ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION DISASTER MENTAL HEALTH NEWSLETTER

Learning From The Past and Planning For The Future


MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT
February 22, 2002


"In life, all good things are hard, but wisdom is the hardest to come by."
- Lucille Ball


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INCREASES IN WIVES' INCOME CONTRIBUTIONS AFFECT PSYCHOLOGICAL
WELL-BEING OF HUSBANDS

Being the main breadwinner still seems to carry an important
distinction for husbands and their sense of well-being, says a Penn
State researcher.

In reacting to increases in their wives' percentage
contribution to overall family income, men appear to experience
declines in well-being as measured by their reports of depressed
feelings, varying levels of life satisfaction and physical symptoms
such as headaches, says Dr. Stacy J. Rogers, assistant professor of
sociology and human development and family studies. She notes that,
paradoxically, the husbands' marital happiness is not affected to a
significant degree.

"It may be that the persistence of bread-winning expectations
for men in our culture contributes to personal pressure and stress
when their wives increase the percentage that they are contributing
to the total household income," Rogers notes.

This negative psychological effect is not related to
husbands' level of education or whether or not they have traditional
gender role attitudes, according to the Penn State researcher. It is
also not related to husbands' own reduced resources as a result of
periods of unemployment or declines in income.

"It is important to note that the decline in husbands'
well-being is relatively modest but it is interesting that this
reduced well-being does not seem to make their marriages more
vulnerable to divorce," Rogers says. "Having additional financial
resources in the family and the enhanced marital satisfaction and
psychological well-being experienced by wives when their income
increases may actually stabilize marriages.

"Interesting enough, neither the marital happiness nor the
psychological well-being of husbands is affected by an increase in
their wives' absolute income, but only by an increase in their
percentage contributions. It may be that increases in percentage
contributions are more visible in the marriage," Rogers adds.

Rogers and Dr. Danelle D. DeBoer, assistant professor of
sociology and anthropology at Doane College in Crete, Nebraska, are
co-authors of the paper, "Changes in Wives' Income: Effects on
Marital Happiness, Psychological Well-Being and the Risk of Divorce,"
which recently appeared in the Journal of Marriage and the Family.
The researchers employed data from a sample of 1,047 married persons
(not married to each other), measuring the impact of changes in
wives' income and corresponding levels of marital happiness and
psychological well-being between 1980 and 1988. They then related
these findings to the incidence of divorce in the same sample between
1988 and 1997.

Other factors may contribute to the decline in psychological
well-being of husbands when their wives' percentage contribution to
the family income increases, Rogers notes.

"Married women may draw attention to the increased size of
their contribution as a means to obtain greater equity in
decision-making and sharing of household duties with men," says the
Penn State researcher. "This may be unwelcome to some married men and
therefore lower their psychological well-being, though their marital
happiness is unaffected. This finding is consistent with the notion
that marriage continues to be highly valued but that it may be a more
difficult and personally challenging arrangement in the current
social and economic climate."

This research was supported by the National Institute on
Aging and the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development.

Contact: Paul Blaum       pab15@psu.edu
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PA PHYSICIAN GENERAL PROMOTES HEART AWARENESS

Early detection and treatment of congenital heart defects (CHDs) and
heart disease saves lives. Pennsylvania Physician General Robert
Muscalus spent Valentine's Day promoting the message, along with
heart specialists from Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
and Penn State Children's Hospital, as well CHD survivors and their
families. "Valentine's Day provides a perfect opportunity to stress
the importance of a healthy heart," Muscalus said. "It also provides
an opportunity to recognize that advances in medicine provide
children who are born with congenital heart defects a chance to live
normal, healthy lives." Before sharing his message at the Medical
Center during a gathering of Hershey Hearts--a support group for
parents, siblings and other family members of children who have been
touched by CHD--Muscalus visited with 2-year-old Leah Sipe and her
parents. Pediatric heart surgeon John Myers recently performed the
first of three surgeries to correct Leah's congenital heart defect.
For the full story, visit
http://www.hmc.psu.edu/news/pr/2002/feb/congenital_heart.htm
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Grrr...it’s not my fault!

Bad-tempered people just can’t help being that way, according to psychologist David Zeld. 
They’re born like it. Zeld, in Nashville, Tennessee, has found a tiny section of the human brain, 
the ventromedial pre-frontal cortex, which, he thinks, controls the tendency to be anxious or angry. 
He studied 89 people, scanning their brains and getting them to note their moods over a month. In those
who had often been grouchy the section was extra-active. 

Once a sourpuss, always a sourpuss. 
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So it isn’t just all in the mind

Hypnotism really can work, says American scientist David Spiegel. He studied eight people who had been 
told, under hypnosis, that black-and-white pictures were really in colour. There was an increase in 
blood flow to the part of the brain that deals with colour. When they were told that a colour image was 
in black and white, the flow decreased. Spiegel also tried hypnotism on young sick children undergoing 
a painful bladder examination. They suffered less, and cried less. 

They were on a hypno-trip to Disneyland... 

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APPROACHES TO MANAGEMENT COUNSELING

There are three general approaches to management counseling (Directive or Counselor-centered; Non-directive or Client-centered;
Eclectic). They differ in the techniques used and the philosophies about people. For the most part, the goals or objectives of
counseling remain the same.

