Counseling Women: A Graduate Master's Degree Specialization for Training Mental Health Professionals to Work with Women

This article describes a unique master's level specialization for counselors of women and highlights the rationale for instituting this specialized training program, the training format, the program curriculum, and the evaluation methods employed. Also included is a discussion of the systemic implication of such training as it affects those being trained, the training institution itself, and the delivery of mental health services.     

School Subject Preferences: Age and gender differences revisited

As a follow-up to data collected in the early 1990s, rankings of school subject preferences were obtained from 144 girls and 218 boys aged 11-12 years, and 269 girls and 300 boys aged 15-16 years. The overall rankings showed evidence of the persistence of gender differences in preferences for a number of curricular areas. However, changes were also apparent. Practical subjects appeared further up the rankings than previously, particularly for the younger students. This finding may reflect a change in the status of such subjects relative to the more academic subjects. More inter-school variability between the subject preference orders was evident among the older than the younger students, suggesting a greater sensitivity to school-related factors among this age group.     

The Evaluation of Filmed Excerpts of Rogers,Perls, and Ellis by Beginning Counselor Trainees

This study investigated the perceptions of beginning counselor trainees regarding the therapeutic effectiveness of Carl Rogers, Fritz Perls, and Albert Ellis. Twenty-nine students viewed three stimulus films and rated the therapeutic effectiveness of the therapists. The students were subsequently rank-ordered by their prepracticum course instructors on the basis of skill development and assigned to one of three groups (high, middle, or low.) The results of a two-way analysis of variance revealed an overall higher evaluation for Rogers as compared to either Perls or Ellis. Further analysis revealed that the top-ranked group of counselor trainees rated Perls significantly higher than the other two and that the bottom-ranked group ranked Ellis higher than Perls or Rogers. Several conclusions concerning the use of stimulus films for demonstration and training purposes in counselor education are drawn.     

Marketing Counseling: Guidelines for Training and Practice

Counselors in all settings must understand marketing principles and be able to apply them ethically and effectively. Guidelines for counselor training and practice are suggested.     

ESTABLISHING MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR ESSAYS: BLIND VERSUS INFORMED RÉVIEWS

This study was undertaken to evaluate two procedures for establishing a minimum performance standard for the essay subtest of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) Communication Skills test. Twenty public school teachers and 20 teacher educators were randomly assigned to either a "blind" or "informed" review panel. Both panels were directed to evaluate the same set of 12 sample essays. Those assigned to the informed panel were apprised of the scores previously awarded to each essay and were asked to decide upon the lowest score they would judge to be acceptable for a beginning teacher. Those assigned to the blind panel were not informed of the scores and were asked to judge whether each essay was at least minimally acceptable for a beginning teacher. Following their blind reviews, the scores were revealed to this group, and they were also asked to indicate the lowest score they would judge to be acceptable. No significant mean differences were observed for the standards associated with blind and informed reviews, but a significant mean difference was observed between the standards set by teachers and teacher educators; the former being more stringent. Based upon criteria other than mean differences, it was concluded that the preferred procedure for setting standards on essays should involve a blind review followed by an informed review. This strategy was subsequently implemented in a state-wide validation study in Virginia, and the results of this full-scale study are presented along with results reported for a study using informed reviews in another state.