From Inner Sources - New Directions in Object Relations Psychotherapy

From Inner Sources - New Directions in Object Relations Psychotherapy

* Object relations theory --- How individuals develop in relation to the people around them

* Internalizing & Externalizing Relationships, Attachment & Separation, Introjection & Projection, Transmuting Internalization

* Freud (1905) - the infant as having drives that have an aim and are directed toward an object. According to this model, psychological growth takes place as impulses are frustrated and the organism seeks increasingly efficient avenues for discharge of energy. The needs of the object are accommodated only as a compromise. In this model, pathology arises when the drives are excessively frustrated or gratified, leading to symptomatic inhibitions, renewed attempts to gratify impulses through convoluted channels, or impulse control problems.

* Anna Freud (1936) - concentrated on the ego's attempts to protect its integrity through an increasingly elaborate series of defense mechanisms, which contribute both to growth, when managed well, and to pathology, when managed poorly.

* Freud (1917) - following a loss, people seek to continue receiving gratification from the lost person by internalizing the person's image and relating to this now internal object as if it were the actual person. People not only internalize lost objects but identify with them; they make the object-image a part of themselves and thereby develop their identity.

* Melanie Klein (1975) - infants are object related from birth. Since infants are in a relationship from the beginning, they attempt to protect their integrity as an organism and that of the primary object of attachment (which they experience as a part of themselves) by projecting their innate destructiveness onto the environment and introjecting its good aspects or, reciprocally, by projecting the good aspects of themselves onto the good object and experiencing themselves removed from discomfort or danger. Thus, they split their self-and-object world into all-good and all-bad camps.

* Pruyser (1975) - the lack of clarity in "splitting" terminology which suggests that what is divided - the ego - is also the agent which does the dividing. More recent work has attempted to address this issue by distinguishing the self from the ego (Hamilton, 1988).

* Klein (1975) - As splitting resolves, whole object relations become central to mature functioning in normal development. The maturing child learns that his loving wishes are directed toward the same object as his destructiveness. The mother whom he hates and wishes to destroy for depriving him is the same mother he loves for nurturing him. The child then develops romorse and guilt and wishes to restore or repair the object he had previously wanted to diminish. As he works through his guilt, he comes to recognize his loving and destructive impulses as his own and his mother's nurturing and depriving qualities as her own. The self is loving and also somewhat destructive. The object is loving and also a bit destructive. The self and object are separate, yet related. This is whole object relatedness (Mahler et al., 1975).

* The primary problem - how to maintain continuity of relationships in the presence of contradictory loving and hating feelings - love being associated with gratification-attachment and hate being associated with deprivation-abandonment.

* Klein (1946) - Projective identification, whereby a person attributes an aspect of the self to the object and reidentifies with the projected element in the other, attempting to control it.

* Fairbairn (1954) & Guntrip (1969) - the need to seek objects and attach meaningfully to other people as the central elements in personality development; a divided self or ego - libidinal ego, antilibidinal ego, and central ego.

* Bion (1962) - the metaphor of the container and the contained to show how infants overcome the isolation and fragmentation of their split internal world.Children have strong affects that threaten to overwhelm them. They externalize their distress and project it onto the parent, who takes in the projected feeling, contains it, modulates and alters it, and gives the transformed affect back to the child in the form of holding behavior or a meaningful comment. The child can now accept the metabolized affect and self-image as his own. He eventually identifies with the containing process itself and learns to contain his own affects.

* Winnicott - the holding environment (1960) and the transitional object (1953). The holding environment describes the good enough mother's function of providing the child with optimal closeness while allowing adequate room for development of autonomy. It emphasizes the need for closeness and separateness. Eventually, the child can internalize the holding functions so that he can self-soothe (Tolpin, 1971) and separate from the parent. An important step in this process is development of a transitional object, which is neither self nor object and yet may be treated as if it were the beloved parent and simultaneously the self.

* Kernberg (1976) - infants develop through phases of a split internal world and gradually shift toward whole object relatedness; infants as being born with an undifferentiated energy and responsiveness. This energy becomes organized into the traditional two drives of sex and aggression by polar effects experienced in the split all-good, all-bad world of the infant.

* Mahler (1975) - autism (birth), symbiosis (2 months), separation-individuation (6 months; 10-16 months - new mobility, 16-24 months - increased cognitive awareness of his vulnerability & separateness --> uneasy return to the mother, rapprochment subphase of separation- individuation), and whole object relations (24-36 months; infant and parent are separate yet related, the relationship being primarily good but also having some less than optimal qualities).

* Kohut (1971) - denies inherent human aggression; infants as being born with needs; They need self-cohesion and self-regulation, functions that the parent originally performs for the child. Through empathic attunement the parent integrates and modulates for the baby. Splitting as a fragmentation product resulting from inadequate empathic attunement. Since the parent performs a self-modulation function for the infant and is still an object, the parent serves as a "selfobject." Through what Kohut called transmuting internalization, that is, introjecting and identifying with the sustaining selfobject, the child learns to self-soothe and develop self-esteem and a cohesive sense of self, although even adults continue to need sustaining objects to some degree.

* Diagnosis - Object relations theorists classify mental disorders according to the degree of separation-indivduation and development of whole object relations achieved by the patient. The psychoses display a severe degree of self-object confusion and fragmentation; they are placed at the presymbiotic or symbiotic level of development described by Mahler. Borderline disorders, in which splitting all-good and all-bad experience is predominant, are placed at the rapprochement level. Narcissistic idealizing and devaluing are seen as associated with the late rapprochement subphase or the early phase in developing whole object relations. Neurotic disorders with greater tolerance of ambivalence are considered whole object relations issues. Kohut's schema (1971) is based on the degree of self-cohesion as manifested in merger, mirroring, and idealizing transferences.

* Object-relations-oriented developmental diagnosis is most useful in planning psychotherapies and less useful for choosing somatic interventions.

* Kohut (1971) - narcissistic disorders ~ inadequate parental empathic attunement, defective self-soothing and an ongoing desperate search for external sources of self-esteem.

* Masterson & Rinsley (1975) - borderline splitting ~ maternal behavior that alternately rewards clinging symbiosis and punishes appropriate individuation by emotional abandonment.

* Kernberg (1975) - borderline splitting ~ an attempt to keep overwhelming aggression from annihilating feeble good internal objects. While he emphasized a constitutional excess of aggression as central, he acknowledged that extreme environmental frustration in early life could lead to increased internal aggression.

* Because object relations theory is an intrapsychic and interpersonal construct focusing on emotional interactions, cognitive and perceptual-motor factors have been relatively ignored.

* Splitting, envy, negative transference, acting out, abandonment depression, +/- self- and other-images, self-other boundaries, mirroring (narcissistic DOs), idealizing transferences (narcissistic DOs), a holding environment, containment, empathic attunement, sustaining relatedness.

* Elucidation of how projective identification stimulates powerful and primitive countertransference reactions had made it possible for therapists to work with many patients previously considered untreatable.

GRP SUP NOTES - Oct. 18

Family issues --> Past Sexual Assault

* Pace and timing at the CL's choice & the balance of challenging and giving the CL's control

* Why NOW?

* Summarize the transition. Make it explicit. Address the shift overtly. Family issues - control, strength; learn to set limits vs. past sexual trauma - a place of vunlerability;

* Past success; from overly distress --> more integrated;

* When the CL does shift out, use process comments to name the transition. Explore if it is a conscious coping effort or an automatic reaction.

* What was the message she took away from the past sexual trauma? About herself, man, relationships, and sexuality.

* No one helped.

* Self-defense course to empower and gain ability to defend herself.

* TWO ANCHOR POINTS: Identify the strength & Clarify decisions.

The Library - Oct. 16-17

* (10/16 Tuesday) Apparently I am learning a few things about our library. The compact storage is hiding in the basement. There are times when every of the four copiers on the first and the second floors broke. At least now I also know who is the person in charge of all these things. :-) It was such a crazy afternoon that I can't help but laugh about it.

* (10/17 Wednesday) I expected very few students to show up for the lab sections tonight and made 20 copies of the handout. However, I had 13 in the first section and thought I needed more copies to make sure that I would not run short. It was too late to get it made somewhere other than the library. Once again it was the "in-charge" person kindly allowed me to use the old employee copier capbable of double-sided copying. What a nice person :-)

What a FULL day!

* First time in a long time, I was able to sleep in and relax. As a matter of fact, I did not leave my comfortable bed until 11am. It was nice to get the laundry done and to finally have some time getting tide up.

* The weather was perfect for the football game this afternoon. I enjoyed the sunshine, but still think it was not charitable to let the other team score nothing. It simply were not hospitable. Apparently there is a lack of sportsmanship in me.

* It was exciting to have the Bible study with S. & A. Dear LORD, will YOU please reveal yourself and your love to them? Will YOU Yourself draw them close? Dear LORD, I praise YOU for how YOU touch our hearts one by one in a unique way. Thank you for allowing to be an eyewitness and an instrument during YOUR transforming work.

