Journal of Counseling Psychology

PTSD symptom networks during treatment among residents in domestic violence shelters.
Little is known about how the interrelationships among posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms change throughout the treatment. We examined changes in PTSD symptoms among women who experienced intimate partner violence and received one of two evidence-based interventions. We conducted a secondary analysis of a completed randomized, double-blind clinical trial, which demonstrated efficacy in reducing PTSD symptoms. We used cross-lagged panel network analysis to identify the influential PTSD symptoms among women who had completed either the Helping to Overcome PTSD through Empowerment or an adapted version of person-centered therapy. We examined if a symptom’s expected influence, a metric of interconnectedness, would predict overall PTSD symptom reductions at baseline, postshelter, posttreatment, and 6- and 12-months posttreatment. Women who showed more significant decreases in feeling upset and avoidance also demonstrated greater decreases in their overall PTSD symptoms at postshelter, posttreatment, and 6 and 12 months posttreatment. Findings indicate that changes in symptoms with high centrality result in larger PTSD network changes observed at both adjacent and future time points. Identifying and targeting symptoms with influential associations produce therapeutic cascades, resulting in symptom reductions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Navigating faith transitions: A 4-year longitudinal examination of religious deidentification among LGBTQ+ latter-day saints.
Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals raised in conservative religious traditions present to therapy with questions about how to navigate tension between their sexual/gender and religious identities. For therapists, having accurate information about (a) the typical process of religious deidentification, (b) its antecedents, and (c) its outcomes is critical to empowering these clients to make the decisions that are best for them. We present data from a preregistered 4-year longitudinal study of 164 LGBTQ+ people who were active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (CJCLDS) at baseline to examine the phenomenology, antecedents, and outcomes of religious change. Across the 4 years of our study, we found that two thirds of our sample religiously deidentified to some degree. On average, participants shifted their attendance at the worship services from weekly to a few times a year, and 40% of participants disaffiliated with the CJCLDS. Longitudinal multilevel models suggested that age predicted deidentification with younger participants deidentifying more quickly than older participants. Religious deidentification was positively related to engagement with LGBTQ+ communities, and follow-up cross-lagged panel analyses suggested that engagement with LGBTQ+ communities was predictive of subsequent decreases in service attendance rather than vice versa. No relationships were observed between religious deidentification and mental health or well-being. These data suggest that religious deidentification is normative and developmental for LGBTQ+ Latter-day Saints, this process is most active among younger individuals, and connecting with other LGBTQ+ people is a key facilitator for this process. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Trauma-informed acceptance and commitment therapy with peer coaching for college students: A pilot randomized controlled trial.
The current pilot randomized controlled trial evaluated the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of a mental health promotion intervention for college students based on trauma-focused acceptance and commitment therapy (Harris, 2021). This hybrid intervention combined web-based modules with peer coaching in a research lab setting. Seventy-eight students were randomized to either the intervention group, “Present and Open for Values” training, or an active control group, “Crash Course” training. Psychological distress and life satisfaction levels were assessed at baseline, postintervention, and 3 months postintervention. Open-ended feedback, rating scales, and completion rates suggested that both conditions were well-received and feasible. Longitudinal mixed-effects regression models with subject-specific intercepts were used to examine intervention effects. Participants in the Present and Open for Values condition reported significantly greater reductions in psychological distress levels compared to the control group, both at the end of the intervention and 3-month follow-up. Additionally, they reported significantly greater improvements in life satisfaction levels at these same intervals compared to baseline measurements. No significant changes in these outcomes were observed for the control condition. These findings suggest that the Present and Open for Values intervention with peer coaching is a promising approach for addressing mental health issues among college students, with the potential to be scaled up for broader implementation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Are psychotherapists’ first clinical impressions fundamentally biased? An experimental approach.
Fifty years ago, the Rosenhan experiment was one of the most impactful psychological studies across decades. One of the main claims of the experiment was that clinicians could be negatively biased in their first clinical impressions, which would negatively impact further clinical decisions. We conducted two experiments (N = 56 and 64) in which psychotherapists were asked to give their first clinical impressions in two consecutive cases after a brief presentation of the case (case description and video excerpt) and a short recall task of the information provided. The attentional focus in the recall task served as an independent variable. Therapists had to adopt either a symptom-focused or a strength-focused attentional focus to recall the cases, that is, therapists rated their first case in either the symptom-focused or the strength-focused condition and the second case in the opposite condition. In both studies, therapists in the symptom-focused conditions rated patients as slightly more distressed, less resilient, and less psychosocially integrated in comparison to the strength-focused conditions. However, even statistically significant, these effects were rather small to clinically negligible. Our preliminary results suggest that the first clinical impressions of contemporary psychotherapists are vulnerable in both experiments to be slightly, but not as dramatically, distorted as the Rosenhan experiment would suggest at the time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Emotion-focused treatment for self-criticism in a nonclinical population: A randomized controlled trial.
