Expanding the pluralist revolution: A comment on Omer and Strenger (1992).

Extends H. Omer and C. Strenger's (see record 1993-06514-001) position that a pluralistic revolution has occurred in the helping professions to include nonprofessional helpers. The metanarratives of self-help organizations function similarly to Omer and Strenger's metanarratives of therapy. Omer and Strenger imply that such nonprofessional narratives are as valuable as professional narratives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preferences toward Mexican-American and Anglo-American psychotherapists.

94 Mexican-American and 93 Anglo-American community college students listened to 1 of 2 matched therapy audiotapes. Using the same dialogue, in one tape the therapist spoke fluent English with a slight Spanish accent; in the other tape he spoke fluent English with a standard American accent. The therapist was identified as being either a Mexican-American or Anglo-American professional or nonprofessional. Both ethnic groups attributed more skill, understanding, trustworthiness, and attractiveness to the Anglo-American professional and the Mexican-American nonprofessional. The Mexican-American professional was seen by both groups less favorably than was the Mexican-American nonprofessional. Mexican-Americans showed a more favorable attitude toward the usefulness of therapy than did Anglo-Americans. Implications for the delivery of psychological services to Mexican-Americans and other minorities are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Union commitment: Replication and extension.

The union commitment measure developed by M. E. Gordon et al (1980) was administered to 426 nonprofessional and 334 professional members of a white-collar union. Four orthogonal factors were extracted: Union Loyalty, Responsibility to the Union, Willingness to Work for the Union, and Belief in Unionism. Factor comparisons both between the union of the present study and the union of the original study, and between professional and nonprofessional members within the same union, suggest that the factors developed by Gordon et al are consistent and generalizable across these populations. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy as a professional relationship.

One explanation offered for the successes found in every system of psychotherapy is that there is in common a cordial therapist–client relationship. Moreover, because the therapist is trained in dealing with psychological problems, some have held that the therapist is a superior, more effective friend whose skills, particularly in empathic communication, might well be fostered in the general population. The research has not supported these assertions when therapists of many different orientations are compared or when the results of nonprofessional helpers are compared with those of professional psychotherapists. An analysis of the structures of informal and professional relationships demonstrates that they have quite distinctive properties. Specific advantages and disadvantages of professional and nonprofessional relationships are noted. It may be equally appropriate to attend to their differences as well as to their similarities and to consider those who may be helped only by professional interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Classification criteria in middle and old age.

In Exp I, 32 middle-aged and 32 elderly Ss were presented with the Conceptual Styles Test. A 2 * 2 (Age * Sex) analysis of variance on the percentage of complementary responses obtained on this test reveals that Age and the Age * Sex interaction were significant. The middle-aged men gave significantly fewer complementary responses than the other 3 groups. It is suggested that these results reflect sex differences in the course of cognitive development which may result from the differential experiences and life-styles of adult males and adult females. To investigate the effect of one of the most apparent differences between the experiences of middle-aged men and middle-aged women-occupation-the performance of 10 professional and 10 nonprofessional men and 10 professional and 10 nonprofessional women was compared in Exp II. A 2 * 2 (Sex * Type of Occupation) analysis of variance on the percentage of complementary responses given on the Conceptual Styles Test yielded only 1 significant effect. Nonprofessionals gave significantly more complementary responses than professionals. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapeutic focusing in time-limited group psychotherapy.

The degree to which treatment outcome is related to therapeutic focusing, leader skill, and positive aspects of the therapeutic relationship was examined in time-limited group psychotherapy. Measures tapping each of these domains were assessed at Sessions 3, 8, and 14 in 15-week therapy groups led by 4 expert professional group therapists and 4 "natural-helper" nonprofessionals. Significant differences were found on process measures for both the leader skill condition and time factors. In addition, both the quality of the therapeutic relationship and the degree of therapeutic focusing independently predicted client improvement. Specifically, the results indicate that therapist focusing occurs differentially and is only predictive of improvement in professional groups, whereas a positive therapeutic relationship is only predictive of early positive improvement in nonprofessional groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A suggested revision in the classification of nonprofessional occupations in Holland's theory.