* Contra dance was fun. I was late, but danced every single dance while I was there. M. is nice to waltz with me :-)

Wisdom from others - Oct. 13

* "Christian ethics recognizes that the broken, twisted will can do nothing without rehabilitation by God's grace." - Lauren Winner

* "True transformation requires God's enabling grace." - Chuck Colson

* "Decisions that are not reinforced and reformed by the community tend to be short-lived." - William Willimon

Random Thoughts - Oct 13

A day of relaxing and fun

* I read on someone's page "smile when you are sad." I don't agree with it. Here is my version. Cry or pout (at your choice) when you are sad. Just do not forget to smile or laugh afterwards :-)

* Here is another one "ignore the pain." Well, pain is always unpleasant. However, God gave us the ability to feel pain for a reason. It is an alarm system for safety. Embrace the pain and let God do the molding and refining through it.

A Day with Highlights - Oct. 11

Thesis defense
The adventure with the short circuit

Encouragement and positive feedback

The honoring of my adviser and many who have helped.

Reaction to the CL's decision; confidence

Library encounters

Friendship & Stick Rice; the Wild Appetizer

* Pushing Daisies

PSYC Lab (6) - Oct. 10

* Reporting the result of t-test, t value, df, p value;

* How to do one sample t-test in SPSS?

* Type I error vs. Type II error (exam of pregnancy test)

* Overall logic for t-test; the formula for t
Effect of the IV divided by sampling error; large sampling error cancels out the effect of the IV; smaller sample size - less effective with detecting the effects of the IV

Book List (Professional) - Oct. 10

Consultation Skills for Mental Health Professionals

Doing Better

What Works for Whom?

Freeing the Angry Mind

God is looking for ...

God is not looking for those who are clever,
but for those in whom He can be wise;
He is not looking for those who are talented,
but for those to whom He can be all sufficient;
He is not looking for those who are powerful,
but for those through whom He can be almighty.

- Roy Lessin, Co-founder DaySpring Cards

For the eyes of the LORD search back and forth across the whole earth, looking for people whose hearts are perfect toward Him, so that He can show His great power in helping them ... - 2 Chronicles 16:9 TLB

PSYC 611 (4 & 5) - Sept. 26 & Oct. 3

Well, I did not reflect back on the PSYC 611 classes for the past two weeks either. Thesis, thesis, thesis ... However, today is the day we share our class journals. So at least I am retrospectively journaling my reflections.

PSYC 611 (4) - Leadership: Emotional Intelligence and Leadership

EQ: 1) self-awareness of emotions and impacts on others; 2) controlling/redirecting disruptive moods; 3) thinking before acting; 4) pursuing goals with energy and persistence; 5) understanding the emotional make-up of others; 6) managing relationships and building networks.
Self-awareness; self-management; Social awareness; Relationship management

Small group activity

Resonant Leader - Goleman

"Primal" dimensions of leadership
-- Great leaders work through the emotions.

Primal Leadership: 1) commanding style; 2) pacesetting style; 3) democratic style; 4) affiliative style; 5) coaching style; 6) visionary style.


PSYC 611 (5) - Qualitative Research

Qualitative research - researcher as instrument

Focus group

activity: not volunteering to be the facilitator. etc.

PSYC 627 (6) - Oct. 9

Apparently it has been quite a while since I took time to reflect on my classes and record those introspections. Thesis has been the priority for this past month.

Yesterday we had an in-class activity to come up with a research proposal and then to critique another. It felt strange and awkward. I guess I was tired and almost felt being looked down upon. Maybe the other was a little overconfident. Yet again maybe that is a good thing to come down strong and push things forward. It is interesting that I felt that my opinions were not valued. Yet quite a bit of what we presented were raised by my suggestions. Maybe I also need to adjust my expectations and refocus on the positive, collaborative aspects.

Another issue is that there are always pros and cons for all research designs. It is more important to justify your design and acknowledge the potential limitation rather than finding the "perfect" way, since such a thing does not exist.

A Prayer (from Dayspring) - Oct. 1

Jesus is your Good Shepherd;
May He refresh you in green pastures often.
Jesus is your Faithful Friend;
May He walk beside you daily.
Jesus is your Blessed Savior;
May He keep you secure in His hand.
Jesus is your Wonderful Counselor;
May He comfort you with encouragement.
Jesus is your Loving Father;
May He shower you with love and grace.
Jesus is your Dependable Teacher;
May He fill your heart with wisdom.
Jesus is your Victorious Commander;
May He reward your faithfulness.

IndSup Notes - From 09/14/2007

* Formal request for accommodation: ADHD (evaluation - interview) & Physical (VP for Student Development + Student Health)
* History of accomplishments & What next?
* What each of the meds is for?
* Previous experience with health care professionals.

* Mistrust can be smart. Need more evidence.
* Trust as ability to predict one's behavior; the probability - positive, reliable experiences
* Trust as a continuum
* Trust all people to be themselves and to do what they do.

Sunday at CGC - Sept 30

Worship Songs: My Savior My God, Breathe, Worthy is the Lamb

Topic: Word of FAITH


Forsaking
All
I
Trust
Him

Painfully Honest - Sept 30

I know I need to stop and come to reflection, honest to myself and before God. I have been avoiding it subconsciously or consciously. At first, it was the excuse of being tired, being busy, ... Then I just plainly ignored the little voice. Until now, I do need to pause and regroup.

I realized that once again I have been relying on my flesh instead of the power of the Holy Spirit. I have been doing it by my own strength. I have once again been overtaken by the pressure of the world, by the busy-ness, ... I need to come back to the LORD and be grounded once again. I long for the stability, for the calmness, and for the fulfilled-ness of my life when I am in Him and have the deep awareness of His presence in my life. I won't be honest if I pretend it is so now. Time to stop and refocus.

Something to think about: * Is my thesis/or whatever the Ph.D. program takes more important than my relationship with God? The answer is simple. However not so for the daily living part of it. The shouting of daily demands is sometimes too loud and it distracts me from seeking God's sweet whisper. Dear LORD, here I am again. Back before YOU and ask YOU to restore me with Your healing touch and Your loving hand. Here I am once again to lay down my life in front of YOU in exchange for YOUR burden and YOUR yoke. Dear LORD, I come to YOU seeking Your wisdom and Your guidance for my life. Dear LORD, I want more of YOU, more than anything else in the world.

* What is at the root of my wasting time checking E-mail and facebook too frequently and watching movies (or seeking other entertainment) with exhausting abandonment? Is it loneliness? Is it the longing of being connected? Is it the longing to be known? Am I looking for the desire of my heart at all the wrong places, when I need to come to the LORD with my broken heart? Is it pride that keeps me from acknowledging my loneliness? Dear LORD, I do long for a relationship that is for life with another, with the one YOU have made me to be a help mate for. Dear LORD, will you give me the strength and courage to acknowledge the pain of not having and longing? Will you help me stop pushing away those feelings and hiding? Will you help me focus on my relationship with YOU at the mean time? Will you prepare our hearts and prepare the time to come? Dear LORD, please draw me closer to you the next time I want to hide from my longings and my loneliness, and the next after that, ...

Dear LORD, I do come to YOU for help to give me a humble heart. Dear LORD, help me be grateful for the blessings you have given me and the gifts you have bestowed on me. Dear LORD, keep me humble that I will not think of myself higher than I actually am. Dear LORD, I do want to lift up the whole issue of my thesis to your hands. Will you help me defend it on time? Now I have done my best. Dear LORD, may YOUR power be made perfect in my weaknesses! May YOUR name be glorified and blessed through my thesis~ Dear LORD, give me the strength to press on. Hold me tight so that I will always hold on to YOU instead of anything else in the stormy times. I love YOU, LORD. Help me love YOU more!

Lectio Divina: Contemplative Bible Reading

From STINT 2007 at Copper Village, Colorado

Contemplative Bible reading is one of the oldest methods of Bible study. Its traditional name is lectio divina, a Latin phrase (pronounced lex-ee-oh di-vee-muh) that can be translated "divine reading," "spiritual reading," or "sacred reading." Contemplative Bible reading is both a simple and a profound way to approach Scripture. It consists of a four-part movement beginning with the text and ending in prayer. This style of Bible reading can be used by both individuals and groups. The four steps that make up contemplative Bible reading are:

Reading/Listening: Read aloud a short passage of Scripture. As you read, listen for the word or phrase that speaks to you. What is the Spirit drawing your attention to?

Meditating: Repeat aloud the word or phrase to which you are drawn. Make connections between it and your life. What is God saying to you by means of this word or phrase?

Praying: Now take these thoughts and offer them back to God in prayers, giving thanks, asking for guidance, asking for forgiveness, and resting in God's love. What is God leading you to pray?

Contemplating: Move from the activity of prayer to the stillness of contemplation. Simply rest in God's presence. Stay open to God. Listen to God. Remain in peace and silence before God. How is God revealing Himself to you?

Prayer List - Sept. 23

Cassie B. - health
Andrea K. - recovery
Betsy B. - recovery
Joe J. - school
Jen B. - small group
Amanda - Job
Kimi N. - Support Raising

Self
Thesis, Research Award Application, Young Adult Ministry, Prep for Nov. Trip, etc.

Church
Leaders, International Student Ministry, Small Groups, Visitors, Kids, Mentors, etc.

