The person-environment congruence model: Implications and applications for adjustment counselling with older adults

The paper presents a review of prevalent conceptions concerning the development of control and helplessness in older adults and the impact of these conceptions on the adjustment and well-being of older adults. Alternative formulations focusing on the significance of the person-environment transactional model are presented, and a conceptual framework based on congruence between the person and environment are utilized for examining perceptions of control among older adults. It is argued that individuals are more likely to experience control and positive adjustment when their abilities, resources and needs are consistent with environmental demands and supplies. Dimensions of congruence salient to the functioning of older adults are discussed with particular reference to their implications for counseling interventions and counseling approaches. Directions for future counseling approaches consistent with the person-environment congruence model are recommended.Preparation for this paper was facilitated by a grant received from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (File #492-87-0006). An earlier version of this paper was presented as an Invited Plenary Address at the XIII Conference of the International Round Table for the Advancement of Counselling held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, August 14–18, 1988.     

Increased consultation opportunities for school psychologists: A service delivery model

A model of delivery of services that enables school psychologists to meet testing demands while initiating a broad range of consultative services is described. Requirements of the model include: (a) having funds available for contract testing, (b) having conferences with teachers prior to formal referral of children, and (c) having qualified contract evaluators available. Benefits, as well as obstacles to be expected in implementing the model, are discussed.     

The future for industrial engineers: education and research opportunities

EU graduation and the recruitment of industrial engineers (IEs) have been investigated. An increasing demand is observed for graduates in almost all industrial engineering (IE) subjects. The labour market in the EU is evolving towards the service sector even if manufacturing still represents a significant share of both IE employment and gross domestic product. On average, IE in the EU is still within the framework of the ‘market-driven’ paradigm, which contrasts with the knowledge society aims pursued by the ‘Bologna process’. R&D resources and human capital are identified as major success factors to overcome current limits for IE development in the EU. With reference to both factors, a comparison between the EU, Japan and the US is provided. In the EU, the attractiveness of universities and the social dimension are recognized as major forces attracting human capital. Patent maps outline current and future IE research and education fields of interests. Finally, EU higher education opportunities are briefly described.     

The cultural grid: A framework for multicultural counseling

The Cultural Grid suggests a structure for interpreting a person's behavior in the context of culturally learned expectations. When two persons' expectations are similar, but their behaviors are dissimilar, cross cultural misunderstanding is likely to result. When their expectations are dissimilar, the result is likely to be a personal misunderstanding even though their behaviors are similar. This article introduces a framework for differentiating personal and cultural differences in the interview which is essential for appropriate multicultural counseling. The alternatives are to allow apparent and obvious cultural differences to mask underlying personal differences or to incorrectly assume that two persons who appear culturally similar are having a personal disagreement.     

A five level intervention model: division of professional labor and implication for school counseling

Mental-health services can contribute substantially to many areas of school life, but the nature and effectiveness of these contributions depend to a large degree on the willingness of the personnel involved to work as a team and to develop new perspectives and practices. This article presents a five level model of mental-health intervention in the school setting and posits a division of responsibility for that intervention among the school psychologist, the school guidance counselor and the teacher. Implications for a school-counselor preparation program are discussed.     

Birth and death: opportunities for self-transcendence

One thing that is often absent in childbirth education classes is a discussion of the spiritual aspect of giving birth. Birth offers women a wonderful opportunity to awaken their spirituality. Natural childbirth, in particular, has the potential for self-transcendence, offering an even greater appreciation for the miracle of life. The normal, natural pain in labor can challenge the core of one's being-it is a healthy sensation that provides direction for women moving through the maze of labor. The challenge of giving birth today is to develop confidence and trust in one's inner wisdom and allow nature to do its thing. When this is accomplished, a woman's body is often permeated and nourished by spiritual energy and guidance. She emerges from her labor bed with a renewed sense of her body's strength and power and with an enhanced spirituality.     

Marketing of Further and Higher Education: an equal opportunities perspective

abstract

College and universities are wanting to recruit more students from a wider base giving them access to further and higher education. This requires institutions to market their courses effectively to prospective consumers. In educational terms the consumer is the student. This article explores the links between marketing models and the ways that colleges and universities have addressed the issue of equality of opportunity and wider access.     

