Psychopathology and early experience: A reappraisal of retrospective reports.

Three potential sources of error in retrospective reports of childhood experiences are documented: low reliability and validity of autobiographical memory in general, the presence of general memory impairment associated with psychopathology, and the presence of specific mood-congruent memory biases associated with psychopathology. The evidence reviewed suggests that claims concerning the general unreliability of retrospective reports are exaggerated and that there is little reason to link psychiatric status with less reliable or less valid recall of early experiences. Nevertheless, it is clear that steps must be taken to overcome the limitations of retrospective reports and enhance their reliability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clients' deference in psychotherapy.

14 psychotherapy clients were interviewed about their recollections, assisted by tape replay, of an immediately preceding therapy session. A major category derived from a grounded theory analysis of the interview protocols was client's deference to the therapist, constituted of 8 lower level categories: concern about the therapist's approach, fear of criticizing the therapist, understanding the therapist's frame of reference, meeting the perceived expectations of the therapist, accepting the therapist's limitations, client's metacommunication, threatening the therapist's self-esteem, and indebtedness to the therapist. The P. Brown and S. Levinson (1987) model of politeness in discourse both informs and is informed by the results of this study, which are also discussed in terms of recent literature on the client's covert experience and in terms of their implications for the practice of therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Annual reports: Committee reports.

Presents the annual committee reports of several committees within the Canadian Psychological Association. The reports include items of business and panel activities for each committee. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Annual reports: Committee reports.

Presents annual reports from committees of the Canadian Psychological Association. The individual committees included are: Accreditation Committee; By-laws, Rules and Procedures Committee; Continuing Education Committee; Convention Committee; Committee on Education and Training; Elections Committee; Committee on Ethics; Committee on Fellows and Honorary President; International Relations Committee; Membership Committee; Nominating Committee; Professional Affairs Committee; Public Information Committee; Publications Committee; Scientific Affairs Committee; Committee on Sections; and Committee on the Status of Women. Sections reports are also provided, including: Behavioural Science and Applications in the Military; Brain and Behaviour; Community Psychology; Health Psychology; Industrial/Organizational Psychology; Programme Evaluation; Psychological Gerontology; Psychology and Religion; Psychology of Sport and Physical Fitness; Psychophysiology; Social Responsibility; and Women and Psychology. Following the sections reports, division reports are presented. The individual divisions are: Applied Division and Experimental Division. Finally, journal reports are provided, including: Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne and Canadian Journal of Behavioural Sciences/Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spiritual issues in counseling: Clients' beliefs and preferences.

The current study assessed psychotherapy clients' beliefs about the appropriateness of discussing religious and spiritual concerns in counseling, clients' preferences for such discussion, and identified explanatory variables for these beliefs and preferences. These variables were assessed using the Client Attitudes toward Spirituality in Therapy survey; the Index of Spiritual Experiences (J. D. Kass, R. Friedman, J. Leserman, P. C. Zuttermeister, & H. Benson, 1991); the Expectations About Counseling-Brief Form (H. E. A. Tinsley, 1982); the Religious scale of the Counseling Appropriateness Check List (R. Warman, 1960); the Socially Desirable Response Set-5 Scale (R. D. Hays, T. Hayashi, & A. L. Stewart, 1989); and the Religion Section of the Mooney Problem Check List-Adult Form (L. V. Gordon & R. L. Mooney, 1950). Clients believed religious concerns were appropriate for discussion in counseling and had a preference for discussing spiritual and religious issues in counseling. Spiritual experience was the most potent variable for explaining preferences for discussing spiritual issues. Implications and limitations of the study are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clients' secret keeping in outpatient therapy.

This research investigated the relation between clients' self-reported secret keeping in therapy and symptomatology. Therapy outpatients at a community hospital (N?=?42) completed surveys that asked them to list relevant secrets that they were keeping from their therapists and their reasons for doing so. Over 40% of the clients reported keeping a relevant secret in therapy, and the most frequently listed reason was that they were afraid to express feelings. After adjusting for clients' initial symptomatology, tendency to keep secrets in general, and social desirability scores, the analyses showed that keeping secrets in therapy was a significant predictor of having fewer symptoms. The results support a self-presentational perspective on secret keeping in counseling and suggest that clients may benefit from hiding some undesirable aspects of themselves from their therapists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clients' internal representations of their therapists.