How Easily Tears Come - Sept. 23

I can't believe this. I got teary eyed three times this morning. Dear LORD, what are YOU doing?

The first time was during the song You Said. "You said, Ask and I'll give the nations to you. O Lord, that's the cry of my heart." That moment, my heart was overwhelmed. Tears came out despite my protest. I was not able to sing at all. The tears continued their free flowing until the very end of the song. (I suppose it is God's grace that I did not wear make up this morning.) I would be lying if I told you that I was not embarrassed. Dear LORD, will YOU lead me in prayer and service to ask you for the nations. Dear LORD, will YOU continue to prepare and equip me, lead me and guide me, mold me and transform me, ALL for YOUR glory.

Once again I was in tears during the story reading with Mark, and his math teacher, and the two pages of words of affirmation. At least, this time the tears stayed in my eyelids.

When I was playing with little I., tears came to fill my eyelids once again, looking at her and wondering how GOD sees her. Dear LORD, I do pray. Will YOU give me YOUR eyes to see little I., so that I can see her as how YOU see her? As a matter of fact, will YOU give me YOUR eyes to see everyone YOU place in my path? Will YOU help me see them as YOU see them?

I still can't believe how easily these tears came. Is this a sign of psychological health and low defense mechanism? Well, anyhow, the important thing is to keep Kleenex in my purse from now on ~

Words of Correction/Healing - Sept. 23

Songs of Worship: Come Now Is the Time to Worship; Be Unto Your Name; You Said; I Want to Know You More.

Words are like arrows, instead of dagger, because they can go deep and cause damage beyond contact point.

James 5:9

Judge not, lest you be judged. - Matthew 7:1-6

Judge yourself first so that you can see clearly to remove the spike from your brother's eye.

To judge clearly is good. There is good judgment. The Bible warns against a particular way of judging. (Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is rather "judgmental," because He is HUGE on truth. :-)

James 4:11-12; James 5:9; Matthew 7:1-6 - Judge as grumble, slander, judge against

Galatians 6:1-5
* The Law of Christ: John 13:34-35 - Love one another.
* Sin - not personal quirks; issues that are offensive to God.

We correct because the person is getting hurt by the spike, because to sin is to stumble and it hurts.

How to give correction to one another:
1. Be sensitive. It is out of concern, not to criticize or condemn.
2. Be spiritual. It is from the prompting of the Spirit. God talks and He leads you to correct another. His time and His truth.
3. Be humble. First examine yourself. Galatians 6:1-5
4. Be careful. Have a close relationship first. Gal. 6:1 - caught - habitual sin; Know all the facts beforehand.

A beautiful example: John 8 - "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."

How to keep an eye on myself:
1. Know where I am vulnerable;
2. Give significant others permission to help me;
3. Find an accountability partner.

Correction without connection feels like accusation. First connect and care. :-)

Random Thoughts in Quiet Morning Hours - Sept. 23

Finally, I got the time adjusted to the correct Eastern Time from the default.

It was around a hour ago that I woke up from dreaming contra dancing. I went contra last night. It was a blast. I absolutely loved it! Plus, I was praised as "a good swinger" by two different persons during the course of the night :-) That's always a good thing, I suppose. Collecting positive feedback is a healthy thing to do. ^_*

It was interesting that I met an alum last night serving food at the mid-autumn festival. He seemed familiar enough but I have not the tiniest memory piece where I saw him before. He also knew every place I settled in since my internship in college. Well, there are only two before here. :0) But he no longer remembered my name. Strange, strange, ... But I suppose it is a good to meet an alum here.

Anyhow, I woke up at 4:30AM, hungry, which was not surprising how little I did eat last night. My mind was also still excited from the evening. So I got up, loaded the laundry, empties the dish washer, and cleaned the kitchen counter and the microwave. Now I am back to bed with Silk and challah, still hungry but not really wanting to eat. The psalms CD played and ended. But I am too lazy to go change it. I can feel sleep is coming to me and I welcome it with open arms. I can still fit about 3hrs in if I so choose.

BTW: I realized that it is not really laziness when I don't do things. It is mostly because I am too tired, one way or another. Rest and self-care normally solves the situation. :-) What an assurance :-)

P.S. I need to reflect back on my attitude toward the lady coming back to the serving table last night. It is true that she was not very considerate of others and the system. However, I am not proud of my attitude either. I could not even remember the last time I was that grumpy. Oh, LORD, please forgive me and help me be gracious.

My CAPS Office - Sept. 21

Finally I am done with my office decor. I also turned in my thesis draft after my brain got totally fried to non-functional. So I took pictures of my office. Just a little show-off. I think this too is somewhere in me with at least a small portion. :-)

Here it is: My 1st Office Decor Effort

Movies this weekend - Sept. 20-22

12 Angry Men
(Here is a man I can admire, Mr. Davis, more so than Mr. D***Y :-)

Sunshine
(Even though I don't agree with the value and acts of many characters, I still have to acknowledge that it is a well-made movie.)

Tender Mercies
(I chose this movie because of the word "grace." It taught me that grace does not have too be huge to have a huge impact. Grace does not need to defend questioning with answers. Grace is just grace, quiet, meek, and gently loves.)

Stats Books - Sept. 18

QA276.12 .W57 2004	Statistics /
QA276.12 .W73 2002	First steps in statistics /
QA276.12 .W96	Learning statistics :
QA276.14 .E5 1982	Encyclopedia of statistical sciences /
QA276.14 .E84 2002eb	The Cambridge dictionary of statistics
QA276.14 .F73 1994	The data analysis handbook /
QA276.14 .K46 1982	A dictionary of statistical terms /
QA276.14 .P67 1991	The HarperCollins dictionary of statistics /
QA276.14 .T54 1986	A topical dictionary of statistics /
QA276.14 .U67 2006	A dictionary of statistics /
QA276.14 .U67 2007eb	A dictionary of statistics
QA276.15 .A43 1980	American contributions to mathematical statistics in the nineteenth century /
QA276.15 .D39 2001	Annotated readings in the history of statistics /
QA276.15 .E84 1998	The Cambridge dictionary of statistics /
QA276.15 .F37 1999	Fitting linear relationships :
QA276.15 .H353 2007	A history of parametric statistical inference from Bernoulli to Fisher, 1713-1935 /
QA276.15 .H49	I. J. Bienayme :
QA276.15 .I43 1983	A modern approach to statistics /
QA276.15 .O5	On the history of statistics and probability :
QA276.15 .O5 1976	On the history of statistics and probability :

"Special" Words - Sept. 16

* Words for Results Section: depict, reveal, describe, represent, display, present, point out, picture

Thesis Work Sheet - Sept. 16

Results Section

* Report CI instead of p value, especially for multivariate tests.

* Mediation model report the variance accounted by the variable(s).

* Other variables include vs. not?

* Bonferroni correction

Discussion Section

Study Implications: 1) comparison study; 2) proactive coping theory --> career and work; 3) career development and coping/adjustment; 4) unexpected results: lower WHS, CP-A in international students --> additional career-related support for international students.

Limitations: 1) sample size & representativeness; 2) non-equivalent groups; 3) heterogeneous gruop for international students; 4) cross-sectional, correlational design; 5) relatively new measures;

Future Directions: 1) Second wave study of the original design, adjustment measured by SWLS and PWB; 2) Study the adjustment strain for international students by pre- and post-entry assessments; 3) Career intervention program to support international students; 4) Further studies to shed light on the different regarding full vs. partial mediation model.

Notes:

** Rule of thumb for the inclusion of co-variates - only when the correlation is .70 or above; otherwise, it will suck up variance, thus reduce power, without increase precision. (Porter & Raudenbush, 1987, JCP, 34, 383-392)

** Bob Lent, Coping efficacy; Coping & Career; Barriers & Supports; Female & Minorities

University Counseling Centers - Sept. 16

* Guinee & Ness (2000). TCP, 28, 267-280. "make consultation a high priority, developing self-help programs and materials, and working whenever possible as consultants and trainers in support of personal growth and development."

Books to Read (SPIRITUALITY) - Sept 16

No Compromise: The Life and Legacy of Keith Green

Paperwork Tips - Sept 14

* Try to be congruent with how it is done in real life. The Grown-Up Way vs. The Trainee Way :-)

* Issues discussed, methods/techniques used; progress observed/reported.

* Be concrete. Focus on behavior and behavior change. Point out change of thinking but link to behavior.

* Indicate your work, without referring "I" an "we" overly frequently. "With encouragement ... " "The CL was open to suggestions/alternatives ... " "After alternatives were presented, ..."

* Make the transition. "The primary focus of the session is ... Additional issues discussed include ..."

* Avoid jargon, such as "process (talk about), dynamics (interactions), instill hope (set up expectations), reframe (describe what the CL views as a weakness as a strength by proposing a different perspective), reinstate, ..."

* Be efficient.

* Description - What Happened? Assessment - What do you make of it? interpretation; progress or not; continuation; switch of focus; a stumbling block; going in circles; Plan - What comes next? Homework check in, info to provide, actions to take, etc. "She agreed to ..." "After some discussion, the CL decided ... " ;

* "Strengths were identified to demonstrate the CL's ability to ... "

* Some words to use: conclude, accept, agree, indicate, demonstrate, etc.

