Self-care practices maintain strong professional functioning and decrease risk of burnout and exhaustion. Limited research has examined how these practices are learned and practiced by graduate students. The current study examined self-care-related policies and practices in psychology graduate education, focusing on clinical psychology doctoral programs associated with the Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology. For all member programs, departmental and/or clinical training area handbook(s) were evaluated for a mention of terms related to self-care. Of 177 programs sampled, handbooks were available online for 136 (76.8%) of them; of these, 15 (11.0%) had an available general psychology department handbook that referenced self-care and 44 (32.4%) had an available clinical psychology training area handbook with such a reference. A simple reference to psychotherapy or mental health services for impaired students was the most common self-care theme observed. Given these findings, and the importance of self-care practices to the professional psychologist, it is suggested that graduate programs adopt clearly articulated and readily accessible self-care statements as well as institutionalized self-care practices that are encouraged and/or supported by faculty and administration. A call to action urges psychology training programs to consider initiating a shift from cultures of self-care that are reactive in nature to ones that instead are proactive and preventive, with a focus on wellness. . P a t r ic ia M. B a m o n t i earned her MS in clinical psychology from West Virginia University. She currently is a doctoral candidate in the Depart ment of Psychology at West Virginia University. Fler research interests include late life depression and suicide.C o l l e e n M. K e e l a n earned her MS in clinical psychology from West Virginia University. She currently is a doctoral candidate at West Virginia University. Fler areas of professional interest include forensic psychology, court-mandated evaluations, and assessment and treatment of juvenile sex offenders.N ic h o l a s L a r s o n earned his MA in psychology from Minnesota State University, Mankato. He currently is a behavior specialist with the Positive Behavior Support Project through West Virginia University's Center for Excellence in Disabilities in Morgantown, West Virginia. His professional interests include individual and family adjustment to chronic stress, illness, and disability; video modeling of social behavior; and instructional meth ods for training primary care, residential care, and educational staff. J a n e l l e M. M e n t r ik o s k i earned her MS in clinical psychology from West Virginia University. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University. Her areas of professional interest include adjustment to pediatric chronic injuries, de velopment of programs for the prevention of bum injuries, and interven tions to improve treatment outcomes in pediatric populations. C a m e r o n L. ...

In this study, adults with Asperger syndrome (AS) and caregivers of children with AS provided firsthand accounts of school-related challenges and influential instructional practices. A total of 94 participants (59 parents, 27 adults with AS, and 8 unspecified) completed an online survey containing open-ended questions about their (or their children’s) school-related experiences. Participants identified specific areas of need (e.g., bullying, misunderstood intentions) related to understanding children with AS. In addition, participants described teacher qualities and instructional practices (e.g., strategies for communicating that the child is an asset, methods of structuring the environment for success) that had a positive impact on their (or their children’s) school experiences. Implications for teacher training and school-based interventions are highlighted.

This study examined the efficacy of a multicomponent cognitive-behavioral therapy, Trauma Management Therapy, which combines exposure therapy and social emotional rehabilitation, to exposure therapy only in a group of male combat veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Thirty-five male Vietnam veterans with PTSD were randomly assigned to receive either Trauma Management Therapy (TMT) or Exposure Therapy Only (EXP). Participants were assessed at pre-treatment, mid-treatment, and post-treatment. Primary clinical outcomes were reduction of PTSD symptoms and improved social emotional functioning. Results indicated that veterans in both conditions showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful reductions in PTSD symptoms from pre-to post-treatment, though consistent with a priori hypotheses there were no group differences on PTSD variables. However, compared to the EXP group, participants in the TMT group showed increased frequency in social activities and greater time spent in social activities. These changes occurred from mid-treatment (after completion of exposure therapy) to post-treatment (after completion of the social emotional rehabilitation component); supporting the hypothesis that TMT alone would result in improved social functioning. Although the TMT group also had a significant decrease in episodes of physical rage, that change occurred prior to introduction of the social emotional component of TMT. This study demonstrates efficacy of exposure therapy for treating the core symptoms of PTSD among combat veterans with a severe and chronic form of this disorder. Moreover, multi-component CBT shows promise for improving social functioning beyond that provided by exposure therapy alone, particularly by increasing social engagement/interpersonal functioning in a cohort of veterans with severe and chronic PTSD. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptWessely, 2010), including veterans of wars in Vietnam (9%;Dohrenwend, Turner, Turse, Adams, Koenen, & Marshall, 2006) and Iraq and Afghanistan (4-13%;Grieger et al., 2006;Hoge, Auchterlonie, & Milliken, 2006;Hotopf et al., 2006; Seal, Bertenthal, Miner, Sen, & Marmar, 2007;Smith, Ryan, Wingard, Slymen, Sallis, & Kritz-Silverstein, 2008). Furthermore, 11% of all veterans treated in VA primary care clinics meet criteria for PTSD (Magruder et al., 2005). The disorder is generally associated with significant clinical distress, social and occupational impairment, reduced quality of life, and medical and psychiatric comorbidity (Dohrenwend et al., 2006;Elhai, Kashdan, Snyder, North, Heaney, & Frueh, 2007;Frueh, Turner, Beidel, & Cahill, 2001;Schnurr, Spiro, & Paris, 2000). Anger management problems in particular are a significant source of distress and impairment (Chemtob, Hamada, Roitbla, & Muraoka, 1994;Frueh et al., 2001;Taft et al., 2007), affecting individual veterans as well as their spouses and families (Teten et al., 2010). While there is a strong evidence base to support psychiatric inter...

With advances in medical care, youth with chronic illness have the potential for higher quality of life; however, these treatments often come with cost (i.e., burden, financial) that can result in non-adherence. Pediatric non-adherence, on average, is approximately 50% across chronic health conditions. Research has identified effective, evidence-based assessment measures and intervention strategies to promote regimen adherence in youth. Yet, these measures and strategies typically are designed for clinical trials and thus may not be feasible or practical in typical clinic settings. As the field of adherence assessment and intervention expands, it will be important to devise evidence-based tools that are pragmatic and can be translated easily into practice. To guide this future direction, the goals of this paper are to review evidence-based adherence assessment and intervention strategies that can be used with youth and families in clinical practice, to illustrate the complexities of addressing adherence concerns in routine practice, and to discuss the challenges of disseminating and implementing evidence-based strategies in the real world.

Clinicians who work with children with NBPI should consider peer support and coping strategies when promoting the psychosocial functioning of these youth.