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Thoroughly updated and expanded to include recent research findings, landmark legal decisions, the Hoffman Investigation Report, and changes in the ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association and the Canadian Psychological Association, the new 5th edition of Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling covers the latest developments in ethical thinking, standards, and practice. You'll learn how to strengthen your ethical awareness, judgement, and decision-making.

In this engaging book, Jeffrey Kottler and Richard Balkin address common misconceptions about what works in counseling and offer suggestions for building constructive counseling relationships and facilitating positive counseling outcomes. Key aspects of the client-counselor relationship are supported by interesting examples and stories integrated with clinically useful research on counseling results. Part 1 reviews basic assumptions about the nature of helping relationships and examines how and why they can empower client change efforts. Part 2 describes practical approaches to encourage client trust and growth, including chapters on the cultural and environmental context of relationships; the ways in which counseling is used to treat trauma; how exchanging stories solidifies and fortifies counseling relationships; and using creative and innovativetechniques to enhance relationships. Part 3 discusses the influence of relationships on counselors' personal lives and explores how counselors are affected by their work, process disappointments and failures, and deal with personal conflicts.

Practising counselling psychologists are aware of the dynamics and stress that therapists experience; therefore, the effort expended on counselling psychologists in training that will succeed and be satisfied with their work is an important concern. Counselling professionals may increasingly recognize the role of personality characteristics in evaluating students for admission and retention in counselling programmes and the significance of a counsellor’s personality characteristics has been linked to effective outcome. In view of these, this paper examines evolvement of expectations for personality traits among the counselling psychologist-in training. In doing this, the author traces the evolution of trait theories in personality description, discusses neuro-biology of personality traits and aims of counselling, together with the dynamics to enhance counselling effectiveness. He avails the reader a brief empirical review justifying the need why counselling psychologists in training should contend with robust personality traits; precursors to effective counselling practice. A cursory glimpse into the 10 counselling psychologist’s personality traits is made with the probable challenges that can stare at the counselling psychologist-in training in the face are captured and appropriate recommendations are proffered.

Background Loneliness and psychological distress are common among Finnish university students, with rates higher than in the general population. These issues significantly impact mental health and well-being. Groups 4 Health (G4H) is a group-based intervention designed to improve social connectedness. While G4H has been shown to reduce loneliness in Australian students, its effectiveness in European university settings remains untested. This pilot study aimed to assess whether G4H could reduce loneliness and improve well-being among Finnish university students. Methods Data were collected in 2022 as part of the pilot phase of the INSIGHT research project. University students (ages 19-53) were randomly assigned to either the G4H intervention group (n = 29) or study psychologist-led group counselling (SP; n = 29). Participants completed self-report measures of loneliness, well-being, depression, anxiety, and social anxiety at baseline, post-intervention, and one- and three-month follow-ups. Changes were analyzed using linear mixed models (LMM), adjusting for gender, age, income, and years of study. Pairwise comparisons were conducted for additional insights. Results LMM analyses revealed significant improvements in all outcome measures over time. A group-by-time interaction was observed for loneliness, with the G4H group showing a greater decrease in loneliness compared to the SP group. Effect sizes for G4H ranged from medium to large (|d| = 0.6-1.64), particularly for loneliness. Conclusions This pilot study provides preliminary evidence that G4H effectively reduces loneliness and improves well-being among university students in Finland. The group-based, brief format makes the intervention scalable and easily adaptable to various higher education settings. While results are promising, the small sample size limits generalizability. Further research with larger samples is needed to confirm its effectiveness and inform broader public health implementation. Key messages • The G4H intervention significantly reduces loneliness and enhances mental well-being among Finnish university students, demonstrating its potential for improving student mental health. • This pilot study highlights the need for scalable, group-based interventions in higher education to address loneliness and promote connectedness, with promising outcomes for public health.