Sexual Trauma, Termn., etc. - Sept. 10

* A potential script: "Do you want to tell me what happened? Some feel safe to talk about it and experience a sense of relief after talking; others are not ready to talk yet; and still some never want to talk about it. You need to decide it yourself and I respect your decision. If and when you reach a new place, you can let me know as well."

* "Can you tell me a little bit about it so that I can get a general idea?"

* "How does it affect your life right now?"

* Deal with the immediate here-and-now. "How is it like to come and talk with me?" (Some can talk right away; the others need to test me out.)

* Present options and alternatives. Let them choose and support their choice. Empower. Restore a sense of control, agency, and predictability (safety).

* Mini-experiences. "I decided and then it happened this way." Provide feedback to help gain the insight.

* Believe them, their experience, and how they see it.

* No control vs. feel control; no control ~ anxiety, helplessness; control ~ responsibility, self-blaming.

* When people feel out of control, people generally cope by one of two ways. (1) "should"s, self-blaming -> lowered anxiety, but increased depression; 2) anxiety, (encourage the CL to hang in there if appropriate). The CL's mistake vs. the other person's mistake; boundary; responsibility (self vs. other).

* "You know I can't tell you how to live your life." :0) Decision making; not ready; sit with the unsettledness;

* Check in. Everything is going well. "Did you get what you came here for? Is there something else you would like to work on right now?" "If somethings comes up in the future, you can always come back."

* NEVER work harder than the CL.

* Support. Reflect. Encourage. Point out past accomplishment.

Books to Read (PSYCHOLOGY) - Sept 15

Born to Win

A Guide to Rational Living

What Color is Your Parachute?

How to Live with a Neurotic

Clinical Paperwork Tips - Sept 13

* For the description section of the progress notes, group the information according to theme instead of chronology and the session content.

My Liger Coloring Recap (from PSYC 611) - Sept 12

Liger (Video Clip)
"It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed... bred for its skills in magic."

With $5,000,000? (from PSYC 611) - Sept 12

The Activity: Broadening Our Vision and Dreams for Our Career

You have just completed your Ph.D. in counseling psychology. As a graduation gift, a long-lost relative gives you $5,000,000. You are entitled to keep all of the money. The only requirement is that you must work. You can do anything you want in your work. What would you want to be doing in your work? What type of setting(s) would you want to be in?

WORK - the intent to accomplish something of value

I am never too enthusiastic about activities such as this. First, I do not care too much about money. Money is important, as for everybody. However, relatively speaking, money does NOT have a huge bearing on my decision making. I am a relatively frugal person. I am rather good at living with limited financial resources and stretching them, good at (intuitively) budgeting and saving money, ... I enjoy a little luxury here and there, but am fond of a simple life in general. Thanks to my upbringing and my gifted and virtuous mother. :-) I will give up good pay for something I love with my heart in a heartbeat. That's right. It is all about the HEART.

Anyway, it is difficult for me to respond to such a question. Well, I still want to be a stay-home mom (and you do realize a good wife is implied here, right?). Something probably won't be very well received and edifying to others considering the setting. Something I won't feel safe to share, considering the lack of prospective candidate at the present time. May the LORD help him ^_*

Aside from it, I thought of building an orphanage and a school. It is all about children, the hope of tomorrow. Well, if I never get married, I will devote myself and my maternal love to all children God places in my path. Yet I still kind of think this will be a waste of some sort. I do think I have pretty good genes to pass on as well as good "softwares." :-) (My "shameless" self-evaluation.)

Then I realized that the one thing I REALLY want to do is to share my JESUS and His LOVE with others.

None of this is close to my more routine idea of working at a university setting. As I think of it, I realized that it is about making an impact. With limited resources, there are limited possibility of making an impact. Ample resources take away some restrictions and open more doors.

I don't think I will have $5,000,000 dropped at my doorsteps. However, I can surely implement my values in my WORK (the magic word) whenever the LORD leads me.

PSYC 611 (3) - Sept. 12

Topics:

1. Training, S-P model vs. P-Sch model, the integration of research and practice
* Anxiety clinic, faculty with integrative perspectives, course offering
* Science as a way of thinking; scientific inquiries
* Presenting problem --> Case conceptualization (translation to theoretical statement) --> treatment plans
* Scientist - Practitioner - Leader model -- The LIGER coloring activity (I love it!)
(From Napoleon Dynamite, Liger: Half lion, half tiger. Bred for its skills in magic.)
My LIGER

2. Internship and job placement
* University counseling center, VAMC, other health care setting;
* Hospital setting ~ specialization;
* Salary negotiation - the business aspect of being a psychologist;
* What is the relationship between internship site and the first job setting?

3. Internship application process


4. Balance of career and family
* Being balanced vs. Feel out of sync;
* Expectations & Priorities; Be OK to feel never being able to be caught up.
* Systemic factors; Beyond just being able to say "no."
* The Activity: Broadening Our Vision and Dreams for Our Career
You have just completed your Ph.D. in counseling psychology. As a graduation gift, a long-lost relative gives you $5,000,000. You are entitled to keep all of the money. The only requirement is that you must work. You can do anything you want in your work. What would you want to be doing in your work? What type of setting(s) would you want to be in?

My Response

PSYC 627 (3) - Sept 11

Threats to Internal Validity

* Schedule enough time to read the readings!!!

* Use diagram to sketch the research design. (R - Randomized; O - Observation/Assessment; X - intervention)

* Consider the research question and the relationship that is the focus of the study.

* Dissect the impact of various factors.

* Come up with solutions to fix the problem instead of leaving it broken.

Construct Validity

Forgive (by Roy Lessin) - Sept. 11

The painting FORGIVEN reveals the heart of God toward me. As I look at the scene, I not only see Jesus wrapping His arms around a fallen man, but I also see Him wrapping His arms of mercy around me. My eyes tell me Jesus is holding a broken sinner, but my heart tells me that Jesus is holding me.

As I look, wonder, and ponder this painting, there is one message that speaks the loudest to my heart - it is the overwhelming truth that Jesus loves me as no one else ever could. His suffering, His sacrifice, His death, were all for me. When I look at the cross I never need to question if He loves me. He came for me, He died for me, He lives for me. When I look at His shed blood, I never need to question my worth. I am worth to God the death of His Son. A tremendous price has been paid - more than all the riches of all the kingdom in all the world.

- Roy Lessin, Co-founder DaySpring

Marital Abuse - Sept. 11

http://www.rbc.org/been_thinking_about/10/01/07.aspx

(God's Protection Over Women http://www.rbc.org/bible_study/discovery_series/booklets/32331.aspx)

Do we have a high enough view of marriage to respond adequately to marital abuse?

Before answering, let’s consider one woman who represents many. To personalize her, let’s imagine her as our daughter or friend.

She doesn’t know where to turn and blames herself for ending up in a bad marriage.

We know she isn’t perfect. But what we haven’t seen is how often she’s cried, and how hard she’s tried to make her marriage work. For the last 12 years she has prayed that God would give her the patience and grace to stay with the man she promised to love for the rest of her life.

He tells her he doesn’t love her and says he’s sorry he married her. He calls her names, deprives her of affection, and yet, whenever he’s in the mood, expects her to meet his sexual demands. When she talks about getting help, he threatens to tell her friends that she’s mentally ill or that she’s having an affair. She doesn’t doubt that he would lie to protect himself. He knows wounds of the heart are hard to prove and leaves physical bruises where others cannot see.

When she has confided in church leaders, they have advised her to be more submissive to avoid provoking his anger. They usually ask if he has been sexually unfaithful. She doesn’t think so. Some have asked if she thinks he’s really a “believer.” She tells them, “He says he is.” When she asked one elder why those questions were important, he told her that without evidence of an affair or the abandonment by an unbelieving spouse, she doesn’t have biblical grounds to leave her husband. The same church leaders have told her that separation is not an option because it is often the first step to a divorce.

Tough Questions: The subject of marital cruelty opens a Pandora’s box of questions. If we allow separation, and open the door to divorce, how many marriages will be lost? How can we know that a woman is not merely looking for an excuse out of an unhappy marriage?

Often-Overlooked Answers: As difficult as these questions are, they do not keep the God of the Bible from responding to the possibility of real marital cruelty.

Moses did more than describe God’s sacred purpose for marriage (Genesis 2). He also wrote laws granting the protection of divorce to the most powerless and socially disadvantaged women in Israel. Even for daughters who were sold into slavery to pay for a family’s financial debt (Exodus 21:7-11), and for foreign women captured as spoils of war (Deuteronomy 21:10-14), Moses made laws granting protection from husbands who showed willful disregard and neglect of their marital obligations.

In another law, Moses allowed a husband to divorce his wife with only one surprising restriction: he could not marry the same woman again if she was divorced or widowed from another man in the meantime (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). In a legal system severe enough to require the death penalty for those who committed adultery, Moses recognized hard-hearted cruelty that could be worse than divorce.

But is it right for us to call attention to these Mosaic laws when Jesus corrected religious leaders who were quoting Moses’ tolerance for divorce?

