Catherine Reich - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Catherine Reich

Research paper thumbnail of Are psychotherapies with more dropouts less effective?

Psychotherapy Research, Oct 22, 2018

Psychotherapy dropout is often regarded as an indicator of treatment failure; however, evidence o... more Psychotherapy dropout is often regarded as an indicator of treatment failure; however, evidence of a relationship between dropout and outcome has not been well established. The current research consisted of three meta-analytic studies, the results of which found (a) individuals who dropped out began treatment more distressed than those who completed therapy, (b) individuals who dropped out of therapy were more distressed at posttreatment than individuals who completed therapy, and (c) treatments with higher rates of dropout were also less effective for the treatment completers. Dropout may particularly signal poor outcomes for shorter treatments. The continued ambiguity in the meaning of dropout is discussed as well as the promising potential for future research in the area of dropout as it relates to outcome.

Research paper thumbnail of Perceived Severity of Childhood Emotional, Sexual, and Physical Abuse: Comparisons Across Psychologists, Students, and the General Public

Objective. Childhood emotional abuse has been linked with mental and physical health concerns yet... more Objective. Childhood emotional abuse has been linked with mental and physical health concerns yet may be perceived as less severe than other forms of childhood abuse. The present study aims to (1) understand perceptions of childhood abuse forms across psychologists, general college-level students, and the general public; and (2) investigate whether personal emotional abuse history affects perceptions of emotional abuse. Method. Participants (N = 444) completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form and provided perceived abuse severity and offender responsibility on eight case vignettes of emotional, physical, sexual, and no abuse. Research Question 1 was tested with a two-way (vignette type × participant type) multivariate analysis of variance performed on perceived severity and offender responsibility scores. Research Question 2 included abuse history as a third factor to examine potential moderation. Results. All three groups perceived scenarios regarding emotional abuse a...

Research paper thumbnail of The impact of client distress on alliance ratings: An experimental test

Journal of Psychotherapy Integration

Research paper thumbnail of Are Psychotherapies with More Dropout Also Less Effective?

Psychotherapy dropout is often regarded as an indicator of treatment failure. However, this assum... more Psychotherapy dropout is often regarded as an indicator of treatment failure. However, this assumed relationship between dropout and outcome has not been well established. The current research consisted of three meta-analytic studies, the results of which found (a) greater dropout from one treatment relative to another was predictive of the greater effectiveness of that treatment for the completers, (b) individuals who dropped out of therapy were more distressed at posttreatment than individuals who completed therapy, and (c) individuals who dropped out began treatment more distressed than those who completed therapy. The issue of continued ambiguity in the meaning of dropout is discussed as well as the promising potential for future research in the area of dropout as it relates to outcome

Research paper thumbnail of The alliance-outcome correlation: Is there a halo effect?

Journal of Psychotherapy Integration

Research paper thumbnail of Do Reflective Responses by the Therapist Improve the Outcome of Psychotherapy

Research paper thumbnail of A Naturalistic Analysis of Mental Illness Stigma in Undergraduate Psychology Courses

Teaching of Psychology, 2022

Background Psychology coursework may include opportunities to reduce mental illness stigma attitu... more Background Psychology coursework may include opportunities to reduce mental illness stigma attitudes among college students. However, some strategies are known to backfire, and little is known about how these attitudes evolve during psychology coursework. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine whether psychology students’ mental illness stigma attitudes change over the course of a semester. Method This research examined changes in mental illness stigma across four undergraduate psychology courses: Introductory Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Basic Helping Skills, and Internship. Students ( N = 400) completed two mental illness stigma measures at the beginning and end of the semester. Results Regardless of course, students showed slightly decreased anxiety-related stigma regarding individuals with mental illness and lower social distancing attitudes toward individuals with schizophrenia, as well as increased perceptions of the treatability of mental illness, over the cou...

