NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Running head: JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW Journal Article Review June 26, 2009 Journal Article Review Abstract Marilyn R. Fitzpatrick and Shahrzad Irannejad in their article Adolescent Readiness for Change and the Working Alliance in Counseling published in Journal of Counseling and Development place emphasis on fact that the counselor-client relationship has significant impact on counseling process with adolescence. The authors discuss the importance of the working alliance and examine how readiness of adolescence for change for specific problem in a school setting correlates with the working alliance with adolescents counselors. Marilyn R. Fitzpatrick and Shahrzad Irannejad provide explanatory analysis to explore how adolescents readiness for change relates to various dimensions of working alliance, namely, task, bond and goal. Adolescent Readiness for Change and the Working Alliance in Counseling.
Journal article by Marilyn R. Fitzpatrick, Shahrzad Irannejad; Journal of Counseling and Development, Vol. 86, 2008 According to Marilyn R. Fitzpatrick and Shahrzad Irannejad, working alliance has been the focus of empirical investigations for over 20 years. Numerous studies have confirmed a relationship of working alliance quality and therapy outcome. The authors of the articles claim that the counselor-client relationship has significant impact on counseling process in adolescents.
Yet, while adults are more responsive to therapy and are, in general, more inclined to have increased commitment to therapy sessions, adolescents have more problems with establishing rapport with counselors during the counseling process. Therapeutic problems with adolescents are one of the most significant factors leading to therapy dropouts. The authors claim that adolescents are more concerned with issues of self-identification, autonomy and are more sensitive when somebody chooses goals for them. Therefore, engaging adolescents in the process of setting goals and defining methods for achieving them can contribute to increased commitment and reduce resistance to therapy. The main purpose of the research conducted by Marilyn R. Fitzpatrick and Shahrzad Irannejad was to examine how adolescents readiness for change for specific problem in a school establishment correlates with the working alliance with their counselors.
The authors study was based on preliminary assumption that adolescents in their action stage are most ready to engage in self-change (Fitzpatrick & Irannejad, 2008) making it possible to assume that there will be a positive correlation between the working alliance and action. The authors also predicted a negative correlation between the working alliance and pre contemplation as due to lack of problem awareness in adolescents during the active stage would contribute to resistance to change. In their research study the authors also provided exploratory analyses to identify how the readiness for change in adolescents would correlate with the different dimensions of the working alliance, namely, task, bond and goal. (Fitzpatrick & Irannejad, 2008) The authors have chosen 43 students (25 girls and 18 boys) 14 - 18 years, 69 % Caucasians, 10 % Native Canadians, 2 % African, 2 % Hispanics, and 17 % mixed races (Fitzpatrick & Irannejad, 2008). The school setting has routinely assigned students to counselors at the beginning of their enrollment. The students then could come into counseling center when needed both for formal and informal contacts. The frequency of student-counselor contact varied from 1 - 2 times per month to more than 12 times per month.
Those students who agreed to participate had to complete study questionnaires that were then sealed in envelopes and returned to the researchers. The researchers used Demographic Information Form, Stages of Change Scale and Working Alliance Inventory. After careful examination of the results, the researchers have proved the hypothesis that adolescents' readiness for change can have direct influence on the alliance in counseling; however, according to them, more research is needed to examine this correlation more thoroughly. While examining this study, it should be mentioned that the researchers has managed to conduct a relatively thorough study. The authors have conducted a systematic literature review on their topic, examining numerous empirical investigations to gain more insight into the relationship of therapy outcome and working alliance quality.
The authors brought both ideological and philosophical perspective to the work, and their perspective is implicitly stated. In their study, the authors were guided by Trans theoretical Model of change developed from an empirical analysis of the processes common to various therapeutic approaches. They presented an adequate empirical evidence to support their viewpoint, indicating the the predictive ability of the stage model regarding termination of or continuation in counseling (Fitzpatrick & Irannejad, 2008) and readiness for changes in behavior. The argument presented by the authors is clear, logical and consistent. There are no gaps and inconsistencies in the discussion of the argument. The theory was supported by findings from the study.
However, there were few limitations of the study that mostly relate to the selection of the participants. Future research with more participants is required to provide additional evidence to the hypothesis at issue and more data should be collected at different points of therapeutic intervention so that all effects of therapy and working alliance are examined. Conclusion In conclusion it can be said that the research study has made contribution to the examination of the relationship between readiness of adolescence for change for specific problem and working alliance. The study is of great significance to the domain of adolescence behavior as it considerably extends the knowledgebase that exist in that field at the moment. The concept of working alliance in relation to school settings is relative new to the majority of educational and counseling settings. The findings that have resulted from the research can influence the methods and techniques currently used with adolescents.
Therefore, the study will be of great use both for counselors and educators.
Free research essays on topics related to: adolescents, counseling, journal article, significant impact, alliance
Research essay sample on Running Head Journal Article Review
