This article examines the significant events in the history of mental. health care that have contributed to the development of a specialty within the counseling profession referred to as mental health counseling. The development of credentials for the specialty and the issues currently facing mental health counseling are discussed, and a perspective on directions for the future is offered.
In an era of increasing accountability, there is a need to provide data on counseling outcomes. That is, there is a need to substantiate the claim that counseling works. This article describes the American Counseling Association Practice Research Network (ACA‐PRN), which is designed to provide data on evidence‐based counseling.
The purpose of the broader project on which this report is based was to utilize a Practice Research Network, an alternative to traditional clinical studies to 1) identify demographically one practice group, namely professional counselors in the United States, 2) describe their practice patterns, and 3) identify their client population and the efficacy of their clinical work through client outcomes based on actual client reports. This article describes the development of one such nation-wide Practice Research Network (PRN) and provides some preliminary findings for each phase of the project. Use of the PRN model can help overcome the traditional ''research to practice'' gap and provide research results into community practice thus integrating outcomes measures into the daily practice of mental health professionals.During the early phases of this project, a software program was developed upon which the participating practitioners could identify the data elements within the parameters of the focus on their agreed-upon research interests, enter data following client visits over time, and by comparing their own composite profiles and effectiveness with those of other participating practitioners who had clients presenting with similar diagnoses, could alter their own service delivery patterns, therapeutic interventions, or approaches while working with the clients and thereby improve the efficacy of their service. By participating, the practitioners benefited by access to downloadable and printable reports on profiles of 1) their specific clients, 2) their service delivery patterns, and 3) the outcomes or efficacy by their clients' direct feedback. They were also able to compare these results with the composite data from other practitioners.
A study of Movement :--These beetles swim by means of the meso-and metathoracic legs, which are so modified as to be almost useless for land locomotion. While on the water D. americanus exhibits perfect mobility and ease in swimming, on land it turns to an awkward crawl, pulling itself along by the long forelegs, tilting from side to side as the heavy unsupported body is dragged across the uneven ground. Usually, however, when off the water surface, the body is supported only by the front legs.When about to swim the beetle extends the middle and hind legs laterally, like a pair of oars They are then brought smartly down to the caudal axis, which is their usual position at rest. The forelegs are fitted into the grooves in the sternal plate adapted to receive them or they may be extended on the surface film. Sometimes they are used for cleaning the body or to assist in the process of feeding. Because of the grooves in the sterna the legs can be withdrawn and the body then presents a perfect "stream-
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