Research paper thumbnail of Why I Didn’t Report: Reasons for Not Reporting Sexual Violence as Stated on Twitter

Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 2021

ABSTRACT Though sexual violence is prevalent, formal reporting to police remains uncommon. Social... more ABSTRACT Though sexual violence is prevalent, formal reporting to police remains uncommon. Social media may provide a unique outlet for survivors of different forms of sexual violence, who might otherwise remain silent. This study examined the viral Twitter #WhyIDidntReport hashtag to synthesize survivors’ reasons for not reporting sexual violence to formal authorities. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on a random sample of 469 tweets. Seven major themes emerged: internal reactions, expectations of negative social reactions, perpetrator factors, myths and knowledge, actual negative reactions from others, protection of others, and concerns about evidence. These themes are largely consistent with more narrowly focused past research, suggesting that social media may continue to offer viable opportunities for unobtrusive research in the future. Additionally, the uniquely broad lens of this study further illuminated stigma as a major barrier for reporting. Future research might test the relative predictive strength of specific barriers.

Research paper thumbnail of Intimate Partner Violence ? Does Self-Blame Moderate Psychological Adjustment Following

This study explored whether self-blame moderates the relationship between exposure to specific ty... more This study explored whether self-blame moderates the relationship between exposure to specific types of abuse and both poor general psychological adjustment (i.e., self-esteem) and specific symptomatology (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) among women who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). Eighty female IPV survivors were involved in this study. Results indicated that self-blame was negatively associated with self-esteem for physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. Self-blame moderated physical abuse, such that high levels of physical abuse interacted with high levels of self-blame in their association with PTSD. Nonsignificant models were noted for psychological and sexual abuse in association with self-blame and PTSD. These findings support the conceptualization that selfblame is associated with both general and specific psychological outcomes in the aftermath of IPV. Future research examining different forms of blame associated with IPV might further unt...

Research paper thumbnail of Types of trauma-related blame following interpersonal trauma

Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2021

OBJECTIVE The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) now includes trauma-rel... more OBJECTIVE The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) now includes trauma-related blame as a symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD Criterion D3; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). To date, most blame research has utilized quantitative scales, primarily for self-blame, with little attention to other forms of blame. The aims of this study were to (a) identify the common blame types reported by interpersonal trauma survivors through open-ended statements, and (b) explore how well these blame types converge with the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) screener's blame item and total scores. METHOD Using a mixed-method design, interpersonal trauma survivors (N = 132) completed the Life Events Checklist and the PCL-5. They also provided a written statement indicating why they believe their traumatic event occurred, which was later coded into types of blame by three independent raters. RESULTS Five blame types emerged from survivors' statements: self, perpetrator, other, global, and circumstance. However, in most cases the presence or absence of each of the blame types was not reliably associated with posttraumatic distress. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that trauma-related blame attributions are more nuanced than is typically measured and that factors such as the degree of distress caused by a particular blame attribution, or how believable the thought is to the survivor, might be more clinically meaningful than the specific content of the belief. Clinicians and researchers might benefit from the development of a more nuanced measure of trauma-related blame. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Research paper thumbnail of Are Survivors of Sexual Assault Blamed More Than Victims of Other Crimes?

Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2021

Although victim blaming in the context of sexual assault is often emphasized, little research has... more Although victim blaming in the context of sexual assault is often emphasized, little research has compared rates of victim blaming following sexual assault relative to other forms of victimization. This research investigated whether there is a crime-specific bias toward blaming victims of sexual assault. Victim blaming was assessed via different methods from the observer perspective in vignette-based studies, as well as survivors’ accounts of social reactions they received. In Study 1, participants were asked to rate how much the survivor was to blame in three vignettes, each with a different randomized crime outcome: rape, physical assault, or theft. Study 2 assessed blame for a vignette that either ended in rape or theft, via a causal attribution statement. Study 3 asked interpersonal trauma survivors who had experienced at least two forms of victimization (i.e., sexual assault, physical assault, or theft) to report the social reactions they received following disclosure of each o...

