Combined physical and psychosexual therapy for provoked vestibulodynia-an evaluation of a multidisciplinary treatment model

Our objective is to standardize and evaluate a combined physical and psychosexual therapy for women with provoked vestibulodynia. Twenty-four patients underwent the treatment program. Sessions with a psychosexual counselor included issues on sexual functioning, psychological adjustments, and stress elimination. Exercises for mucosal desensitization and reestablishment of pelvic floor function were supervised by a midwife. A questionnaire was used for evaluation at a minimum of 6 months after the treatment. The mean number of appointments to the counselor was 12 (4-24) and 15 (9-26) to the midwife during a mean period of 53 weeks (19-92). Nineteen women (79%) considered themselves to be cured or having greatly improved. Intercourse frequency was increased (p = 0.001) and coital pain was reduced (p = 0.02) after completing the treatment. Improvements in sexual functioning and coping strategies for psychological impairment and stress were reported. Women with provoked vestibulodynia benefit from a multidisciplinary treatment model including desensitization of the vestibular mucosa, rehabilitation of the pelvic floor, and psychosexual adjustments.     

Implications for Sexual Assault Prevention: College Students as Prosocial Bystanders

Abstract

Prosocial bystander interventions are promising approaches to sexual assault prevention on college campuses. Objective: To assess bystander attitudes among undergraduate students at a northeastern university. Participants: A convenience sample of 188 students from 4 undergraduate classes was surveyed during regularly scheduled class sessions. Methods: Participants completed a short survey on bystander efficacy, readiness to change, and barriers to intervention prior to the start of class. Results: The majority of students were not involved in activities or programs focused on sexual assault prevention. Although students agreed that violence could be prevented, they perceived many barriers to their own participation in intervention. Conclusions: There is a need for gender-targeted prevention programming that introduces the idea of prosocial bystander intervention, with a focus on increasing self-efficacy and lowering barriers.     

The particular challenges of being adopted

The authors propose that constructivism provides a theoretical framework suitable for the complexities of contemporary social work practice. The specific focus is on the areas of confluence of cognitive‐behavioral and psychodynamic theory and technique. Building on their earlier work on psychotherapy integration, the authors extend their notion of “starting where the client is,” is in fact a constructivist concept, critical to the meaning‐making process. Through the use of case vignettes and a select review of the literature from both the psychodynamic and cognitive‐behavioral traditions, the importance of the active participation of both the client and the therapist are demonstrated. The use of the therapeutic relationship is highlighted in both the psychodynamic and cognitive‐behavioral perspectives, as is the social context of the client.     

Analogies for Helping Clinicians and Investigators Better Understand the Principles and Practice of Biostatistics

For the interaction between the biostatistician and the clinician or research investigator to be successful, it is important not only for the investigator to be able to explain biological and medical principles in a way that can be understood by the biostatistician, so, too, the biostatistician needs tools to help the investigator understand both the practice of statistics and specific statistical methods. In our practice, we have found it useful to draw analogies between statistical concepts and familiar medical or everyday ideas. These analogies help to stress a point or provide an understanding on the part of the investigator. For example, explaining the reason for using a nonparametric procedure (a general procedure used when the underlying distribution of the data is not known or cannot be assumed) by comparing it to using broad spectrum antibiotics (a general antibiotic used when the specific bacteria causing infection is unknown or cannot be assumed) can be an effective teaching tool. We present a variety of useful (and hopefully amusing) analogies that can be adopted by statisticians to help investigators at all levels of experience better understand principles and practice of statistics.     

Coaching von Dual Career Couples als organisationsinternes Angebot

The issue of dual career couples has gained considerable relevance in recent years. On the one hand, this results in an increase in the number of publications. On the other hand, some companies have become to recognize the needs of dual career couples and utilize this specifically in the search for the ??high potentials??. Furthermore, it is demonstrated why it is also important for an internal coach to take into account the challenges, specifics and opportunities of dual career couples. The most common areas of tension are identified and illustrated basing on examples and experiences.     

护乌桓校尉府探析

护乌桓校尉府设于汉武帝元狩年间,是两汉魏晋王朝监领统辖归附中央王朝的乌桓、鲜卑诸部事务的官属机构。曹魏以后,历任护乌桓校尉均由幽州刺史兼任。护乌桓校尉掌管乌桓、鲜卑部落的安抚、赏赐、管理、互市贸易,以及乌桓、鲜卑大人朝见天子、纳贡、质子等事项,使其为汉侦候、守边。护乌桓校尉初期是以军事职掌为主,后期行政管理的职掌逐渐加重,并与郡县官吏共同管理乌桓、鲜卑的事务。