A significant number of individuals with depression in Hong Kong remain undiagnosed and untreated through traditional face-to-face psychotherapy. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) has emerged as a tool to improve access to mental health services. However, iCBT remains underdeveloped in Chinese communities, particularly in Hong Kong. This study aims to (1) develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally and linguistically appropriate guided iCBT program for Hong Kong Chinese with depressive symptoms, and (2) explore their treatment adherence. An 11-week guided iCBT program, \"Confront and Navigate Depression Online\" (CANDO), consisting of 8 online modules, was developed and implemented for Hong Kong residents. The program was accessible via either an online platform (web-based iCBT) or a smartphone app (app-based iCBT). A 3-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted, with participants recruited through open recruitment and referrals from 2 local non-governmental organizations. A total of 402 eligible participants with mild to moderate depressive symptoms were randomly allocated into 3 groups: (1) web-based iCBT (n=139); (2) app-based iCBT (n=131); and (3) waitlist control (WLC) group (n=132), who transitioned to the web-based iCBT group after waiting for 11 weeks. Therapist support was provided by a clinical psychologist through 3 counseling sessions and weekly assignment feedback. The primary outcomes were the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), while the secondary outcome measures included the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Chinese Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (CATQ), and the Chinese Affect Scale (CAS). These scales were administered at preintervention, postintervention, and at 3-month and 6-month follow-up assessments. Data analysis was conducted using linear mixed effects modeling, adhering to the intent-to-treat principle. Participants in both the web- and app-based iCBT groups reported significant improvements compared with the WLC group on all primary (P<.001) and secondary measures (P<.001 and P=.009) at posttreatment. Large between-group effect sizes were observed in the reduction of depressive symptoms, with Cohen's d value of 1.07 (95% CI 0.81-1.34) for the web-based group and 1.15 (95% CI 0.88-1.43) for the app-based group on the BDI-II. Additionally, the web- and app-based groups showed effect sizes of 0.78 (95% CI 0.52-1.04) and 0.95 (95% CI 0.63-1.27) on PHQ-9, respectively. Medium to large effect sizes were observed for secondary outcomes at posttreatment. These positive effects were maintained at both the 3- and 6-month follow-ups, with medium to large within-group effect sizes. The adherence rate in the 2 iCBT groups was 154 out of 270 (57.0%) for completing all 8 online modules and 152 out of 270 (56.3%) for attending all 4 counseling sessions (including an intake interview). The recovery rate, as measured by the BDI-II at posttreatment, was 35 out of 90 (39%) for the web-based group and 36 out of 91 (40%) for the app-based group, compared with 3 out of 112 (3%) in the WLC group. Culturally and linguistically adapted iCBT is an effective and feasible treatment for Hong Kong Chinese with mild to moderate depressive symptoms, demonstrating a satisfactory recovery rate and treatment adherence. ICBT offers an accessible and viable alternative to face-to-face interventions in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government should allocate more resources and support the use of iCBT as a tool to treat people with depressive symptoms. ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04388800); https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04388800.

The authors discuss the historical and contemporary connection to social justice issues in the fields of counseling and counseling psychology via the multicultural counseling movement. In addition, the authors present ways in which social justice issues can be addressed in counselors' and counseling psychologists' work with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds and in graduate training programs.

Video-call therapy has been a burgeoning area of research and practice in recent years. While many therapists were already adding online modes of therapy delivery to their toolkits, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted their necessary and rapid uptake, whatever the therapist’s pre-pandemic preferences. The present study explored counselling psychologists’ experience of adapting to and using online video-call platforms to deliver therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand. Eight registered counselling psychologists in Aotearoa New Zealand were interviewed. Thematic analysis revealed four themes: (i) pre-pandemic hesitancies towards video-call therapy, (ii) managing the rapid transition to video-call therapy, (iii) integrating the learnings from the transition to video-call therapy and (iv) contextual factors. Pre-pandemic hesitancies included concerns that video-call therapy hinders the therapeutic relationship and misses subtleties. The transition process highlighted considerations around transparency and flexibility, in addition to practical considerations and peer support. Post-transition learnings included a more nuanced understanding of the shift from sharing physical space with clients to practicing from home; the mixed blessing of technology; the balancing versus merging of work- and home-life; and the impact on client progress. The fourth theme of broader contextual factors included the counselling psychology perspective, lockdown parameters, and cultural factors. Findings from this study are consistent with the literature on therapists’ experiences of video-call therapy in general and add a unique counselling psychology perspective from the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. Findings also highlight considerations for therapists who are transitioning to video-call therapy, whether by choice or necessity.