Research paper thumbnail of Empathic Communication Skills Across Applied Undergraduate Psychology Courses: A Replication Study

Teaching of Psychology, 2021

Background: Although undergraduate psychology curriculum should cultivate performance-based skill... more Background: Although undergraduate psychology curriculum should cultivate performance-based skills to prepare students for helping professions, little work to date has addressed this standard. Objective: This research replicates the methods used in a previous study by examining pre-post changes in empathic communication skills and perceived communication competence across two applied psychology courses: Basic Helping Skills and Internship. This study extended this work by also exploring learning gains from different formats (i.e., face-to-face vs. online), internship types (mental health-related vs. not mental health-related), and the longevity of learning gains. Method: Psychology students ( N = 171) completed a measure of communication competence and provided written empathic responses on a vignette-based performance measure at the start and end of the semester. Results: Students perceived their communication skills as improving over time; however, only students in the Basic Helpi...

Research paper thumbnail of Are psychotherapies with more dropouts less effective?

Psychotherapy Research, 2018

Psychotherapy dropout is often regarded as an indicator of treatment failure; however, evidence o... more Psychotherapy dropout is often regarded as an indicator of treatment failure; however, evidence of a relationship between dropout and outcome has not been well established. The current research consisted of three meta-analytic studies, the results of which found (a) individuals who dropped out began treatment more distressed than those who completed therapy, (b) individuals who dropped out of therapy were more distressed at posttreatment than individuals who completed therapy, and (c) treatments with higher rates of dropout were also less effective for the treatment completers. Dropout may particularly signal poor outcomes for shorter treatments. The continued ambiguity in the meaning of dropout is discussed as well as the promising potential for future research in the area of dropout as it relates to outcome.

Research paper thumbnail of Effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid: a meta-analysis

Mental Health Review Journal, 2019

Purpose The purpose of this paper, a meta-analysis and systematic review of Mental Health First A... more Purpose The purpose of this paper, a meta-analysis and systematic review of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), is to focus on studies that reported trainees’ mental health literacy, attitudes and helping-related behaviors, as well as the impact of the program for the people who came into contact with trainees (i.e. recipients). Design/methodology/approach A systematic search included several online databases of published studies, dissertations or theses, and journals commonly publishing research in this area. Studies were randomized or non-randomized control trials using an intervention based upon the adult or youth MHFA curriculum. Findings Of the 8,257 initial articles, 16 met inclusion criteria. Small-to-moderate effect sizes (Hedges’ g=0.18–0.53) were found for the primary outcomes for the trainees with effects appearing to be maintained at follow-up. Study quality was inversely associated with effect size. No evidence of investigator allegiance was detected. Few studies examined t...

Research paper thumbnail of Consumer satisfaction with antipsychotic medication-monitoring appointments: the role of consumer–prescriber communication patterns

International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 2017

Objective-The study was designed to explore patterns of prescriber communication behaviors as the... more Objective-The study was designed to explore patterns of prescriber communication behaviors as they relate to consumer satisfaction among a serious mental illness sample. Methods-Recordings from 175 antipsychotic medication-monitoring appointments between veterans with psychiatric disorders and their prescribers were coded using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) for communication behavioral patterns. Results-The frequency of prescriber communication behaviors (i.e., facilitation, rapport, procedural, psychosocial, biomedical, and total utterances) did not reliably predict consumer satisfaction. The ratio of prescriber to consumer utterances did predict consumer satisfaction. Conclusion-Consistent with client-centered care theory, antipsychotic medication consumers were more satisfied with their encounters when their prescriber did not dominate the conversation. Practice Implications-Therefore, one potential recommendation from these findings could be for medication prescribers to spend more of their time listening to, rather than speaking with, their SMI consumers.

