By: Laura Gonzalez
This blog was started as an initiative of the Research-Practice Initiative in the UNCG Department of Counseling and Educational Development (CED). The goal of this blog is to provide descriptions of recent counseling research in ways that make practice-relevant research findings accessible to practitioners. We will cover many facets of counseling practice and highlight the work of CED researchers, as well as research done by scholars at other institutions.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Latino Students in New Arrival States: Factors and Services to Prevent Youth from Dropping Out
By: Laura Gonzalez
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
CED Students Create Sexuality Counseling Guidebook: Volume V (Special Theme: Sexuality Counseling Across the Lifespan)
The Guidebook can be accessed here:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bx3L5tDfyhpRYzkxNDlhYzItMGVkYi00MzE2LWJiYTUtNmU1Yjg1YTcyNThh&hl=en
The students enrolled in this class were Whitney Akers, Abby Illig, Hannah Myung, Nicole Tate, and Emily Teague
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Research Summary: The Coping Window: A contextual understanding of the methods women use to cope with battering
Researchers:
Paige Hall Smith (UNCG Center for Women’s Health and Wellness), Christine E. Murray (UNCG Department of Counseling and Educational Development, Ann L. Coker (University of Kentucky)
Source:
Violence and Victims, February 2010
Background
What does it mean to “cope” with being a victim of battering? Can any coping strategy victims use be considered adaptive if it makes it more likely for them to stay in the abusive relationship?
This qualitative study involved interviewing women in battered women’s shelters in order to understand how these women cope with the battering-related stressors they face.
Who were the participants, and what were they asked to do?
Ten first-time residents of three North Carolina battered women’s shelters were interviewed to learn about the coping strategies they used in response to abuse. The researchers used qualitative data analysis procedures to identify themes in participants’ responses.
Major findings:
The 19 identified coping strategies were categorized based on whether they focused on managing emotions or solving problems and whether they engaged intrapersonal or interpersonal resources. An example of a coping strategy from each category is as follows:
- Emotion-focused/Intrapersonal: Keeping hope
- Emotion-focused/Interpersonal: Family support
- Problem-focused/Intrapersonal: Active planning
- Problem-focused/Interpersonal: Formal help-seeking
The researchers developed a conceptual framework that involved the image of a window, in which these categories were surrounded by a frame of the context. Some contextual influences included the perceived threat of harm, the perception that there are alternatives to the abusive relationship, and beliefs the women hold about relationship commitment.
Major caveats:
As a qualitative study with a small sample of mostly African American participants drawn from one geographic region, the findings may not be applicable to other populations. In addition, because all participants were residents of battered women’s shelters, their responses may differ from those of battering victims who do not seek shelter services.
What does this research mean for counseling practice?
Counselors should assess for a variety of coping strategies when working with clients who have been victims of battering.
The relative value of coping strategies used in response to battering must be considered in light of numerous contextual factors, particularly related to victims’ safety.
According to the authors, “Coping strategies can serve both a protective and a risk-engendering function for these women, and often the same strategy may serve both functions depending on whether a short- or long-term view is taken” (p. 27). As such, counselors can work with their clients to evaluate the extent to which the coping strategies they are using are helping them to meet their short- and long-term goals.