Death anxiety has been an unremitting agent of the human experience. The psychological dilemma posed by the awareness and forecasting of death can increase anxiety, thus affecting well-being through the compulsive desire or will to persist (Becker, 1973; Yalom, 1980). Such psychological armor can manifest in conscious and unconscious behaviors,…

The growing urge for mental health via telecommunication systems argues for such services to be discussed at the field of human-computer interaction. However, in spite of the research and evidence that express effectivity of telecounselling, details about the transition to computer-mediated environment are still uncharted.…

Training in compassion can lead to an enhanced ability to tolerate distress, maintain focus, and discern clinical interventions for clients in a variety of clinical scenarios. Cultivating a compassionate stance provides the opportunity to engage clients with full attention and presence, allowing openness and receptivity for both the painful and…

This theoretical essay outlines the hermeneutic of Divine relationship, a theological lens through which Christians can develop a deeper appreciation for God's inherently relational nature and desire to be in relationship with all of humanity. In addition to the nature of God, this hermeneutic highlights the nature of human persons, sin and…

It is very often in counselling and psychotherapeutic procedures that clients need to cope with negative emotions such as sadness, guilt, fear or anger. The implementation of the Dialogical Stage Model (DSM) (Hermans, H. & Hermans-Konopka, A. [2010]. "Dialogical self theory: Positioning and counter-positioning in a globalizing…

This article introduces the empirical support for and theoretical tenets of Goal Focused Positive Psychotherapy (GFPP), a comprehensive, evidence-based, psychotherapy model. GFPP's approach emerges from positive and social psychology research, and is informed by psychotherapy research from the common and contextual models. Its interventions focus…

The author employs neurobiology to help explore deception in nature and self-deception in human beings. She examines activities that may appear playful but that lack such hallmark qualities of play as equality, mutual pleasure, and voluntarism and that can, therefore, prove psychologically destructive. She warns that the kind of playful…

Hope has long been identified as an important therapeutic factor in counselling. Further, research evidence for the importance of hope to counselling practice and outcome is abundant. However, the field is only beginning to explicitly consider how hope can be effectively and intentionally practised. One of the most challenging dilemmas encountered…

To date, no empirically based inpatient intervention for individuals who have attempted suicide exists. We present an overview of a novel psychotherapeutic approach, Post-Admission Cognitive Therapy (PACT), currently under development and empirical testing for inpatients who have been admitted for a recent suicide attempt. PACT is adapted from an…

This paper explores some issues that might arise when one considers having a table hockey game in the therapy room, and describes how an autistic boy, aged four-and-a-half when starting treatment, used that game. The unfolding process from withdrawal to separateness, intersubjectivity and playfulness is illustrated by the progress of two years of…

Nine therapists were interviewed regarding their reactions to children displaying sexually problematic behaviour and how they managed these reactions. The framework of countertransference was used to understand therapists' reactions. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The participants reported a wide range of powerful and…

This paper shows a child psychotherapist learning and developing her technique as she attempts to make contact with a child who is extremely hard to reach. It is based on the first two years of three-times-weekly intensive psychotherapy of a latency girl who had little faith in a helpful therapeutic relationship. Her defences against such a…

The current study retrospectively examined the relationship between female clients' perceptions of microaggressions directed toward women, working alliance, and therapeutic outcomes (N = 121). A measure, the Microaggressions Against Women Scale (MAWS), was developed specifically for this study, based on a content review of the literature, focus…

Objective: Video teleconferencing (VTC) is used for mental health treatment delivery to geographically remote, underserved populations. However, few studies have examined how VTC affects individual or group psychotherapy processes. This study compares process variables such as therapeutic alliance and attrition among participants receiving anger…

The purpose of this study was to understand how the real relationship (RR) relates to important process and outcome variables from both the clients' and therapists' perspectives. Using a sample of 31 therapist/client dyads at a university counseling center, the authors examined the RR at the 3rd session of therapy and at termination. The results…