The DIRECTIVE or COUNSELOR-CENTERED approach is normally the approach that is used in industry and public schools. It 
most often:

   1. is concerned more with immediate rather than long-range
      problems;

   2. does very little to attempt any major personality reorganiza-
      tion, but is concerned more with the immediate adjustment to
      frustrating situations;

   3. is considered more problem-centered than being concerned with
      the totality of the person;

   4. concerns itself with changing specific aspects of a person's
      behavior such as social behavior, attitudes, and task behavior
      patterns.

The basic hypothesis of the NON-DIRECTIVE or CLIENT-CENTERED approach is that every individual has the capacity to 
understand and determine the source of a personal problem, and reorganize in a direction that will be ultimately adjustive. 
Using this approach, the counselor's task is to:

   1. Establish an atmosphere and a relationship with the subordinate
      so that the subordinate can start to understand and reorganize;

   2. Totally accept the subordinate's behavior and values;

   3. Refrain from guiding, directing, or advising the subordinate;

   4. Act to clarify the subordinate's feelings, empathize with the
      subordinate, and establish a relationship of acceptance and
      confidence.


The ECLECTIC approach focuses on the subordinate's problem. The supervisor-counselor selects an approach or combination 
of approaches which, hopefully, will lead to the best solution.

When the subordinate is emotionally upset or the situation involves strong emotional feelings, the supervisor is in a better 
position if using the Non-directive or Client-centered approach. This affords the subordinate the opportunity to talk out feelings 
and achieve a more rational stance.

The supervisor-counselor must be a good communicator to be a success-ful counselor and must avoid entering the counseling 
process with pre-conceived ideas about what will transpire. There are three essential qualities that a good supervisor-counselor 
should communicate to a subordinate:

   1. You must demonstrate and communicate acceptance of the subordinate.

   2. The supervisor-counselor must communicate understanding to the
      subordinate.

   3. The supervisor-counselor must communicate a sense of sincerity
      and genuineness to the subordinate.

When in doubt about what approach to use in counseling a subordinate, the supervisor-counselor should seek assistance. 


MANAGEMENT COUNSELING FOR SUPERVISORS

Counseling in organizations by supervisors is a process which is not limited to office environments. It can take place almost 
anywhere in the work environment. Because of this, it is important that you as a supervisor/counselor use an approach which 
is consistent with your supervisory or leadership style. Failure to do this can raise the possibility that you will be seen 
as inconsistent.

Counseling in organizations by supervisors is not the same as counsel-ing as a therapeutic process where mental health problems 
are treated. If you suspect that a subordinate is experiencing such difficulties, it is best that you encourage him/her to seek
assistance from a qualified professional.

Counseling, as a supervisor in an organization, is defined as a systematic communication process that is designed to foster 
meaningful choices and promote adjustment that will result in the subordinate's progressive development. Information discussed 
in a counseling setting between a supervisor and a subordinate should remain confidential. If information discussed in counseling 
is somehow transmitted to other members of the organization or if used against the subordinate, the supervisor's effectiveness 
as a counselor will be severely affected and may end completely.

Because of his/her dual role as a supervisor and a counselor, the supervisor is likely to encounter conflicts in the counseling 
role. However, there are some ways that he/she can minimize these:

 * The process of counseling should only be undertaken with a specific
   objective in mind.

 * The supervisor/counselor must demonstrate a genuine, sincere  
   interest in the subordinate being counseled.

 * The subordinate is usually in a distressed state. It is incumbent 
   upon the supervisor/counselor to help put the subordinate at 
   ease in the situation as much as possible. Remember, you have 
   the advantage of not feeling the same distress.

 * The counseling environment should be limited to help promote the
   development of the subordinate.

 * Insofar as the situation will allow, all matters should be treated
   in a confidential and non-evaluative fashion by the  
   supervisor/counselor.


     SOME DO'S AND DON'TS HELPFUL TO THE SUPERVISOR/COUNSELOR


  YOU SHOULD:                            

  1. Know what resources are available as counselor - when in doubt, refer the subordinate to an expert.

  2. Understand your position and limit the counseling process to promote growth.

  3. Prepare for your counseling  sessions.                              

  4. Help the subordinate in verbalizing, feeling and developing the  problem.

  5. Use the subordinate's side of an issue under discussion rather than someone else's position.

  6. Be able to handle periods of silence.                               

  7. Listen for themes in the subordinate's discussions.

  8. Ensure that you grasp the essential structure of what the subordinate is saying.

  9. Be a good listener and be responsive to the subordinate.

 10. Think before replying to the subordinate's comments to ensure you
       understand all ramifications of the communication.

YOU SHOULD NOT:

  1. Go beyond your capability as counselor - when in doubt,
     refer the subordinate to an expert.

  2. Jump to conclusions in the process of counseling.
     

  3. Set preconditions on the subordinate for counseling.

  4. Get sidetracked into expressions of opinion about what the
     subordinate says or does.

  5. Use emotionally loaded words in counseling.

  6. Talk about similar cases with the subordinate.

  7. Remove the decision-making process from the subordinate's hands.



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REFERENCES

To search for books on management and supervisor counseling and
purchase them online, go to the following url:

https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odochartaigh/searchbooks.html
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               Contact your local Mental Health Center or   
               check the yellow pages for counselors, psychologists,   
               therapists, and other Mental health Professionals in   
               your area for further information.
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                        George W. Doherty
                        O'Dochartaigh Associates
                        Box 786
                        Laramie, WY 82073-0786

MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT Online: https://www.angelfire.com/biz3/news