Research paper thumbnail of A Motivational Interviewing Intervention for the Classroom

Teaching of Psychology, 2015

Despite attempts to engage students, undergraduate instructors are often challenged by low motiva... more Despite attempts to engage students, undergraduate instructors are often challenged by low motivation among students to study outside of the classroom. The current study adapted motivational interviewing, which is often used with therapy clients ambivalent to change, to target college student motivation to study for exams. Findings indicated improved performance on exams following the brief 15- to 20-min intervention. The present study supports both the effectiveness and feasibility of this brief, classroom-based motivational intervention. This psychological intervention might be particularly fitting for psychology classes because an explanation of the intervention itself can serve as an additional learning opportunity.

Research paper thumbnail of How therapist self-disclosure relates to alliance and outcomes: A naturalistic study

Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 2015

This study examined therapists’ self-disclosure within early sessions of a naturalistic database ... more This study examined therapists’ self-disclosure within early sessions of a naturalistic database of 52 therapy dyads collected at a university counseling center. Therapist orientations and client issues varied. We identified both types and functions of therapist self-disclosure in order to explore how self-disclosures related to therapy alliance and outcomes. Findings indicated that the number of disclosures was not significantly correlated with outcome or alliance scores. Central findings regarding the function of self-disclosures included that disclosures that acted to humanize the therapist were associated with fewer clinical symptoms post-session than disclosures expressing appreciation or encouragement. Also, disclosures that conveyed similarity between the therapist and client were associated with fewer post-session clinical symptoms and interpersonal problems when compared to disclosures that conveyed neither similarity nor dissimilarity. As well, neutral therapist self-disclosures were associated with better client functioning than disclosures that relayed negative or positive information about the therapist. Suggestions are provided for clinical practice and future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Intimate Partner Violence Interview

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding the role of dysfunctional post-trauma cognitions in the co-occurrence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Two trauma samples

Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2015

This report focuses on the co-occurrence of PTSD-GAD and examines a factor that could operate to ... more This report focuses on the co-occurrence of PTSD-GAD and examines a factor that could operate to maintain both conditions, specifically negative post-trauma cognitions about the self, the world, and selfblame. Two separate help-seeking samples were examined: (a) a mixed gender sample of 301 individuals who had experienced a serious motor vehicle accident (MVA), a single incident, non-interpersonal trauma; and (b) a sample of 157 women who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV), a recurrent, interpersonal trauma. When examined at the diagnostic level, posttraumatic cognitions for one diagnosis did not vary as a function of whether the other diagnosis was present. In the MVA sample, both diagnosed PTSD and GAD were associated with elevations in negative thoughts about the self. Diagnosed GAD was also significantly associated with negative thoughts about the world. In the IPV sample, diagnosed PTSD was associated with elevations in negative thoughts about the self only. When continuously measured PTSD and GAD were examined, results indicated that negative thoughts about the self showed significant simultaneous associations with PTSD and GAD in both samples. In the MVA sample, negative thoughts about the world and self-blame showed significant associations with PTSD but not with GAD. In the IPV sample, negative thoughts about the world and self-blame were not significantly associated with either PTSD or GAD. Results are discussed in light of current treatment models for these conditions, with emphasis on the potential for addressing transdiagnostic processes as a more effective approach to treating comorbid conditions following trauma.

Research paper thumbnail of How do negative emotions relate to dysfunctional posttrauma cognitions? An examination of interpersonal trauma survivors

Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy, 2015

In order to broaden theoretical models of adaptation following trauma and inform current diagnost... more In order to broaden theoretical models of adaptation following trauma and inform current diagnostic practices, the goal of the current study was to examine associations between negative emotions and dysfunctional trauma-related cognitions. In a sample of 109 women who were seeking mental health assistance after intimate partner violence (IPV), anxiety, depression, shame, and guilt were explored in association with negative thoughts about the self, negative thoughts about the world, and self-blame. Higher levels of shame and depression were significantly associated with higher levels of negative thoughts about the self. An increased level of guilt was the only significant finding in the analysis involving negative thoughts about the world. Lower levels of depression and higher levels of shame and guilt were significantly associated with increased levels of self-blame. Anxiety did not emerge as a significant predictor in any of these analyses. Implications for current models of posttr...