Jesus repeatedly corrected the misuse of Moses. When talking to self-centered men who were looking for legal loopholes to divorce “for any reason,” He talked about the importance of marital permanence. To such men, the Lord emphasized that God’s original intent was that marriage be a lifelong relationship.

But it would be a mistake to assume that Jesus would respond to a victim of domestic abuse in the same way. In parallel situations dealing with other laws, Jesus respected the intent of the law as well as its words.

Consider, for instance, the way He applied Sabbath law that, under Moses, required the death penalty for infraction. According to the gospel of Luke, Jesus went into a synagogue on the Sabbath and healed a woman who had been bent over for 18 years. When the ruler of the synagogue saw what Jesus had done, he was angry and accused Jesus of violating the no-work policy of the seventh day. Jesus, however, showed that it was the leader of the synagogue who misunderstood the intent of Sabbath law (Luke 13:10-16). In a similar incident, Jesus later asked, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” (14:5).

On another occasion, Jesus recognized other exceptions based on the intent of the law and said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:23-27). By the same principle, we can safely say that marriage was made for people. People were not made for marriage.

But what if we aren’t sure that it makes sense to reach back to the Old Testament for practical guidelines today? If we’re wondering, remember the following.

Paul encouraged his readers to find spiritual insight in the whole counsel of God. So he wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Even though he wrote these words in the days of the New Testament, Paul saw that when the timeless principles of the Law and Prophets are rightly interpreted and applied, they offer us guidance for working through broken relationships.

So when a daughter, sister, or friend tells a personal story of marital abuse, we need to be careful. Let’s believe them until we have reason not to. And if their plight is real, they don’t need to be told again about headship, submission, forgiveness, and the threat of losing church membership. They need to know that the God of Moses and Jesus cares not only about marital permanence, but also for those who are caught in abuse that is worse than protective separation and divorce.

Father in heaven, forgive us for multiplying the pain of those who are living with abusively hard-hearted spouses. Please give us the wisdom we need to offer help and consolation to those who are grieving lost hopes and dreams.–Mart De Haan


© 2007 RBC Ministries

Spiritual Warfare Video - Sept 10

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-2847559692516055729


There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.

They themselves are equally pleased by both errors. - C. S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters

Free Hugs Day - Sept. 10

Random act of kindness - Free Hugs or Otherwise - Seize every opportunity!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

http://www.freehugscampaign.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Hugs_Campaign

http://www.free-hugs.com/

On Suffering (Job 3) - Sept. 10 ODB

Job’s Birthday

READ: Job 3

Death, divorce, and disease could be called the three Ds of misery. They slice through life like a tsunami of sorrow, raising doubts and destroying dreams.

Recently, a friend and I agreed that the previous year was one that we both would just as soon forget. Each of us had suffered one of the three.

Our conversation brought Job to mind. In a short period of time, he lost his children, his health, his wealth, and his wife’s respect. Job’s distress was so great that he pleaded, “May the day perish on which I was born” (Job 3:3). Job wanted God to erase not just a year, but all memory of his existence! He had enjoyed years of success and respect. Now, he questioned the purpose of living (3:20).

Job wanted to die and be forgotten, but instead God made sure his name and story would be remembered forever. Rather than give Job what he asked for, God gave future generations what they would need—an inside look at the spiritual battle between God and Satan. The result is a God-inspired document about suffering that has comforted countless people.

When what we fear actually happens, we know, thanks to Job, that God can use it for good. —Julie Ackerman Link

Our highest good may come from our deepest suffering.

Let's celebrate - Sept 9

Today in Sunday school, we (the kids and I) learned that God will help us celebrate the good things He has blessed us with.

I would like to celebrate the completion of the first draft for my method and results chapters of my thesis!!! Thank you, LORD, for the strength and wisdom You has given me. Thank you for encouraging me to persevere! Thank you for being patient with me! - A Work in Progress ^_*

Things I Cannot Understand (by Os Hillman) - Sept. 4

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. - Job 42:3b

If there was any one man on earth who had reason to question God's love, it was Job. He lost his family, his health, and his wealth-all at the same time. His friends came to his side only to question his spirituality. God had already answered the question of his integrity. Job was described in the opening verses of the book as "blameless and upright" (see Job 1:1). His calamities were not born from sin. Job acknowledged God's right to do anything in his life until one day he could take it no longer. He questioned God's motives.

God answered Job, but not in the way he wanted to hear. God answered him with a series of questions that represents the most incredible discourse of correction by God to any human being. Three chapters later, Job realized that he had questioned the motives of the Author of the universe, the Author of love. He fell flat before his Creator and realized his total depravity. "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know."

Have you ever questioned God's activity in your life? Have you questioned His love for you based on circumstances that came your way? The cross at Calvary answers the love question. He sent His own Son in replacement for your sin. If you were the only person on earth, He would have done the same. His ways cannot always be understood or reconciled in our finite minds. That must be left for a future time when all will be understood. For now, entrust your life to Him completely. Embrace Him in the hard times and the good.

Failure in NERD pretending - Sept 8 & 9

My plan is, or should I say "was," to write up the mediation hypotheses testing part of my thesis results. It is not much. However, it is now 5min to 7pm. I have not even written a single word on it. I suppose officially I did not succeed in pretending to be a NERD this afternoon. It is so sad. I am so good at pretending and faking things I am not completely comfortable with. Sigh~

Well, I did do a little research on career intervention literatures, which can potentially be helpful for my 627 homework assignment as well as for my dissertation research later. Yet, priorities, priorities?! It is so frustrating to lost the selected references for various reasons, in addition to time out. Oh, I wish the system were designed a little more user friendly. Like we, as graduate students, can potentially do everything in a split second, or can afford to repeat trivial tasks unlimited times. Now I am officially complaining, which means I'd better stop right this moment. :-)

As for the failure, it did not help that I went to bed to late last night. The lunch at Sahara was good, but very sleep-inducing. Those two things together do not mix well with a NERD working toward a deadline. Learn the lesson for the future.

Anyhow I am glad that I went Contra last night. I did feel a little out of practice in the beginning. But it was entirely fun soon after. :-)

It was neat to see B. again and to know her awareness of her need for Jesus and her desire to draw close to Him. God is the pursuer of our hearts. He uses hard times to draw us closer to Him and overcome evil with His goodness.

It was cool to talk with J. on spiritual conversations. Sharing the gospel can be so natural, instead of scary, forced, or offensive. I find that, as I grow closer to the LORD and stronger in the faith, it becomes so much easier to talk with various people about spiritual matters. My psychology training has surely increased my self-awareness and self-reflection to notice at times my discomfort about my faith and examine my heart and the underlying reasons. Dear LORD, thank You for being patient with me. :-) You are AWESOME. And it is AWESOME to know YOU and walk with YOU.

Meters & Time Signature

Podcase on Meters & Time Signature (by Pandora)

A few things - Sept. 7

* It is neat to be able to recommend Josh McDowell's book(s) to CLE, as she mentioned having questions about her faith and expressed her desires to seek answers. Dear LORD, would you continue to bring forth opportunities in my clinical work as well as everyday life to be an instrument for Your service and for the goodness of others. Help me live for Your glory!

* How nice it was to know that EVERYONE here knows the LORD! Finally I am a fish that has found my water :O)

* For the first time, my feet were called "pretty." (more literally than the "beautiful feet" in the biblical context :-) I realize how much I have grown when I did not even bother to explain how I disliked my hands and feet because ... Thanks to Michelle McKinney Hammond ^_*

Be An Irresistible Woman REGARDLESS! http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Irresistible-Woman-Smart-Capturing/dp/1565078438

Ind Sup - Sept 6 & 7

Case #1 (B)
* How to get support without full disclosure;
* Minimodeling: What else do I do? "I know I might be ... (over-reacting, etc.), but I do feel ..."

Case #2 (C)
* Use the cognitive part to process past trauma. * imagine, seeing it back then. What do you think you would say to her? to the boys?" Older, maturity, power, control, resources;
* "You were doing the smartest thing you knew at the time."
* Ask the CL to talk to the little girl part. Defending, protecting
* Empathy for the offender
* "If that were your daught, how would you have responded?"
* Move on to adulthood. Self-care, seek support, choice, greater independence from the system.
* What would happen if you don't ..."
* Who is being taking care of?
* Anchor the complicated system on tx focus (fear).
* Stressor - have control vs not
* Live through the tough stuff

Case #3 (A)
* Welbutrin side effect - seizure, esp. in ppl w/ bulimia;
* Dependent personality
* PRN = Pro re nata, a medical term for "As the situation arises." (used by doctors on prescriptions to mean "take as needed")
* Encounter her fresh.
* Past experience and demonstrated strength
* Safety, sense of agency; give alternatives and ask her to make the decision.
* Past coping re sources.

Case #4 (I)
* Model openness.
* Anger as energy to be channeled to solve the problem; as a sign of sth not right, the person not being treated right; recognize, not act out.
* BehReh: "How would you like for you to behave?" - options: ignore, eye contact - break off; say 'hi,' keep walking, deep breathing, hateful look;
* Manner reflects value. Get along well not need. Get tough - manners important.
* Cordinal but not close; decent but not inviting

Case #5 (L)
* "Seem to be open. Pieces not fit together --> not enough info;
* Challenge: friend vs. (beh.)
* Choose how close to relate with family
* Balance self life with family
* fallback position to excuse yourself.