Self-criticism is a transdiagnostic phenomenon associated with different psychopathological manifestations in clinical and nonclinical samples. This fact has led to an increase in research on its measurement and treatment. This study seeks to examine the effects of emotion-focused therapy on self-criticism in a nonclinical population through pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up questionnaires. The study was designed as a randomized control trial comparing emotion-focused therapy for self-criticism (n = 24) versus a wait-list control group (n = 28). The efficacy was evaluated using Inadequate Self and Hated Self scales of Forms of Self-Criticizing/Attacking and Self-Reassuring scale, as well as measures of depression, general distress, and interpersonal problems. The results showed significant improvements on the inadequate self, depression, general distress, self-compassion, and self-reassuring measures at the end of the treatment for emotion-focused therapy condition in comparison with the control, with most of the changes also being maintained in the follow-up. The results show the promise of emotion-focused therapy as a way of treating self-criticism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Compassion focused imagery reduces fears of compassion irrespective of attachment.
The present study evaluated the efficacy of a brief compassion-focused imagery intervention for reducing fears of compassion. This study also examined whether individual differences in attachment would influence treatment effectiveness. We randomly assigned a nonclinical sample of 125 community-dwelling adults to a control group or an intervention group. Those in the intervention group completed a brief intervention involving daily compassionate imagery exercises for 1 week. Those who completed the intervention demonstrated significant reductions in fears of compassion for others, fears of compassion from others, and fears of self-compassion, irrespective of differences in attachment. These findings support the efficacy of compassion-focused imagery exercises in reducing fears of compassion across attachment patterns, suggesting their potential value for enhancing mental well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Using latent transition analysis to explore changes in decent work across time.
This study explored longitudinal trajectories of decent work profiles guided by core propositions from psychology of working theory. Data were collected from 419 working adults in the United States at three time points over a 6-month period. We examined decent work trajectories using latent transition analysis considering two key covariates (work volition and career adaptability) and while accounting for other variables such as ethnicity, education, and income level. The analysis identified five latent decent work profiles: only safety, low health care, indecent work, average, and decent work. Notably, the indecent and decent work profiles were the most stable, while the only safety and low health care profiles were more likely to change with time. The influence of work volition and career adaptability on transition probabilities was found to partially align with the hypotheses of psychology of working theory. Findings indicated that, within psychology of working theory, these psychological mediators may operate through varied mechanisms to influence both the attainment and maintenance of decent work across time. Implications for future research, practical applications, and theoretical developments are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Dual-continual examination and differential prediction of well-being and distress in LGBTQIA+ populations.
Although studies on the dual-continua model have demonstrated that distress and well-being are two separate but interrelated factors of mental health, only limited research exists regarding these concepts for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual+ (LGBTQIA+) individuals. The present study aimed to investigate the factor structure of mental health in the LGBTQIA+ community. The second aim was to investigate whether different correlates are relevant for the prediction of well-being and psychological distress in LGBTQIA+ individuals when these mental health outcomes are considered separately. LGBTQIA+ individuals from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland were recruited via collaborating organizations and social media to participate in a cross-sectional survey. Participants (n = 1,686, Mage = 27.74) completed self-report measures of well-being and psychological distress. Included correlates were self-esteem, social support, resilience, and various minority stress factors. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and latent regression analyses. A very strong correlation at the latent level (r = −.82) suggested that well-being and psychological distress refer to opposite poles of mental health in the LGBTQIA+ sample. Different minority stress factors were relevant for the prediction of well-being and distress when these factors were disentangled. The present study highlights the close inverse relation between well-being and distress in LGBTQIA+ individuals. Several correlates were found that could inform tailored counseling for LGBTQIA+ community members, irrespective of whether the focus is on positive or negative aspects of mental health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)

Journal of Counseling Psychology - Vol 72, Iss 1