennial college students, only self-esteem was found to be a significant predictor. Findings were consistent with the literature in that they demonstrate that millennial college students may be more prone to narcissism than previous generations. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

A comparison of perceptions of self among university students in Ireland and the U.S.: Implications for counselling

The study compared 50 Irish and 50 American graduateand undergraduate psychology and counselling studentson the ways they rated My Real Self and My Ideal Selfon a Semantic Differential using Osgood et al.'s (1957)Semantic Differential Technique. A 2×2×2 MANOVA wasused for the data analysis where the status variableswere country, class, and gender, and the dependentvariables were the evaluative and potency scales ofthe Semantic Differential for both My Real Self and MyIdeal Self. It was found that males, as a whole,rated the potency of both My Real Self and My IdealSelf higher than females. Implications forcounselling are discussed.     

An exploratory investigation of the effects of a cultural orientation programme on the psychological well-being of international university students

Culture shock has been identified as a psychological reaction to a change in cultural environment. The main symptoms of culture shock are reported to be psychological disturbance, a negative reaction to the new surroundings and a longing for a more familiar environment. Research has identified culture shock as a component in the difficulties that international students face when studying in another country. One way that institutions of higher education have responded to these difficulties is to provide initial cultural orientation. In the study reported here, a group of post-graduate students who had participated in a study skills and cultural orientation course at a British university were compared with a group who had not. Contrary to the research hypothesis, the group that took part in the orientation course were significantly more homesick and reported more psychological difficulties. The overall findings cast doubt on the received view of culture shock as it affects international students. They suggest that culture shock is exacerbated by personal and social factors and this has implications for the way that international students may be helped through the experience.     

Long-term consequences of childhood attachment: Implications for counselling adolescents

The theory of attachment draws on several lines of thought to create an integrated body of knowledge about human emotional development. Attachment theory is particularly concerned with the development of human emotions from a life span perspective (Ainsworth, 1991), hypothesizing that observable behaviour is directed by people's emotions, specifically in relation to important figures within their lives. A recent and essential focus for the development of the theory of attachment is that of its long-term implications. Considerable empirical support has been provided for the premise of the implications of attachment security in childhood for psychological maladies in adolescence. The present article focuses on these long-term implications of childhood attachment and presents both an argument for pursuing family therapy when working with adolescent clients and a model for counselling such families based on an attachment perspective.Portions of this work were completed with support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, project number 410-91165. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Council.     

Educational and psychological counselling in Slovakia: Keeping continuity

The Slovak counselling system playedan important role in the development of Europeancounselling, especially in the Central Europeanregion. This article presentsa short excursion on the history of the creation ofthe educational counselling system.The author presents the latest information on thecontemporary development of educational andpsychological counselling in Slovakia. The resultsof a study made recently by the Research Institute onChild Psychology and Patopsychology describing changesin working conditions of the Counsellors inEducational and Psychological Counselling Centres arealso discussed.     

CCS: An important step in meeting the needs of nontraditional students

In 1969 the University of Cincinnati established the College of Community Services as an alternative for students (particularly adults) who were primarily interested in careers in the human service professions. This article examines some of the tensions in the institutional development of the College, with particular attention to the question of how best to build a quality professional college in a major urban university.     

A comparison of Thai and American counselling students perceptions of counselling

The expectancies that people of different cultures bring to counselling affect the outcomes of counselling. It was the purpose of this study to examine the ways that counselling students in two different countries, Thailand and the United States, perceived Counselling. The evaluative and potency scales of the Semantic Differential were used to compare the attitudes of these students related to Counselling, Counsellors, and Group Counselling. No significant difference were found in the ratings of the two groups of students on the evaluative scale for Counselling, Counsellors, or Group Counselling, but the American students rated the potency scales for these three variables significantly higher than the Thai students. Implications of these findings are discussed.