Case Conference (I) - Sept. 6

Case #1:
Demographics: 21yo, Caucasian, senior, Hx/Ed;
Presenting Problem: 1) walk in, anx (4d w/o slp), std tching, 2) past Sx/A, int w/ BF
Additional clinical observation/judgment: internalized pressure, the "perfect child," low SE
Intervention: 1) Beh: deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, - not buying; 2) Cog: thought stopping/substitution; 3) self-care, metaphor; 4) exploration of consequences and options.
Input from the group: 1) impact on current life; 2) siblings?, 3) proceed on her own pace.

Case #2:
Signs of Asperger's (Clinical judgment): 1) nonverbal cues; 2) misinterpretation or being misinterpreted; 3) contextual factors; 4) interactions "here and now" and in the waiting room; 5) absence of emotional connection; 6) social interaction; 7) behavioral pattern; 8) rigidity (roommate); 9) minimal contact; 10) no spontaneous talking; 11) lack of friendship; 12) unusual interest.

Case #3:
20yr, soph, P/I; spn/intS
Presenting problem(s): anticipated separation; tears; concealment; identity
Intervention: common ground, both...and; assertive communication; future orientation; growth opportunities; insight (past vs. present; similarity vs. difference); validating feelings
Input: Self religious beliefs; GF orientation; safeZone (Training, most st); icebreakers; new directions (G/ST alliance, more activist); same-gender partner benefits

Feedback: open, non-defensive stance regarding knowing vs. not knowing.

Initial Assessment Report

Please include:

* year in school, any ethnic information, as well as hometown info when relevant;
* explicitly list the stressors present in the CL's life;
* reason for the CL to come at the present time;
* the CL's reaction and interpretation of the events.

What a Ride!

Life is not a journey to the grave
with the intention of arriving safely
in a pretty and well preserved body,
but rather to skid in broadside,
thoroughly used up,
totally worn out and
loudly proclaiming -
- WOW - - What a Ride!'
~ anonymous

Provision, even for the cake - Sept. 6

I planned to make THE chocolate cake to welcome back one of my colleagues returning after her licensure exam. I also shared the plan with our administrative manager. Well, that made it a promise, I suppose. But we decided to surprise everyone else. And ... that was before I realized that it was the night of my 13-hour Wednesday night that I needed to bake the cake (sigh... a little too late to know).

I thought I had everything needed, especially after buying the extra boxes of cake mix and chocolate pudding. It turned out ... I did not have any sour cream or yogurt. Well, it is kind of important to have so that the cake can be moist. In addition, I did not find this out until past 11pm, since I did not get home until after 10:30pm. I was so thankful that my roommie just did her grocery in the afternoon and bought an 8o.z. (the exact amount the recipe called for) package of sour cream, even though she does not normally use it. Another "coincidence," haha, we all know what it means in God's dictionary. He watches and provides, even for the cake. :-) So I did get to present the cake today to honor my colleague.

I love baking, especially when God gets His fingers into the dough, Yumm!

Imperishable - 1 Corinthians 15:50-53

1 Corinthians 15
50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

PSYC 214 Meeting (8/29) - Sept. 5

Meeting #2

* Check-in: reactions to lecture, emphasis on note taking, Normally 1hr40min class - no break;

* SPSS v.12 & 13 vs. SPSS v. 14
- p. 7; 23

* Personal Reflection & Development
- Strength: 1) teaching experience; 2) statistical knowledge; 3) enthusiasm & conscientiousness; 4) openness to feedback and growth;
- Goals: 1) teaching philosophy, balanced position in power dynamics; 2) modesty vs. manifested confidence; 3) clear & concise communication. Find multiple ways to explain the same concept, esp. when it is difficult for the students to comprehend.
(Liberation psychology; bank deposit model of teaching vs. active collaborative learning; formal vs. informal; locus of responsibility; friendly, approachable & perceived competency)

* Plan for Lab Next Week
- Honor Code: website, categories, pair group activity (work sheet with scenarios)
- Key concepts: population vs. sample; random vs. "representative" sample, etc.
- Example & Exercise
- Introduce SPSS: obtain the software; open; data vs. variable view; enter data; save data

ODB - Sept. 5

http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb-09-05-07.shtml

Psalm 46

(v. 1) God is our refuge and strength, an ever-lasting help in trouble.

(v. 8-10) Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wards cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. "Be still, and know that I am GOD; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

(v. 11) The LORD ALMIGHTY is with us; the GOD of Jacob is our fortress.


Communication with God is a two-way street. He speaks to us through His Word when we come attentively before Him in prayer and through the clear voice of the indwelling Spirit. He paid a great price to keep the lines open so that we can experience the joy of being still long enough to know that He is GOD (Ps. 46:10). - Joe Stowell

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known. - Miles

Class Reflection (611) - Sept. 5

Contemporary Issues (II) - History, Identity, and Training

* Reading and the processing of readings - Comparison of similarity vs differences; evaluation - preference & suitability for self

* Alternating between didactic information & group activities

* Group activities: work sheet with questions - individual response - group discussion - class sharing

* Saddened by: 1) the initial "accept rather than endorse" attitude toward multicultural and diversity issues; 2) the phasing out of counseling psychology program at OSU

* Positive: small group discussion - process comment, "I" statement, not self-pity, not blaming other; not denial/avoidance, not defensive or aggressive, but honest, assertive, and constructive. (a pat on the back for myself :O)

Class Reflection (627) - Sept. 4

Research Methods (II) - Overview of Methodology

* Subfield-organized vs. Phenomenon-organized system: interdisciplinary areas, specialization by different means vs. unification; collaboration;

* Research study introduction, Q & A;
- Peripheral variables: inclusion vs. ignorign
- Full mediation vs. Partial mediation
- Sample bias

- Limitation of the study
- Assumptions
- Contextualism & Influence ~ intervention

* Lit Review to NOT re-invent the wheel (the re-cycling of research topics over years)

??? The book on survey research design from head to toe :O)

Class Reflection (8/29) - Sept. 4

Contemporary Issues (I)

* Speech; non-verbal communication; hindrance; persevere;

* Group activities with discussion questions

* Experiential activities with images and verbal cues to facilitate self-reflection and self-expression
- Representation and understanding of multiculturalism: tree vs. forest; commonality & diversity within diversity;
- Leadership philosophy/style: "Be Among Them." Service-oriented, sacrificial giving for the greater good;
- Current personal professional development stage: open-eyed child to take it all in, swallow, absorb, process, integrate, and utilize.

Notes from Ind. Sup. - 8/24 ~ 8/31

* Pragmatic, solution-focused therapy; help the CL from the very first session;
* Intake Questionnaire: the reported vs. the un-reported (avoided); focus points;
* Motivation vs. Hesitation; the consumer model, instead of the expert model; encourage the CL to take ownership and responsibility for their problems;
* Brief therapy change questions: Any change since sending in the application? --> Take ownership for change; insight & awareness; distress level.
* Focus the CL by asking what is most important; why seek help now? Why not earlier or later?
* Be pragmatic and efficient: smallest changes to bring progress and improvement;
* Suicidal ideation and risk assessment: address connectedness and future orientation;
* We are NOT to be too important in their lives. Empower the CLs to be on their own. internal locus of control;
* CL-Counselor match; switch as expected and encouraged for take control over treatment;
* International students: Relatedness, role model, balance between feelings of sadness & functioning;
* Good time keeping. Try to reach conclusions. Seek feedback regarding helpfulness.
* Assessment: BAI, BDI, MMPI
* Use MMPI: hard to figure out, seem serious; objective expert feedback for CL might be helpful; Schizophrenia vs. intense neurotic distress. (interpretation: dimension --> profile)
* As much as possible, clearly identify the CL's goals for counseling.
* Be sure that you are NOT the person who works the hardest in the room.
* Not my agenda, but the CL's agenda. - CL-focused goals
* Ask the CL to tell it back or say it back to you to check for understanding.

- The story of the other therapist: leading attitude, too much trust (unfounded) may become a hindrance.


TO BE CONTINUED

Notes from CO 08-07 Training - Outreach

*Points to Consider: purpose (relational? who to target?), resources, timing of events, publicity (E-mail, facebook, poster, word of mouth, international student mailing list), format of program, location ...

* Type of Events: 1. Welcome Events: picnic, cookout, city tour, working farm, lake/beach party ...
2. Broad sowing events: welcome kit & get contact info; reveal self-identity; relevant current movie; resource fair & raffle; 3. High-Touch-Low-Cost Events: sports, game nights, ice cream social, teaching driving, pickup, cook, conversational partner; 4. Holiday events ...

* International mindset: Why come? Education, prestige, respect, status, job opportunity; Cost of failure: shame, guilt, disgrace; Reward: prestige, etc.

* Felt Needs: language, helps (live, drive, shop, etc.), relationship, academic success, sight-seeing/traveling & other fun things, and understanding US culture.