Research paper thumbnail of Are psychotherapies with more dropouts less effective?

Psychotherapy Research, Oct 22, 2018

Psychotherapy dropout is often regarded as an indicator of treatment failure; however, evidence o... more Psychotherapy dropout is often regarded as an indicator of treatment failure; however, evidence of a relationship between dropout and outcome has not been well established. The current research consisted of three meta-analytic studies, the results of which found (a) individuals who dropped out began treatment more distressed than those who completed therapy, (b) individuals who dropped out of therapy were more distressed at posttreatment than individuals who completed therapy, and (c) treatments with higher rates of dropout were also less effective for the treatment completers. Dropout may particularly signal poor outcomes for shorter treatments. The continued ambiguity in the meaning of dropout is discussed as well as the promising potential for future research in the area of dropout as it relates to outcome.

Research paper thumbnail of Perceived Severity of Childhood Emotional, Sexual, and Physical Abuse: Comparisons Across Psychologists, Students, and the General Public

Objective. Childhood emotional abuse has been linked with mental and physical health concerns yet... more Objective. Childhood emotional abuse has been linked with mental and physical health concerns yet may be perceived as less severe than other forms of childhood abuse. The present study aims to (1) understand perceptions of childhood abuse forms across psychologists, general college-level students, and the general public; and (2) investigate whether personal emotional abuse history affects perceptions of emotional abuse. Method. Participants (N = 444) completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form and provided perceived abuse severity and offender responsibility on eight case vignettes of emotional, physical, sexual, and no abuse. Research Question 1 was tested with a two-way (vignette type × participant type) multivariate analysis of variance performed on perceived severity and offender responsibility scores. Research Question 2 included abuse history as a third factor to examine potential moderation. Results. All three groups perceived scenarios regarding emotional abuse a...

Research paper thumbnail of The impact of client distress on alliance ratings: An experimental test

Journal of Psychotherapy Integration

Research paper thumbnail of Are Psychotherapies with More Dropout Also Less Effective?

Psychotherapy dropout is often regarded as an indicator of treatment failure. However, this assum... more Psychotherapy dropout is often regarded as an indicator of treatment failure. However, this assumed relationship between dropout and outcome has not been well established. The current research consisted of three meta-analytic studies, the results of which found (a) greater dropout from one treatment relative to another was predictive of the greater effectiveness of that treatment for the completers, (b) individuals who dropped out of therapy were more distressed at posttreatment than individuals who completed therapy, and (c) individuals who dropped out began treatment more distressed than those who completed therapy. The issue of continued ambiguity in the meaning of dropout is discussed as well as the promising potential for future research in the area of dropout as it relates to outcome

Research paper thumbnail of The alliance-outcome correlation: Is there a halo effect?

Journal of Psychotherapy Integration

Research paper thumbnail of Do Reflective Responses by the Therapist Improve the Outcome of Psychotherapy

Research paper thumbnail of A Naturalistic Analysis of Mental Illness Stigma in Undergraduate Psychology Courses

Teaching of Psychology, 2022

Background Psychology coursework may include opportunities to reduce mental illness stigma attitu... more Background Psychology coursework may include opportunities to reduce mental illness stigma attitudes among college students. However, some strategies are known to backfire, and little is known about how these attitudes evolve during psychology coursework. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine whether psychology students’ mental illness stigma attitudes change over the course of a semester. Method This research examined changes in mental illness stigma across four undergraduate psychology courses: Introductory Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Basic Helping Skills, and Internship. Students ( N = 400) completed two mental illness stigma measures at the beginning and end of the semester. Results Regardless of course, students showed slightly decreased anxiety-related stigma regarding individuals with mental illness and lower social distancing attitudes toward individuals with schizophrenia, as well as increased perceptions of the treatability of mental illness, over the cou...