Reports that, in a test among 268 males in 4 mining occupations (laboratory, process, extraction, and mining), J. L. Holland's theory of vocational choice was not as predictive as previously demonstrated for professional and technical occupations. Contrary to Holland's theory, the 4 groups which were classified within the realistic type did not exhibit similar personalities. Significant differences were found between the 4 groups on 16 of 38 life history questionnaire items, and only 3 of 8 tested traits supported the classification of all 4 nonprofessional occupational groups into the realistic type. It is suggested that data from members of nonprofessional occupations may be used to test and revise Holland's primary classification of these occupations. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudinal changes associated with two approaches to training mental health technicians in milieu and social-learning programs.

Gave 2 groups of nonprofessional trainees (n = 21) from a high-unemployment area specific job-related training in behavioral principles and procedures of both milieu and social-learning treatment programs for chronic mental patients. Group 1 received sequential training with professional staff 1st conducting classroom instruction, followed by on-the-job training. Group 2 received abbreviated classroom instruction by professional staff, integrated with clinical observation with experienced technicians. Demographic and personality assessment occurred before training, attitudinal assessment on modified versions of the Opinions about Mental Illness Scale and Paul's Therapist Orientation Sheet was obtained before and after the academic portion of training, and an academic test was obtained after academic training. The sequential-professional mode of training resulted in better academic performance. Attitudinal changes were associated with behavior-specific training, and differential patterns of change were found for the 2 approaches. Trainee attitudes tended toward those of instructors, and attitudinal similarity was related to academic performance. Comparisons with attitudes of other occupational groups indicated that the present nonprofessional trainees after training were unique but more similar to professionals than to nonprofessionals studied elsewhere. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Screening of paratherapists: Empirical status and research directions.

Notes the apparent need for research on the selection of paraprofessional and nonprofessional mental health workers (paratherapists) and assesses the status of the field; research directions are also suggested. Behavioral sample procedures offer the best hope for screening, and the Group Assessment of Interpersonal Traits (GAIT) is the best validated of such procedures for predicting client outcomes. Using recent GAIT research as an example, improved analytic strategies are urged for future screening research, including consideration of error type, pool homogeneity, selection ratio, and job difficulty. A cost-effectiveness approach is suggested for program decision making, and a procedure for comparing screening with other paratherapist costs is illustrated with a survey of volunteer agencies. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Back pain and its correlates among workers in family care

This study is based on the empirical fact that among nurses large variations occur not only in clinical competency but also in individual productivity. The article proposes that competency-based targeted staff development programs can improve productivity as well as nursing performance. Research presented here shows that the nurses on units using targeted staff development increased the time spent on professional and direct care and reduced nonprofessional and indirect care tasks in comparison to nurses on the control nursing unit.     

And Esau was an hairy man.

Attention is focussed on "certain aspects of the professional behavior of industrial psychologists… . It is within the realm of possibility for legitimate PhDs in the profession of psychology to exhibit various shades of professional behavior under various levels of motivation. Both inside and outside the profession of psychology, alarms have arisen about the potential misuse of behavioral sciences in the control of human behavior." Attributes of professional and nonprofessional occupations are distinguished. What can be done to preserve our present status as professionals and also insure true professional behavior on the part of industrial psychologists? Realistic ethical codes will only guide the way. "Industrial psychology cannot operate under the rules of the open market. Either we develop acceptable rules of professional service to society or society will define the conditions of psychological practice by legal restrictions. The choice is up to us as to who will shape the future of industrial psychology. Smooth men or hairy ones." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Professional and nonprofessional mental health workers' modes of persuading clients to seek institutional services.

Used questionnaires to assess 38 professional and 31 nonprofessional mental health workers' choice of persuasive appeals to low-income clients. The following variables characterized the appeals offered to Ss: conformity, acceptance of the established order, participatory help or verbal instruction from the worker, present or future reward, and punishment. Results indicate that the professionals offer didactic help, and nonprofessionals threaten clients with punishment or stress immediate rewards. Nonprofessionals, compared to professionals, indicated that they would return more frequently to uncooperative clients. The 2 worker groups' preferences in appeals were related to their respective socioeconomic status and associated value systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Service unit management and nurses' satisfaction

Nurses' satisfaction was compared in 55 patient units, 32 with service unit management (SUM) and 23 without. Satisfaction of licensed practical nurses was unrelated to SUM, but intrinsic task satisfaction of registered nurses (and of head nurses, who were considered separately) was positively related to the presence of SUM. Transfer of nonprofessional tasks out of nursing and reduction of tension arising from reduced responsibility of nurses for coordinating activities with ancillary departments are possible explanations for the positive relation between the presence of SUM and professional nurses' satisfaction.     