Student technology skills and attitudes towards Internet-based courses: The potential benefits of an internet tutorial

A “Criminal Justice Systems and Processes” course was among nine Internet courses offered at Florida Gulf Coast University during the fall of 1997. This course provided an “Internet tutorial” during the first few weeks of the semester to familiarize students with basic computer skills and Internet use. After evaluating the benefits of providing the tutorial, faculty and administrators adopted the tutorial for use in all Internet courses. During the Summer 1998 semester, a survey was administered to those students registered for Internet-based courses in the Division of Criminal Justice. This article focuses on the use of the Internet tutorial in Internet courses and provides some preliminary information regarding its potential benefit to students. Issues discussed include: (1) an explanation of the Internet tutorial, (2) the benefits of the tutorial to students and faculty, (3) preliminary information regarding the potential baenefits of implementing a technical tutorial, and (4) implications for future computer-based Internet courses.     

Perspective and engagement in counseling and psychotherapy: The phenomenological approach

A phenomenological view of counseling and psychotherapy is introduced via a consideration of Freudian and Rogerian approaches to these activities. Both the Freudian and Rogerian approaches are seen to be based on an attempted disengagement between therapist and client. This attempted disengagement is found in the invalidation of the client's perpective by the therapist. The ackowledgment of the validity of the perspective of both therapist and client, and of the engagement resulting from the meeting of perspectives in interation, is the basis for counseling and psychotherapy from a phenomenological approach.     

Direct and indirect effects of education on job satisfaction: A structural equation model for the Spanish case

Empirical literature has traditionally analyzed the effect of education on job satisfaction with single-equation models that ignore interrelationships between theoretical explanatory variables. Their results are somewhat inconclusive. We propose estimating a structural equation model to obtain both the direct effects and the set of indirect effects. Analysis of these effects allows us to explain the apparent contradictions that have existed to date, and to improve knowledge of the economic value of education. The proposed model shows that people with higher levels of formal education are more satisfied with their jobs, because they are more likely to access jobs with characteristics that provide greater satisfaction.     

Violence and schools in the USA: implications for counseling

This article focuses on school violence in the UnitedStates, kindergarten (k) through 12^th grade, andit addresses the following topics: (a) a briefbackground of school violence in the USA, (b) etiologyand consequences of school violence, (c) preventionprograms and efforts, (d) preventive counseling andconsultation, (e) counseling the violence prone andviolence victim, (f) international and cross-culturalimplications, and (g) discussion.     

Spousal adaptation to disability: Ramifications and implications for counseling

The authors review the reactive patterns of adjustment by the families of the severely disabled as proposed by Bray (1977, 1978). The model is critiqued in light of evidence gained from a phenomenological study of 10 women married to spinal cord injured males. Implications and ramifications for the field of counseling are noted.     

People with disabilities and the changing labor market: Some challenges for counseling practice and research on workplace counseling

Nearly a quarter of the entire population of the EU has a disability. Disabled employees have become increasingly integrated into the labor force. According to a national survey and an international literature review, disabled people's experiences enrich the cultural diversity of the workplace. The purpose of the present paper is to present current research trends and identify future research needs in terms of occupational counseling for disabled employees. Research in this area poses many challenges, and there is a clear need for an interdisciplinary approach. Counseling-oriented, work-oriented and manager-based models are discussed in this paper. Counseling can promote collaboration with various agencies, such as family organizations, educators and managers, thus laying the foundations for developing the competencies needed in the labor markets of the future. The paper goes on to discuss the role of empowerment, self-advocacy and social relations over the life span.     

Reviewing work-based learning opportunities in the community for physiotherapy students: an action research study

Physiotherapy became a graduate profession in the 1990s marking a shift from ‘training’ to ‘education’. This means students are required to develop as reflective, innovative and autonomous practitioners. Traditional work-based learning has remained a key component in the curricula of physiotherapy programmes in higher education. This is delivered by qualified physiotherapists who take on the role of ‘practice educator’ with responsibility for teaching, supervision and assessment. The teaching and learning strategies of the university and work-based components of physiotherapy curricula are aligned. Concomitantly the delivery of physiotherapy services have become increasingly diverse and the wider health and social care context has changed. In response to these challenges the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (2006) published guidance on the development of work-based learning in community and non-traditional settings. This study explored how community-based placements could be developed to ensure work-based learning continues to meet students’ needs. An action research methodology was used because any change to established practice is more successful if it involves the people who are responsible for its implementation. Thematic analysis identified three important considerations in the development of community placements: Skill acquisition within community settings; expectations of the available learning and teaching opportunities; effects of health service improvements. This research has highlighted the importance of consultation between all those responsible for physiotherapy work-based learning. A review framework has subsequently been developed to both facilitate this consultation and evaluate placement opportunities available in a specific community setting.