Research paper thumbnail of Why I Didn’t Report: Reasons for Not Reporting Sexual Violence as Stated on Twitter

Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 2021

ABSTRACT Though sexual violence is prevalent, formal reporting to police remains uncommon. Social... more ABSTRACT Though sexual violence is prevalent, formal reporting to police remains uncommon. Social media may provide a unique outlet for survivors of different forms of sexual violence, who might otherwise remain silent. This study examined the viral Twitter #WhyIDidntReport hashtag to synthesize survivors’ reasons for not reporting sexual violence to formal authorities. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on a random sample of 469 tweets. Seven major themes emerged: internal reactions, expectations of negative social reactions, perpetrator factors, myths and knowledge, actual negative reactions from others, protection of others, and concerns about evidence. These themes are largely consistent with more narrowly focused past research, suggesting that social media may continue to offer viable opportunities for unobtrusive research in the future. Additionally, the uniquely broad lens of this study further illuminated stigma as a major barrier for reporting. Future research might test the relative predictive strength of specific barriers.

Research paper thumbnail of Intimate Partner Violence ? Does Self-Blame Moderate Psychological Adjustment Following

This study explored whether self-blame moderates the relationship between exposure to specific ty... more This study explored whether self-blame moderates the relationship between exposure to specific types of abuse and both poor general psychological adjustment (i.e., self-esteem) and specific symptomatology (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) among women who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). Eighty female IPV survivors were involved in this study. Results indicated that self-blame was negatively associated with self-esteem for physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. Self-blame moderated physical abuse, such that high levels of physical abuse interacted with high levels of self-blame in their association with PTSD. Nonsignificant models were noted for psychological and sexual abuse in association with self-blame and PTSD. These findings support the conceptualization that selfblame is associated with both general and specific psychological outcomes in the aftermath of IPV. Future research examining different forms of blame associated with IPV might further unt...

Research paper thumbnail of Types of trauma-related blame following interpersonal trauma

Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2021

OBJECTIVE The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) now includes trauma-rel... more OBJECTIVE The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) now includes trauma-related blame as a symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD Criterion D3; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). To date, most blame research has utilized quantitative scales, primarily for self-blame, with little attention to other forms of blame. The aims of this study were to (a) identify the common blame types reported by interpersonal trauma survivors through open-ended statements, and (b) explore how well these blame types converge with the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) screener's blame item and total scores. METHOD Using a mixed-method design, interpersonal trauma survivors (N = 132) completed the Life Events Checklist and the PCL-5. They also provided a written statement indicating why they believe their traumatic event occurred, which was later coded into types of blame by three independent raters. RESULTS Five blame types emerged from survivors' statements: self, perpetrator, other, global, and circumstance. However, in most cases the presence or absence of each of the blame types was not reliably associated with posttraumatic distress. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that trauma-related blame attributions are more nuanced than is typically measured and that factors such as the degree of distress caused by a particular blame attribution, or how believable the thought is to the survivor, might be more clinically meaningful than the specific content of the belief. Clinicians and researchers might benefit from the development of a more nuanced measure of trauma-related blame. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Research paper thumbnail of Are Survivors of Sexual Assault Blamed More Than Victims of Other Crimes?

Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2021

Although victim blaming in the context of sexual assault is often emphasized, little research has... more Although victim blaming in the context of sexual assault is often emphasized, little research has compared rates of victim blaming following sexual assault relative to other forms of victimization. This research investigated whether there is a crime-specific bias toward blaming victims of sexual assault. Victim blaming was assessed via different methods from the observer perspective in vignette-based studies, as well as survivors’ accounts of social reactions they received. In Study 1, participants were asked to rate how much the survivor was to blame in three vignettes, each with a different randomized crime outcome: rape, physical assault, or theft. Study 2 assessed blame for a vignette that either ended in rape or theft, via a causal attribution statement. Study 3 asked interpersonal trauma survivors who had experienced at least two forms of victimization (i.e., sexual assault, physical assault, or theft) to report the social reactions they received following disclosure of each o...

