Development of a Systems Approach for Training in Counseling Psychology

The profession of counseling psychology has, for a long time, realized the need for reevaluating and improving traditional methods of training counselors. The major professional demands have been (1) a science-based approach to the training counselors; and (2) a more experientially oriented approach to the training of counselors. This study represented a developmental effort geared towards the integration of the above two demands. Seven experientially oriented modular instructional units were developed for use in a counselor education program. Units were developed on (1) what counseling and psychotherapy are; (2) history of counseling and psychotherapy; (3) counselor attitudes; (4) interviewing skills (A); (5) interviewing skills (B); (6) critical incidents in counseling and psychotherapy; and (7) counselor values, and ethical and legal responsibilities in counseling and psychotherapy. The Instructional units adopted a format containing (1) specific learning objectives; (2) descriptions of learning activities; and (3) evidence of learning or criteria statements for each learning objective. The seven units were put into training manual form. An instructor\u27s manual was also developed to enable any counselor educator to teach the course by familiarizing himself with the manuals. The modular instructional systems were field tested on a pilot group of nine graduate students in counseling psychology. The pilot group met for six hours of class time each week for ten consecutive weeks. As a result of the field testing, parts of the system were either modified, eliminated, or added. The study concluded that the systems approach to counselor education is a viable alternative to more traditional methods of counselor education. It is a science-based approach characterized by a high level of accountability, and it offers and efficient and effective method for counselor education

Identifying best practice for healthcare providers caring for autistic children perioperatively

The purpose of this evidence based practice project is to identify the most effective strategies for healthcare providers managing pediatric surgical patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder and to incorporate them into easily accessible care plans for all providers to give individualized treatment

Microplastic Identification and Quantification in Biological Samples

Background  The convenience and durability of plastics has made it a staple in the manufacturing industry, but without adequate recycling, these plastics are filling landfills at an alarming rate. This plastic waste is broken down into micro- and nano-plastics that have been found in both marine and terrestrial environments. The potential ramifications of accumulating plastic particles in the environment are of urgent attention as humans are exposed to these particles through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposure. Due to the lack of consensus of the effect microplastics have on the coagulation cascade, our aim was to form clots under various conditions so that a comparison can be drawn.  Methods  We utilized varying sizes (500-2,000 nm) and concentrations (25-250 µg/ml) of non-functionalized polystyrene (nPS) microplastics to characterize their effect on clot size, strength, and anatomy using ex-vivo shear flow clot formation of human whole blood via a Chandler loop apparatus. Additionally, we studied the effect of fluorescent Nile red dye (NR, ex/em: 545/625 nm) on clotting dynamics and visualization of microplastic particles via fluorescence microscopy.   Results  Ex-vivo clots were made (422 s-1 shear at increasing nanoplastic concentrations), sectioned, and utilized for quantification optimization in histological processing to preserve plastic integrity and fluorescent signal. NR-dyed microplastics were shown to produce sufficient fluorescent signal for imaging. Images were taken at various magnifications (4x-40x) and exposure times (100µs-500ms) using brightfield and fluorescent microscopy (Cy3 filter) on a Nikon Eclipse Ni microscope and a Nikon DS-Ri2 Microscope camera.  Potential Impacts  These results highlight the need for further analysis of the effects of microplastics on the coagulation cascade, as well as further optimization of techniques used to identify and quantify microplastics in complex biological samples.  &nbsp

Food Sensitivities and Psychological Disturbance: a Review

The literature dealing with the relationship between food sensitivities and psychological disturbance is reviewed. Numerous theorists and researchers believe the problems of persons presenting with adverse reactions to foods are psychological when immunological techniques fail to confirm an allergic basis. However, there is mounting evidence that adverse reactions to foods can most likely be caused by a variety of mechanisms, and that food sensitivities may indeed cause or exacerbate symptoms of a psychological nature. </jats:p