A "common-language" version of the California Child Q-Set for personality assessment.

The California Q-Set (CCQ), a unique instrument used by professional observers to assess children's personalities, has contributed important information about the nature of personality development. Language-simplifying modifications are introduced to the items in the original CCQ for this assessment procedure to be used with a wide range of nonprofessional observers (e.g., parents with little formal education). Reliability and validity assessments show that the "common-language" version of the CCQ can be used with laypersons to yield reliable, valid, and valuable information about the links between personality functioning and problems in adaptive functioning in diverse populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Passionately committed psychotherapists: A qualitative study of their experience.

Twelve peer-nominated psychotherapists were interviewed to provide a rich understanding of their sustained high levels of work commitment. Common themes included creating boundaries between professional and nonprofessional life, using leisure activities to provide relief, turning obstacles into challenges, finding diverse activities to provide freshness and energy, continually seeking feedback and supervision, taking on social responsibilities, and experiencing a strong sense of spirituality. Whereas participants did not differ significantly from norm groups on measures of work salience, job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization, they reported high levels of personal accomplishment and scored in the 99th percentile on openness to experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Objective performance outcomes associated with two approaches to training mental health technicians in milieu and social-learning programs.

Trained 2 groups (N = 28) of nonprofessional Ss, selected from a high unemployment area in the conduct of 2 highly specified institutional treatment programs. Group 1 received sequential training, with the professional staff first conducting academic instruction, followed by on-the-floor practicum. Group 2 received abbreviated academic instruction by the professional staff integrated with clinical observation, followed by on-the-floor practicum supervised by experienced technicians. All Ss were evaluated for 2 6-wk periods of clinical performance, 1 period while still under instructor supervision and 1 period while functioning independently. Goodness of performance was determined from continuous 10-min time samples obtained by trained observers. Although the sequential/professional mode of training had previously been found to be associated with higher academic test performance, the integrated/technical mode of training was found to be associated with better on-the-floor performance. Both groups of Ss performed better on the social-learning than on the milieu program, although goodness of performance was remarkable in both. Goodness of performance was maintained for both groups in both programs after supervision was faded. The relationship of attitudinal differences, academic performance, and civil service ratings with objective performance is discussed. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal and infant care: comparisons between Western Europe and the United States

A series of studies between 1986 and 1990 gathered data on maternal and infant care in ten Western European countries with lower infant mortality rates than the United States and compared the findings both within the European countries and in aggregate with the United States. Results from these studies reveal great variation among the study countries in how perinatal care is financed, staffed by professional and nonprofessional health workers, and provided by public clinics or private offices, and in the number of and locale of the recommended number of prenatal visits. Invariably consistent among the study countries is the nearly complete enrollment of childbearing women in early and continuous prenatal care, and the strong linkage of that care to a generous spectrum of social supports and financial benefits. None of the benefits generally pertains in the United States. The relevance of these observations for the United States suggests that current policies intended to lower economic barriers to a highly medicalized version of maternity care may yield disappointing results unless the perinatal sequence is linked to a more generous set of maternity-related social supports and financial benefits than is now contemplated.     

Informal care; a critical observation

In this article the policy aimed at cutting down expenses for professional care and at optimizing the contribution of informal, unpaid care (e.g. family caregivers and volunteers) is questioned. After a brief outline of the non-professional care system for the elderly, some problematic aspects of informal care are discussed, especially the influence of such care in terms of (over)burden, the quality of care and the consequences for the relationship between caregiver and person being cared for. Voluntary services are also questioned, particularly the lack of control, the power of volunteers and their knowledge, attitude and skills. It is concluded that expectations towards nonprofessional caregivers should not be too great. The importance of a finely tuned coordination and clear division of tasks in the care network is underlined. Finally a number of recommendations is made to settle the observed bottlenecks.     

Characteristics of women working as child aides in a school-based preventive mental health program.

Investigated whether a group of 50 adult women hired to work as nonprofessional mental health workers (child aides) were higher than 40 demographically comparable controls on attributes which, on an a priori basis, could be expected to be related positively to effective functioning in their role. Ss were compared on the Personality Research Form, the SVIB, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale, a semantic differential, the Situational Response Test, and R. Hogan's Empathy Scale. The groups were significantly differentiated from one another on a wide range of scales. The inference is drawn that the aide group possessed more desirable attributes than the control group for the role of nonprofessional mental health worker. (25 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)