Research paper thumbnail of Empathic Communication Skills Across Applied Undergraduate Psychology Courses: A Replication Study

Teaching of Psychology, 2021

Background: Although undergraduate psychology curriculum should cultivate performance-based skill... more Background: Although undergraduate psychology curriculum should cultivate performance-based skills to prepare students for helping professions, little work to date has addressed this standard. Objective: This research replicates the methods used in a previous study by examining pre-post changes in empathic communication skills and perceived communication competence across two applied psychology courses: Basic Helping Skills and Internship. This study extended this work by also exploring learning gains from different formats (i.e., face-to-face vs. online), internship types (mental health-related vs. not mental health-related), and the longevity of learning gains. Method: Psychology students ( N = 171) completed a measure of communication competence and provided written empathic responses on a vignette-based performance measure at the start and end of the semester. Results: Students perceived their communication skills as improving over time; however, only students in the Basic Helpi...

Research paper thumbnail of Are psychotherapies with more dropouts less effective?

Psychotherapy Research, 2018

Psychotherapy dropout is often regarded as an indicator of treatment failure; however, evidence o... more Psychotherapy dropout is often regarded as an indicator of treatment failure; however, evidence of a relationship between dropout and outcome has not been well established. The current research consisted of three meta-analytic studies, the results of which found (a) individuals who dropped out began treatment more distressed than those who completed therapy, (b) individuals who dropped out of therapy were more distressed at posttreatment than individuals who completed therapy, and (c) treatments with higher rates of dropout were also less effective for the treatment completers. Dropout may particularly signal poor outcomes for shorter treatments. The continued ambiguity in the meaning of dropout is discussed as well as the promising potential for future research in the area of dropout as it relates to outcome.

Research paper thumbnail of Effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid: a meta-analysis

Mental Health Review Journal, 2019

Purpose The purpose of this paper, a meta-analysis and systematic review of Mental Health First A... more Purpose The purpose of this paper, a meta-analysis and systematic review of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), is to focus on studies that reported trainees’ mental health literacy, attitudes and helping-related behaviors, as well as the impact of the program for the people who came into contact with trainees (i.e. recipients). Design/methodology/approach A systematic search included several online databases of published studies, dissertations or theses, and journals commonly publishing research in this area. Studies were randomized or non-randomized control trials using an intervention based upon the adult or youth MHFA curriculum. Findings Of the 8,257 initial articles, 16 met inclusion criteria. Small-to-moderate effect sizes (Hedges’ g=0.18–0.53) were found for the primary outcomes for the trainees with effects appearing to be maintained at follow-up. Study quality was inversely associated with effect size. No evidence of investigator allegiance was detected. Few studies examined t...

Research paper thumbnail of Consumer satisfaction with antipsychotic medication-monitoring appointments: the role of consumer–prescriber communication patterns

International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 2017

Objective-The study was designed to explore patterns of prescriber communication behaviors as the... more Objective-The study was designed to explore patterns of prescriber communication behaviors as they relate to consumer satisfaction among a serious mental illness sample. Methods-Recordings from 175 antipsychotic medication-monitoring appointments between veterans with psychiatric disorders and their prescribers were coded using the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) for communication behavioral patterns. Results-The frequency of prescriber communication behaviors (i.e., facilitation, rapport, procedural, psychosocial, biomedical, and total utterances) did not reliably predict consumer satisfaction. The ratio of prescriber to consumer utterances did predict consumer satisfaction. Conclusion-Consistent with client-centered care theory, antipsychotic medication consumers were more satisfied with their encounters when their prescriber did not dominate the conversation. Practice Implications-Therefore, one potential recommendation from these findings could be for medication prescribers to spend more of their time listening to, rather than speaking with, their SMI consumers.

