Web-Based Education in the Human Services: Use of Web-Based Video Clips in Counselling Skills Training

SUMMARY

This use of web-based video clips for counsellor skills training is used in the Campus Alberta Applied Psychology Counselling Initiative which provides Master's-level counsellor education at a distance. The core counselling skills course is delivered through the Web using digital video clips of counselling skills demonstrations, chat room skills practice and weekly discussion forums. A follow-up face-to-face Summer Institute allows learners to receive live feedback on their skill development. Course content is grounded in the construct of the working alliance (Bordin, 1979). Course activities use Bloom's taxonomies of learning objectives. Program evaluation suggests that learners are meeting competencies as they move from this course to practicum placements.     

Developing a Program in Sociological Practice: Program Structure,Curriculum Design,and Professional Culture

A sociological practice program has much to offer an undergraduate sociology department that wishes to make itself more relevant to its students, university, and larger community. Reasons are explored for why a department might choose to transform its program from a more traditional liberals arts focus to that of sociological practice. A discussion of the programmatic content of a practice program, including structure, curriculum design, and professional culture, is detailed. The experience of Our Lady of the Lake University in developing its accredited undergraduate sociological practice program is offered as an example of program development.     

Development and Evaluation of a Web-Based Clinician Training Program for a Family-Focused Depression Preventive Intervention

This study evaluated the acceptability, feasibility, and satisfaction associated with a newly developed online clinician training program for the Family Talk preventive intervention, both alone and together with a redesigned, shortened, face-to-face component. Fifty-eight predominately in-home therapy clinicians participated in the study. Results indicated that clinician participants found the online training to be enjoyable and comprehensive, and they reported that the most beneficial training package involved the combination of web-based and in-person training. This combined training could efficiently cover necessary didactic material online while also delivering important clinical skill practice and in-person discussion. Exceptions, limitations, and important future research questions are discussed.     

The Longitudinal Effects of a Rape-prevention Program on Fraternity Men's Attitudes,Behavioral Intent,and Behavior

Abstract

Rape myth acceptance, likelihood of raping, and sexually coercive behavior of 145 fraternity men randomly assigned to a control group or a rape-prevention program were surveyed. One third of 23 fraternities on a mid-Atlantic public university campus volunteered to participate in the study. The rape-prevention intervention consisted of “the men's program,” a victim empathy-based presentation titled “How to help a sexual assault survivor: What men can do.” Although no evidence of change in sexually coercive behavior was found, significant 7-month declines in rape myth acceptance and the likelihood of committing rape were shown among program participants. In the case of rape myth acceptance, the 7-month decrement remained lower in the participant group than in the control group. Implications of using these initial findings from the men's program for rape-prevention programming are discussed.     

Parents Forever: An Assessment of the Perceived Value of a Brief Divorce Education Program

The intent of this study was to examine the perceived value of a 4-hour divorce education program for adults offered in a Midwestern state. Parents Forever: Education for Families in Divorce Transition is a divorce education program directed toward educating adults about separation, divorce, and the effects on children. Participants included 342 adults who attended the class and responded to retrospective questionnaires assessing their perceived satisfaction, knowledge, and demographic status. Also, 32 legal and community professionals participated in the program and responded to questions designed to assess perceptions of program value. Both respondent groups reported high satisfaction levels and significant knowledge gains through the class experience. Implications of the findings for program support and brief divorce interventions are discussed.     

The Children First Program: The Effectiveness of a Parent Education Program for Divorcing Parents

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the 2nd and 3rd editions of the Children First parent education programs for parents experiencing divorce or separation. Participants were 678 parents experiencing separation or divorce in 2 Midwestern counties. Changes from pretest to posttest on participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and likelihood of adaptive coparenting were assessed. Both editions of the program had a significant positive effect on all 3 measures of adaptive coparenting. The effect sizes from pretest to posttest for the 2nd edition were small, whereas the effect sizes for the 3rd edition of the program were nearly twice as large. Superiority of the 3rd edition might be due to an increased focus on explicit training on adaptive coparenting behaviors.     

Cybercounseling Online: The Development of a University-Based Training Program for E-mail Counseling

ABSTRACT

The development of a university-based cybercounseling certificate program through the continuing education department of a graduate faculty of social work is described. This web-based program consists of two levels: introductory and advanced, and offers experienced face-to-face counselors training in an asynchronous, e-mail form of cybercounseling. Ethical issues such as cross-jurisdictional concerns, client appropriateness, and counselor insurance are discussed. A system developed to provide online e-mail security through web-based access and encryption is highlighted. Several techniques for e-mail counseling such as presence, and spacing and pacing are discussed and illustrated. Demographics of learners and feedback from graduates are presented and lessons learned are discussed.     

Appropriateness of the Helpline as a Mode of Service Delivery in Minority Communities: The Case of the Arab Population in Israel

ABSTRACT

In 1996, a project providing a helpline to the Arab-speaking population was established in five different locations in Israel. This article explores the potential fit of the helpline, whose stated goals are to provide psychological support and referral information, as an appropriate mode of service delivery among the Arab population living in Israel, in light of the fact that it constitutes an ethnic and sociopolitical minority with specific cultural norms and values. Such an investigation can make a contribution on both practical and theoretical levels and be another step toward a more culturally sensitive discourse in the helping professions.     

The Development of Employment-Based Education on Substance use for Social Workers in England: Embedding Substance use Training in Frameworks of Continuing Professional Development

Service users in the social care sector affected by substance use need a workforce which is skilled at protecting and supporting them, and who are able to carry out their roles and responsibilities with confidence. Workforce/Learning Development departments in children's and adults' services in England play an important role in preparing social workers to engage effectively with service users and to develop as practitioners. Drawing on data from a survey of 94 Workforce/Learning Development departments, this article examines the development of employment-based education on substance use. Only 33% of these departments had a dedicated training strategy or series of programmes on substance use, although more than half (59%) provided tools for identifying and assessing substance use. A wide range of professionals were involved in the development of this training, particularly those in specialist safeguarding and substance use roles. Social work and substance use textbooks are the main source of materials accessed to support training development. A lack of strategic engagement with substance use in social care was one of the barriers cited to adequate training provision. Implications for social work education include the importance of embedding AOD education in post-qualifying training frameworks at both university and employer levels.