Thirteen adults in long-term individual psychotherapy were interviewed regarding their internal representations (defined as bringing to awareness the internalized "image") of their therapists. Results indicated that in the context of a good therapeutic relationship, clients' internal representations combined auditory, visual, and kinesthetic (i.e., felt presence) modalities; were triggered when clients thought about past or future sessions, or when distressed; occurred in diverse locations; and varied in frequency, duration, and intensity. Clients felt positively about their representations and used them to introspect or influence therapy within sessions, beyond sessions, or both. The frequency of, comfort with, and use of clients' internal representations increased over the course of therapy, and the representations benefited the therapy and therapeutic relationship. Therapists tended not to take a deliberate role in creating clients' internal representations, and few clients discussed their internal representations with their therapists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prospective and retrospective reports of mood states before relapse to substance use.

In a prospective design, it was predicted that the role of negative mood in precipitating relapses and crises among alcohol-dependent Ss would be greater when assessed with retrospective mood ratings than when assessed by prospective mood ratings because of Ss' attributional biases. This hypothesis was not supported. Support was found, however, for a relationship between negative bias and the amount of negative mood assessed at the time the retrospective report was given. As has been previously found, the most frequent precipitant of relapses and crises in this study was negative emotional states. Female Ss were more likely to report interpersonal and less likely to report intrapersonal determinants than male Ss. Minor relapses were more likely to be precipitated by social pressure and less likely to be related to negative emotions than major relapses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clients' assimilation of experiences of their therapists.

In this study, we examined how clients internalize their therapists, understanding this phenomenon through the lens of the assimilation model, a theory of psychological change. The assimilation model describes people as comprised of multiple voices, each voice being a representation of interrelated experiences organized around significant people or events. In this study, we interviewed five former psychotherapy clients and asked them to describe how they experienced, and continue to experience, their therapists internally. On the basis of these interviews, we extended the assimilation model by constructing an account of how clients’ experiences of their therapists are internalized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clients' perceptions of helpful experiences in counseling.

The question of what clients experience as helpful in counseling was examined via concept mapping, a methodological approach combining qualitative and quantitative strategies. The purpose of the study was to clarify the scope and interrelations among elements of the retrospective experience of helpfulness among 36 clients who had completed counseling after an average of 11 sessions. Five thematic clusters consistent with previous research were identified: Counselor Facilitative Interpersonal Style, Counselor Interventions Generating Client Resources, New Perspectives, and Client Self-Disclosure. Four new thematic clusters were also identified: Emotional Relief, Gaining Knowledge, Accessibility, and Client Resolutions. The structure of the concept map generated by the participants in this study was found to be consistent with an integrative, pantheoretical model of the counseling process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do daily interactive voice response reports of smoking behavior correspond with retrospective reports?

This study focuses on comparing reports of cigarette consumption using an interactive voice response (IVR) system and the timeline follow-back (TLFB) method. As part of a smoking cessation trial, daily reports of cigarette use were collected using an IVR system and TLFB for 7 days after participants attempted to quit smoking. Reports of cigarette consumption were assessed for the entire sample (N = 381) and for the subset of nonabstinent participants (n = 129 smokers). The results revealed high correlations between reports of smoking behavior, as assessed by IVR and TLFB. Compliance with the TLFB was superior to compliance with the IVR system. This problem should be addressed if researchers wish to use an IVR system in future smoking cessation clinical trials. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical assessment of affective instability: Comparing EMA indices, questionnaire reports, and retrospective recall.

Traditional self-report measures of psychopathology may be influenced by a variety of recall biases. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) reduces these biases by assessing individuals’ experiences as they occur in their natural environments. This study examines the discrepancy between trait questionnaire, retrospective report, and EMA measures of affective instability in psychiatric outpatients either with a borderline personality diagnosis (n = 58) or with a current episode of major depressive disorder or dysthymia (n = 42). The authors examined the agreement of 3 trait measures of affective instability—the Affective Instability subscale of the Personality Assessment Inventory–Borderline Features scale (L. C. Morey, 1991), the Affect Intensity Measure (R. J. Larsen, E. Diener, & R. Emmons, 1986), and the Affect Lability Scales (P. D. Harvey, B. R. Greenberg, & M. R. Serper, 1989)—and 1 retrospective mood recall task with EMA indices of mood and mood instability. Results indicate only modest to moderate agreement between momentary and questionnaire assessments of trait affective instability; agreement between recalled mood changes and EMA indices was poor. Implications for clinical research and practice and possible applications of EMA methodology are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clients' perceptions of their psychotherapists' multicultural orientation.