Research paper thumbnail of A Motivational Interviewing Intervention for the Classroom

Teaching of Psychology, 2015

Despite attempts to engage students, undergraduate instructors are often challenged by low motiva... more Despite attempts to engage students, undergraduate instructors are often challenged by low motivation among students to study outside of the classroom. The current study adapted motivational interviewing, which is often used with therapy clients ambivalent to change, to target college student motivation to study for exams. Findings indicated improved performance on exams following the brief 15- to 20-min intervention. The present study supports both the effectiveness and feasibility of this brief, classroom-based motivational intervention. This psychological intervention might be particularly fitting for psychology classes because an explanation of the intervention itself can serve as an additional learning opportunity.

Research paper thumbnail of How therapist self-disclosure relates to alliance and outcomes: A naturalistic study

Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 2015

This study examined therapists’ self-disclosure within early sessions of a naturalistic database ... more This study examined therapists’ self-disclosure within early sessions of a naturalistic database of 52 therapy dyads collected at a university counseling center. Therapist orientations and client issues varied. We identified both types and functions of therapist self-disclosure in order to explore how self-disclosures related to therapy alliance and outcomes. Findings indicated that the number of disclosures was not significantly correlated with outcome or alliance scores. Central findings regarding the function of self-disclosures included that disclosures that acted to humanize the therapist were associated with fewer clinical symptoms post-session than disclosures expressing appreciation or encouragement. Also, disclosures that conveyed similarity between the therapist and client were associated with fewer post-session clinical symptoms and interpersonal problems when compared to disclosures that conveyed neither similarity nor dissimilarity. As well, neutral therapist self-disclosures were associated with better client functioning than disclosures that relayed negative or positive information about the therapist. Suggestions are provided for clinical practice and future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Intimate Partner Violence Interview

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding the role of dysfunctional post-trauma cognitions in the co-occurrence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Two trauma samples

Behaviour Research and Therapy, 2015

This report focuses on the co-occurrence of PTSD-GAD and examines a factor that could operate to ... more This report focuses on the co-occurrence of PTSD-GAD and examines a factor that could operate to maintain both conditions, specifically negative post-trauma cognitions about the self, the world, and selfblame. Two separate help-seeking samples were examined: (a) a mixed gender sample of 301 individuals who had experienced a serious motor vehicle accident (MVA), a single incident, non-interpersonal trauma; and (b) a sample of 157 women who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV), a recurrent, interpersonal trauma. When examined at the diagnostic level, posttraumatic cognitions for one diagnosis did not vary as a function of whether the other diagnosis was present. In the MVA sample, both diagnosed PTSD and GAD were associated with elevations in negative thoughts about the self. Diagnosed GAD was also significantly associated with negative thoughts about the world. In the IPV sample, diagnosed PTSD was associated with elevations in negative thoughts about the self only. When continuously measured PTSD and GAD were examined, results indicated that negative thoughts about the self showed significant simultaneous associations with PTSD and GAD in both samples. In the MVA sample, negative thoughts about the world and self-blame showed significant associations with PTSD but not with GAD. In the IPV sample, negative thoughts about the world and self-blame were not significantly associated with either PTSD or GAD. Results are discussed in light of current treatment models for these conditions, with emphasis on the potential for addressing transdiagnostic processes as a more effective approach to treating comorbid conditions following trauma.

Research paper thumbnail of How do negative emotions relate to dysfunctional posttrauma cognitions? An examination of interpersonal trauma survivors

Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy, 2015

In order to broaden theoretical models of adaptation following trauma and inform current diagnost... more In order to broaden theoretical models of adaptation following trauma and inform current diagnostic practices, the goal of the current study was to examine associations between negative emotions and dysfunctional trauma-related cognitions. In a sample of 109 women who were seeking mental health assistance after intimate partner violence (IPV), anxiety, depression, shame, and guilt were explored in association with negative thoughts about the self, negative thoughts about the world, and self-blame. Higher levels of shame and depression were significantly associated with higher levels of negative thoughts about the self. An increased level of guilt was the only significant finding in the analysis involving negative thoughts about the world. Lower levels of depression and higher levels of shame and guilt were significantly associated with increased levels of self-blame. Anxiety did not emerge as a significant predictor in any of these analyses. Implications for current models of posttr...