Theses and Dissertations from UMD

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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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Author: search.filters.author.Harbin, James

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    Therapist work with client strengths: Development and validation of a measure
    (2006-05-30) Harbin, James; Gelso, Charles J; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Drawing from the positive psychology literature, the Inventory of Therapist Work with Strengths and Assets (IT-WAS) was constructed to measure the degree to which clinicians incorporate strength-based approaches in their therapy work. Two different samples were gathered in the current study; a professional sample (n = 128) and a university sample (n = 97). The professional sample was randomly selected from the 2005 membership directory of Divisions 17 (Counseling Psychology), 29 (Psychotherapy), and 42 (Independent Practice) of the American Psychological Association (APA), and resulted in a 51% return rate. The university sample consisted of graduate students in counseling related fields as well as faculty and counseling center staff at a large Mid-Atlantic university; the return rate for this sample was 62%. T-test results found no significant differences between samples on IT-WAS scores, and thus samples were combined for analyses. Three factors (Theory of Intervention, Strength Assessment, & Supporting Progress) were extracted by factor analysis, accounting for 52% of the total variance. The IT-WAS demonstrated very good internal consistency (α = .96) and test-retest reliability (r = .83). Scale validity was supported by positive associations between the IT-WAS and measures of favorable attitudes toward human nature, benevolent world assumptions, as well as therapist work with the strengths of a most recent client. Most therapists generally conducted strength-based clinical work to a high degree, supporting propositions made by Seligman (2002; Seligman & Peterson, 2003). Cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, multicultural, and feminist theoretical orientations were positively related to the IT-WAS, while psychodynamic and psychoanalytic theoretical orientations were negatively correlated to the IT-WAS. No differences between clinical and counseling psychologists were found on IT-WAS scores. Implications of therapist work with client strengths are discussed and areas for future research are provided.
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    COUNTERTRANSFERENCE REACTIONS IN A CROSS-RACIAL DYAD: THE ROLE OF THERAPIST UNIVERSAL-DIVERSE ORIENTATION AND PRESENTATION OF CLIENT STRENGTHS
    (2004-05-04) Harbin, James; Gelso, Charles; Psychology
    The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of universal-diverse orientation (UDO) and information on client strengths on European American therapists' countertransference to an angry African American client. Forty-five European American therapist trainees completed a measure of UDO and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions in which they were either given or not given information on client strengths. Therapists then watched and responded to a videotape of an angry African American client. Countertransference was measured in terms of therapist state anxiety, cognitive recall, and behavioral avoidance. Results showed that therapist UDO was significantly and negatively related to their countertransference reactions in a cross-racial situation. Additionally, results were not significant for the main effect of information on client strengths and for the interaction of UDO and information on client strengths on countertransference reactions. Implications for counseling and future research were explored.