The current retrospective study examined whether clients' (N = 176) perceptions of their psychotherapists' multicultural orientation (MCO) were associated with their psychological functioning, working alliance, and real relationship scores. Moreover, we tested whether clients' perceptions of the working alliance and the real relationship mediated the relationship between clients' perceptions of their psychotherapists' MCO and psychological functioning. The results showed that clients' perceptions of their psychotherapists' MCO were positively related to working alliance, real relationship, and psychological functioning. Only clients' ratings of the working alliance mediated the relationship between clients' perceptions of their psychotherapists' MCO and psychological functioning. Thus, because clients perceive their psychotherapists as being more oriented toward cultural issues, they may view the therapist as being more credible and may gain a sense of comfort in the therapeutic process. In turn, clients' strong alliance facilitates improvement in psychological well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clients' pretherapy interpersonal attitudes and psychotherapy outcome.

Investigated whether 55 outpatient counseling clients' (aged 16–57 yrs) pretherapy scores on affiliation–hostility and dominance–submission dimensions of the Interpersonal Check List (ICL) would be related to outcome of therapy. Ss, who received an average of 24 sessions, completed the ICL both pre- and posttherapy. Ss whose therapy was successful, as rated by both therapist and client, were significantly more affiliative (less hostile) than were less-than-successful therapy clients both pre- and posttherapy. 21 of 29 Ss whose predominant pretherapy interpersonal stance was characterized as affiliative had successful outcomes, whereas only 10 of 26 Ss whose predominant pretherapy interpersonal stance was characterized as hostile had successful outcomes. No significant differences were observed between outcome groups on the dominance–submission dimension either pre- or posttherapy. However, as expected, a significant number of successful therapy Ss showed a pre- vs posttherapy shift in their interpersonal stances from submission to dominance. Results highlight the reported difficulty of short-term dynamic psychotherapy with hostile clients and suggest the importance of assessing clients' pretherapy interpersonal attitudes as 1 influence on therapeutic process and outcome. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clients' sexually inappropriate behaviors directed toward clinicians: Conceptualization and management.

Sexually inappropriate behaviors in clinical settings are relatively common occurrences that may negatively affect the therapeutic process. For example, more than half of female psychologists have reported at least 1 incident in which a client responded in a sexually inappropriate manner. Thus, it is important for clinicians to understand inappropriate behaviors and respond in a manner that is both personally satisfying and helpful to the client. A framework for conceptualizing these behaviors is proposed, as well as components for, and examples of, therapeutic responses. Recommendations are provided for preventive measures to decrease the likelihood of inappropriate behaviors and for systemic approaches to benefit professional training in regards to these issues. Our aim is to stimulate further discussion of sexually inappropriate behaviors specifically by facilitating psychotherapists' ability to address clients' within-session sexual behavior, facilitating speculation of the antecedents of and motivations behind such behaviors, and facilitating discussion of such behaviors within supervision and, more broadly, within training programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clients' perceptions of therapists with high attrition rates.

59 adult clients assigned to high-dropout rate therapists and 51 assigned to low-dropout rate therapists rated the therapists on several demographic and therapy-process variables. Findings show that a number of the therapy-process variables significantly differentiated the 2 groups of therapists. It is advocated that researchers consider the role of the therapist and therapy-process dimensions in future studies of early psychotherapy termination. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clients' reactions to initial interviews: Determinants of relationship-centered and problem-centered satisfaction.

An investigation of determinants of clients' reactions to initial interviews was structured around a simulation of a first meeting between a counselor and a client, with 96 female college freshmen as the hypothetical-client Ss. Relationship-centered satisfaction was significantly greater when Ss perceived themselves as similar rather than dissimilar to the counselor in terms of values or life-style preferences and when the counselor was informal rather than formal. Problem-centered satisfaction was significantly greater when the counselor was reputed to have had years of professional experience than when he was reputed to be a novice. Results underscore the utility of separating the satisfaction concept into relationship-centered and problem-centered components. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clients' demographic characteristics and therapeutic treatment: Differences that make a difference.

Studied the relationship between clients' demographic characteristics (age, sex, education, income, marital status, and ethnicity) and services received (diagnosis, type of treatment, type of personnel rendering services, and type of therapy and number of sessions). Ss were 1,190 White and 1,294 minority-group community mental health center clients. Client attributes were related to services rendered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)