Relationally Driven vs. Event Driven

Other Resources: Passport to the Bible; Purpose-Driven Life; Navigators; The HOPE video. Jesus film for children; Mary Magdalene Released from Shame.

Notes on Thesis

Discussion:

* Sample & Sample Size;

* Heterogeneous group;

* Context-specific;

* Non-equivalent groups.

Quotable Quotes - Sept. 4

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. -- Acts 17:26-27

Here is a trustworthy saying: If we die with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown Himself. - 2 Tim. 2:11-13

Flexibility, When Duty Calls - Sept. 2 & 3

* Sunday, Sept. 2 - Friends' visiting church; wisdom for kids' church

* Evening - conversation with friends, spiritual topics

* Pain in upper arm

* Monday, Sept. 3 - office decor

* Friend's call for help

* Dear LORD, YOUR grace is sufficient for me and YOUR power shall be made perfect in my weaknesses.

Catch phrase for the day - My "I have potential" Plant :-)

Self Reflections from My Office Decor Shopping

Since I had never had an office to myself until a couple of weeks ago, I have no prior experience in office decor. Now I have a budget of $100. I thought it was more than enough, until I went to the counter and the bill came out as $104.10. Then I decided to give up the candle set, which took off $12.58. Now I spent $91.52. There is less than $10 left from the budget. And I still do not have a clock, a plant stand, and a smiley face. Everyone should know how important these items are. To make matters worse, I have told everyone that I don't think I would spend the total $100. Well, I will deal with my pride and vanity later. :-) Maybe I should learn to be smart and speak such things less in the future.

I am most happy and most confident with the pillows. I think they will work well for the couch and the chairs to blend in the colors. Four pillows: $5+5+5+3.75 = $18.75 = $19.69 after tax. (Now my hand went to reach the calculator on its own mind. What a hint for my regressed math ability. :-) I can easily laugh about myself. I suppose that's a sign for humility, right?

I have two bags of marbles, which I probably will return one. But I definitely want to keep the pinkish orange one. There is magic in them with all sorts of fantasies and imaginations. So that's $3.99 = $4.19 after tax. That makes $23.88 total.

The fragrant beads are expensive, $12.99 = $13.64 after tax for a little jar. However, I love the aroma. Even though my budget is not luxurious at all, I do desire to keep it as a "little" luxury. I have so many fond memories with various wonderful smells. It is important for me to welcome the guests with a pleasant aroma. I do pray that the aroma of Christ will grow stronger in my life. Now I have spent $37.52 total.

Finally the wall decors. That's the tough part. It is revealing as to the distinctly different parts in my personality. The diamond cut! Now I have three little ones, each with a distinctly different style: one of Vincent van Gogh's sunflower paintings - the wild, tough, bright side of me (maybe there is a sense of vanity since it is van Gogh, who knows); a gentle, soft painting of roses (I have no idea who the artist is) - the sentimental, genteel, feminine side of me; and a picture of a little dog looking up at a gigantic thing, it says "I may be small, but I dream big." - the childlike side in me. Well, maybe the first two can still potentially come together. The last one, definitely NOT. The only thing they have in common is that they all speak to me. Yet they don't go together. What does it say about me? I guess, after all, I am a mysterious creature, even though I aim to be transparent. I am a mystery to myself and I can not help it. I wonder who will be the one to discover such a mystery along side with me. "The lucky guy has not found me yet." - Me :-)

In addition, I have a mirror with cut pieces, which I may eventually give up also. I have a bigger poster-like painting of country scenery with road - the quiet, solitude me. I am not sure about this one, but maybe it can be put on the wall facing the window. All of a sudden, for the first time, I have an idea of how to place them all along the room. I should try it out.

$4.99 + 4.99 + 4.99 + 9.99 + 7.49 = $32.45 = $34.08, which makes a total of $71.60.

Now my Hercules Hooks ($14.99) would be easy to give up, except that the ad. sells it so well. According to the ad., it works wonders, which makes it harder to give up. Maybe I should just play by ear on this one.

I suppose because of my diamond cut, it is possible for me to relate to different people genuinely. I simply need to tap into the part of myself that is similar to them. Then my other parts enable me to bring other wisdom and strength to the situation. Hey, I should surely use this in my internship application. :-) Onward, and upward!

Quotable Quotes - Sept. 1

Found these during my office decor hunting trip :O)

To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and
endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
--- Ralph Waldo Emerson (maybe inaccurately attributed)

If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears,
however measured or far away.
--- Henry David Thoreau

However mean your life is, meet it and live it:
do not shun it and call it hard names.
Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage.
Do not trouble yourself much to get new things,
whether clothes or friends.
Things do not change, we change.
Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.
God will see that you do want society.
--- Henry David Thoreau

God's Timing - Sept. 1

(9/2/2007, early morning hours)
Another sleepless night, after last night. I should have learned by now that those times are golden time for solitude time to be with the LORD. Yet I don't always go to Him, for example I didn't last night. Yet, here I am now.

I didn't do a journal entry before going to bed, though I do have something to record. So here I am, writing it down. I called home during my cramped, sleepless hours last night. To assure my lovely Ba-Ba & Ma-Ma, I called again after waking up this morning. It is amazing that the newspaper insert had a section on the natural remedies for such problems. How timely! A co-incidence? Only if you don't know the best Person to know. There is NO co-incidence in His dictionary, only Divine Appointments and Divine Provisions. :-)

Even more so, it was just a couple days ago out of the blue I thawed out one of my "collectible" cornish game hens. It was cooked the night before last, since it was finally thawed. Apparently, one of the remedies calls for chicken. Who would have known, except Him who is above in heaven, watching over me on earth! By the way, the natural remedy was not bad at all. Maybe I should consider to routinely cook chicken this way in the future.

I do pray for healing though. It is so hard to be pleasant while in pain. I literally can not focus and get myself to do anything remotely academic or productive, other than shopping for my new office and re-arranging my bathroom sink. (Definitely not anywhere near the top priorities!) Yet it is good that I got to talk with multiple friends. I suppose that's even more important than being productive with academics. It was wonderful to talk with M. Oh, how I missed her and her voice, her sweet spirit. I wish to visit her in the future and to see her lovely children.

It was nice to talk with ZH on spiritual matters. It is neat to see his interest and to hear his inquiries on spiritual things. My sweet Jesus is calling him to draw near. :-) Dear LORD, thank you for giving me the privilege to steal a peek every now and then. Please give me wisdom to be an instrument for you during the process.

I was a little surprised by Y's reactions to my not-so-gentle words. She was not only NOT offended, but touched, because she saw care, sincerity, eagerness for her benefit. Dear Lord, is this assistantship opportunity Your provision for her? Is this an answer to prayers? I wish I have prayed more for this matter. Oh, me of little faith! You would think I would have learned your provision and your abundance through the past encounters. Yet I still have such difficulties to walk by faith, instead of by sight. Dear LORD, forgive me for my little faith. Take my unbelief, and help me believe. Dear LORD, will you bless her and provide for her, even through this assistantship opportunity? Will you make it clear that it is a gift from You to her, because of Your love for her? Will you continue to transform my heart and my life to be more like Jesus?

What a sweet journey it is to walk with YOU beside me! The LORD is my Shepherd, and I shall not be in want.

Clinical Reflections (from 5/4/07)

I wonder how an enduring attitude toward pain will change my therapeutic process. Instead of focusing on relief and comfort, focus on strengthening, enduring, and growing. Anyway, God is in the business of changing and transforming us.

Self reflection: how to redeem the time - Aug. 31

I am not as efficient as I would like in getting things done: clinical documentations, thesis write-up, class readings ... The things I manage well are E-mails and errands. Well, I also did some good shopping trips ...

Maybe here lies the problem. Priorities! Priorities! I am not setting my priorities straight. Maybe it is NOT a good idea for me to leave my gmail window open all the time. I am really quick at E-mailing. However, it nevertheless takes away my time for other things.

I also need to adjust my attitude/expectation toward my internship. It is going to be busier and more intense than I originally expected. First, I started the real deal quicker than I expected. Maybe that's a good thing. Second, when it got started, it REALLY got started. 12/week actually is going to be quite a lot. So the chance is I won't have time to spare to read my class reading at my internship site and in my internship hours. If I am not careful enough, which means if I don't redeem the time, I may end up needing to put extra hours into it.

That's a good amount of reflection for now. A good place to recap with future plans:

1. Set up E-mail checking time. - Lunch time 12-1pm. Do brief replies then. Save the long E-mail until the end of the time.
2. Have a to-do list with priority rankings and time mapping.
3. Block half-an-hour chunks of time to devote on writing reports.

It is time to try these out and come to reevaluate. :-) My own behavioral modification project!

I am a work in progress! The LORD will bring to completion the good works He has started in me. ^_* Onward! Upward! Forward!

Press on!

Fellowship all around - August 31

I cannot believe that it is already the last day of August, well, actually the first day of September. Howe can time pass by so fast? It was not that long ago when I started the daily journal book on January 1st. Redeem the time, redeem the time!

Anyway, what happened today? Well, this morning I met a lady from Sudan, who is a follower of Christ, in the bathroom. We talked and we hugged. Then we hugged again and again. What a great GOD, what a big family, and the world seems so much smaller.