Conveying the reality of the counselling room, this book provides helpful tips and techniques to enable practitioners to develop and refine their skills. At the heart of this book is the idea of 'situated action'. By this we mean suspending purely intellectual faculties and exploring a different kind of intelligence - one shaped in the real world - in essence what happens to theory when it meets real life. This book offers thirty four skills to achieve this kind of practice wisdom which contain a mixture of reflection, client stories, quotes and images. This text will translate theory into practice for students and be a source of inspiration and reflection for the experienced practitioner.

Background The reported high rate of relapse in the context of an ever-increasing rate of substance abuse internationally and in South Africa together with the fact that the topic of sustained recovery from Substance Use Disorder (SUD) appears to be totally neglected in extant literature and research agendas motivated the researchers to conduct this investigation. The aim was to obtain an in-depth understanding of how individuals recovering from a SUD experience and sustain their recovery in order to fill the gap in the knowledge base. Methods A qualitative research approach was followed, employing a narrative and phenomenological research design alongside an explorative, descriptive and contextual strategy of inquiry. Fifteen participants were purposefully recruited; and data were collected by means of individual, face-to-face interviews. Schlossberg’s Transition Process Model (1981) (Schlossberg NK, The Counselling Psychologist 1981;9(2):2-18, Schlossberg NK, Journal of Employment Counselling 2011;48:159-162, Anderson ML et al., Counselling adults in transition: linking Schlossberg’s theory with practice in a diverse world., 2012) served as a theoretical framework and provided the backdrop to, and foundation for, the presentation of the research findings. Results Participants’ entry into recovery was triggered by an internal or external crisis caused by chemical substance abuse. They had to embrace a psychological mind set change, involving commitment to a new way of life in order to sustain their recovery. This, among others, was facilitated by participants’ acceptance of the concept of ‘disease of addiction’ or finding a new faith-based identity. The 12-Step programme and further education and development were found to spiritually support sustained recovery. Strong ongoing support from specialised substance abuse support and/or religious groups, interpersonal relationships with family, spouses and sponsors as well as supportive work environments played a major role in sustaining recovery. The act of helping others further helped the participants to sustain their own recovery. Conclusion Regardless of the pathway of recovery, there are key aspects that appear to aid sustained recovery. In grouping these according to the four S’s in Schlossberg’s Transition Process Model (Schlossberg NK, The Counselling Psychologist 1981;9(2):2-18, Journal of Employment Counselling 2011;48:159-162, Anderson ML et al., Counselling adults in transition: linking Schlossberg’s theory with practice in a diverse world., 2012): self, situation, strategies and support, they seem to facilitate the adaptation to transition from addiction to sobriety. Internal psychological and spiritual resources in terms of self; support (from family, church and support groups); strategies to combat cravings and deal with life problems; and avoiding and managing risk-inducing situations to strengthen recovery.

For decades, leaders in the field of Counseling Psychology (CPSY) have called for scholars and practitioners to engage more with our communities as a manifestation of our values. However, questions remain about the extent to which our field has risen to meet these calls. This two-part pilot project is an attempt to answer those unanswered questions by evaluating the current state of CPSY’s involvement in community engagement practices and scholarship. Part 1 is a 30-year content analysis of community engagement scholarship in three flagship CPSY journals; in Part 2, early career counseling psychologists and counseling psychologists-in-training were surveyed to ascertain the extent to which they were (or are being) trained in engagement-related practices. Results revealed counseling psychology may not have effectively integrated community engagement practices into our training or our scholarship, pointing to possible areas of growth for the field.