Apparently, I also started my internship at a good time, not only with the new office, but also with the upgrade time for the computer. Even though I have nothing against the original computer, now I have a new one. I love "my" new IBM ThinkCentre. :-) It was cool to talk with O, who made the switching. He is a believer also! He was fun, looking like 25 despite being 40, happily married, pleasant ... What a small world!

It feels good that the clerk at Staples told me that I would make a great counselor after talking with me for ... like not even 5 minutes. :-) Lord, YOU are so good. Thank you for all the fellowship and the encouragement/affirmation you are sending along. I am fully convinced that I am in Your will and I cannot be happier.

It is such a good day. Time with friends, especially A. That's always a blast. I am so glad that S. and her daughter are going to visit our church Sunday. With L, that makes a car-ful to church Sunday morning. A historical first, at least since I got in Richmond. It is AWESOME! I SO look forward to it!

The Great Counselor - August 30

First day having CLs at the new setting

flexibility

first time, praying with a CL in session

professional growth.

confidence, competency, comfortableness, naturalness

feedback from supervisor - voice & demeanor change, how I carry myself personally & professionally

My "silly" hat (quoting E.R. :0) (My new favorite smile on screen)

I am called to be here and get trained to be a counseling psychologist.

So Here I am.

The Best Teacher & My 1st Labs - August 29

Rabbi

excited about the class

excited about teaching the class

praying on the phone w/ H.

sufficient grace for sustaining me through the 13hr day

***********************************************************************************
My 1st PSYC 214 Labs

Went well: 1^st group – 1hr; 2^nd group – 1hr 20min

Group difference: #1 – more conventional study tips; organization; Seem to recall more freely and come up with examples indicating understanding

#2 – more divergent thinking (study buddy, have a good relationship with lab instructor), no organization tips mentioned. Offering examples referring to the notes

My personal preference, how to balance it.

More time to prepare, use examples

Bring binder

To do: SPSS, clarify interval vs. ratio

Enthusiastic, engaging

Focus on what is important.

The Great Artist - August 28

This is from the evening. The previous one is from the morning of 8/28.

A beautiful moon - bright, round, gold, beyond my words

(I wish I knew about the total solar eclipse then. Then maybe I would have been CRAZY enough to wait for it. :0) Well, a case of ignorance as a bliss!

A stone from another mountain - 它山之石

http://www.mitbbs.com/article_t/TopArticle/25266559.html

Restored after the fall - August 28

John 1:9

God's characteristics - not man's, not holding grudges

forgiveness, being forgiven

repentance (turn around) & restoration

Love one another - August 26

Phone conversation w/ Y.

Joined spirit and force in prayers

Give a drink in His name - Aug. 23

Ice tea on a hot day to thirsty people

Good news of living water - never thirsty again

I wish I can speak Spanish or at least have some tracts in Spanish.

(Lost my traveling-from-China pitcher, whoever has it now should put it to good use.)

His Fingerprints - My 2nd CO trip (8/16-20)

Well, this is going to be long and I don't know how to make it shorter since it seems each of the smaller incidents all come together to form a bigger picture, which is the truly AWESOME part if you ask me. It shows how God orchestrates our lives and make something beautiful when we give Him the conductor stick. :-) He writes amazing stories when we give Him the pen of our lives.

I can't do this one in one sitting. But an outline might be helpful. I thought it would stay vivid in my mind forever. However, after knowing more of God's abundant grace and blessings, I am no longer that confident. It seems like a new wave of blessings will push the previous wave back to fade a little bit. I better write it down before it totally fades into the background. Then at least I have some to read and to remind me how WHOLESOMELY AWESOME it has been :-)

Here is the outline:

1. Called to help with training, presentation, prep (prayer - examine my heart/motives); God's blessing, provide strength, energy, and courage; encouragement from other;

2. Friday morning, (8/17) readings - John 4, the Samaritan woman at the well. What does God speak to you? "Will you give me a drink?" vs. "know the gift of God" and Jesus as who He is. Self-reflection, wrestling, examine my heart.

3. The change of my heart by Saturday (8/18) morning

4. Sleepless hours = sweet or heart-wrenching (depend on the time) quiet times with the LORD
My new prayer style

5. Consult with others:
K. - need to finish, have the right motives, examine motives - quitting for difficulty
T & J. - transition, enthusiasm; need; prayers
N. - testimony, seek His will by prayers and openness to be led

6. Sunday (8/20)
CM
- meeting with T., the story of holding back - three sets of drums
DEN
- standing-by, divine appt, Mr. S., encouragement, provision, sensitive, perspective taking;
- India lady; mom with children
ORD
- K. & God's provision, affirmation
- L. & prayer, His faithfulness
- Overbooking
- delay, meeting Mr. & Mrs. M., a glimpse of heaven on earth;
- D. & "How Great Thou Art."

7. 8/21 - get luggage back, lightning, Our GOD is an AWESOME GOD.

8. upgrade, sprint. - Call them!

OK. At least now I have the outline and I will just come back and fill in the blanks. :-)
(Almost feel like doing clinical documentation.)

Coming back statement

Apparently it has been quite a LONG while since my last entry. Much has happen since then. God has definitely been working in my life, drawing me closer to Himself. It has been WHOLESOMELY AWESOME!

I have been encouraged - urged to be more accurate - by J. and E. for quite a few times to journal my experience. I have to agree that there is wisdom in doing that. May the LORD's name be glorified in my testimonies! May these accounts encourage you (& me) as you (& I) read them! (I don't think many people will read my entries anyhow, since I am a VERY PRIVATE person. I have literally NEVER write out my life stories on a public domain before.)

I guess this is my statement for now. I do pray that the LORD will give me the endurance to write His story in my life faithfully. Amen!

Notes from INTUIT Meeting 5/22

To-Do List:
* Data quality check
* NEO data N, separate data set (E & C ~ job search; E, C, & Positive Affect ~ Social relationship; Weinberg)
* Descriptive Statistics, sample size
* Preliminary analysis: pre- vs. post-test

NIH Grant, career development, Minority students do not choose research-oriented careers, such as medical, social, and behavioral sciences. Theory-driven, intervention, empirical research.

Teaching Ideas

* 2 - 3:15pm for experiential activities

- Video clips
- Demonstration
- Role plays
- Technique presentation (5min + 10min questions & discussion)
- Discussion on readings in Their Finest Hour (Reaction Papers?)

* Thursday class - review structured as games (e.g., Jeopardy)
- 50% ind. score & 50% grp. score

Data Analysis Tasks

* Outliers (plot)
* Scale Analysis
* Correlation

* Descriptives, range
* Initial Analysis - bivariate correlation
* Scales & subscales - >=85%
* Scale reliability, alpha > 0.7
* Response set
* Psychometric quality

* Help files
* SPSS.COM

Clinical Reflections

As I revisited the words in Momma and the Meaning of Life, I realized that there were so many things I could have done differently with J. For example, I could have asked, "What feelings did you take home after the last session?" instead of asking (or "accusing/scolding") about his behavior of asking personal questions. Now I can honestly acknowledge how irritated I was at the time by him. Yet, I was "graveled" as he pointed out. It is unpleasant, uncomfortable, humbling, scary, ... to come to such a realization. Will I ever make a good therapist? Did I help or did I do more disservice, damage, and harm? Enactment with examination and correction. How I need wisdom, insight, self-understanding, ... courage to face the weakness and own it, at the same time, motivation to learn, sponge-like absorption, intentional organization, digestion, and internalization, confidence and strength to persevere!

It is also surprising that how my feelings and assumptions color and shape what I receive, for example, my strong reactions to J.'s intake report, H.'s treatment goal setting. It is shocking to realize how selective and biased my attention and reactions can be. In one case, there was an exaggerating and amplifying effect. For the other, I literally blocked some information off! Be aware. Keep your feelings in check. Think of cucumber to stay cool. :-)

I wonder if this has something to do with my avoidance to start my case study write-up. Fears - what if I did not meet the requirement. I surely have made some mistakes. I guess the question is, if I did pay attention to H.'s stated goal during the intake, how I would have done the therapy differently. To be honest, I am not sure. ...

I will come back to it.

Friday 6/8/2007

It has been two weeks since my last entry. Time surely flies. I have been doing a little better at getting myself motivated. At the same time, much more discipline is still needed.

Today is a milestone of some sort. Finally, I am finished with the data entry stage of the domestic student data. All the data (N = 267) has been enter. A random sample of 32 data sets was selected to check the data quality. Only 11 errors were found. The error rate is 0.19% (11/32*182), which means that the accuracy is 99.8%. I think that's PRETTY good!

C44 CFI74 3 --> 2; BAPC13 1 --> 2;
C59 BFF30 5 --> 4;
C97 VCU Stay 9 months (omission);
D10 BFF13 6 --> 5;
D15 BFF28 3 --> 5;
D19 BFF11 5 --> 4;
D44 BAPC11 21 --> 2;
D91 CFI16 3 --> 4;
D93 CFI28 3 --> 2; CFI29 2 --> 3

Now finally I am ready for the data analysis. Looking forward to it!