The scientist-practitioner model

Reply to at least 2 classmates’ threads with 200–250 words. There must be at least 1 citation in current for each reply. Replies must be meaningful and must continue the line of thought associated with the course content and the thread. Be sure to give your classmates feedback on their potential research topics. Try to identify a classmate with a somewhat similar topic that you may be able to exchange emails with and provide support to throughout the term.

Note: It may seem on the surface that topics are very different. However, if one student is interested in the impact of self-esteem on relationship satisfaction and another is interested in the topic of the impact of sexual abuse history on relationship satisfaction, they may be able to provide feedback for one another due to the common variable of relationship satisfaction (or there may be a common population, age range, focus on development, or focus on gender).

Reference Books: Jackson, S. L. (2016). Research methods and statistics: A critical thinking approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage. ISBN: 9781305257795.

Knight, A., & Tetrault, D. (2017). Research and program evaluation key concepts: A study guide. Kona Publishing & Media Group. ISBN: 9781945628245.

Discussion Board Video Link: https://youtu.be/1oB6zNcLIH0

Joyce Post:      The scientist-practitioner model all so-referred to as the Boulder model (named for the city that held the conference) shows how a practicing counselor who conducts research can utilize the information gained from the research to assist his or her clients better. (Knight & Tetrault, 2017)   As a professional counselor and researcher, the scientist-practitioner utilizes the knowledge gained from scientific research in their clinical practice. (Scientist Practitioner, n.d.)

Dr. John Gottman is an example of a scientist-practitioner. In the Family Research Laboratory located in the University of Washington, Dr. Gottman, his wife Julie, and several researchers work with relationship problems of married couples. In “the love lab,” couples are videotaped while being interviewed. More information is also gathered through various devices that measure physical reactions, like heart rate, body temperature, and how much a person fidgets or squirms in their chair. (Dr. John Gottman, n.d.) Dr. Gottman, through his research with married couples, has learned to see those who have a successful marriage and those who do not with a 90% accuracy rate. As Dr. Gottman shows, having a solid foundation of research capabilities within a clinical practice can be an essential tool for helping clients.

For my clinical practice, I would include research to stay up to date on the most successful treatments. As Dr. Knight stated in her slide presentation, Scientist Practitioner, “Scientists that are practitioners add much to research teams as they have relevant insights.”

This leads to one of the topics I am considering for my paper. How eating disorders can lead to exercise abuse. According to one report “Few studies have assessed symptoms of eating disorders in older men.” (Mangweth-Matzek, Kummer, & Pope, 2016, p. 953) Whereas there are several that address the issue with young people.  The study utilized questioners filled out anonymously and found “subsequent studies of eating disturbances in men should further assess levels of distress and disability to better understand the role of these factors in the decision to seek or not to seek treatment.” (Mangweth-Matzek et al., 2016, p. 956)

References

Knight, A. (n.d.). Scientist Practitioner [Video file]. Retrieved from https://learn.liberty.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/COUC515_D55_202020/iSpring%20Presentations/Module%2001/Mod%2001%20-%20Scientist%20Practitioner%20%28LMS%29/res/html5.html

Knight, A., & Tetrault, D. (2017). Research methods and program evaluation key concepts a study guide (2nd ed.). Charlotte, NC: Kona Publishing & Media Group.

Mangweth-Matzek, B., Kummer, K. K., & Pope, H. G. (2016, May 13). Eating disorder symptoms in middle-aged and older men. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 953 – 957. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22550

The Love Lab. [Video file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://learn.liberty.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_600534_1&content_id=_38211263_1

Kristin Post: he scientist-practitioner model or the Boulder Model as it is often referred, is the integration of research in practice to lead to more efficient clinical outcomes (Knight & Tetrault, 2017). The model was birthed during a conference that took place in Boulder, Colorado where the building blocks of scientific knowledge and research were introduced to enhance practice (Liberty University, 2019a). In other words, the scientist-practitioner model is a method in which counselors and others are educated in the scientific research process in addition to the fundamentals of their profession (such as clinical mental health counseling) to better guide their choice of treatments.  Additionally, the model helps counselors to evaluate common concerns that surface with clients as well as treatment efficacy. Through analysis of those concerns, opportunities for further research may arise.

Dr. Gottman is a well-known counselor and researcher who developed a research based center known as the “Love Lab” to study and enhance marriages (Knight & Tetrault, 2017).  He has an elaborate system comprised of questionnaires, surveys, interviews with couples, physical monitoring devices that physiology such as heart rate, movement, and facial expressions that are thoroughly analyzed by a team of experts (Liberty University, 2019b).  The information is gathered and later used to guide marital counseling sessions and educational materials.  This is an example of a counselor using research to inform and enhance his practice.  Taking a page out of Dr. Gottman’s book, I hope to use research in my future practice in several ways. As I seek to learn and administer effective treatments for victims of domestic violence, I will look for common factors in each case to help drive care and possible prevention.  I can also incorporate research of the same topic through analysis of empirical studies conducted regarding characteristics of victims and later help my clients work through some of the concerns like low self-esteem and past trauma or attachment issues.

One of the topics I am interested in researching is the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on self-esteem.  This issue is personal as I have seen close relatives who suffered low self-esteem and diminished self-identity following relationships where intimate partner violence was prevalent.  Matheson, Daoud, Hamilton-Wright, Borenstein, Pedersen, and O’Campo (2015) state in their article, “The literature on mental health and IPV has focused primarily on depression, substance use, anxiety, and PTSD to the exclusion of the associated problems of low self-esteem and loss of or reformulation of self-identity in the face of IPV” (p. 562).

References

Knight, A. & Tetrault, D. (2017). Research methods and program evaluation key concepts: A study guide. (2nd ed.). Charlotte, NC: Kona.

Liberty University (2019a). The scientist practitioner model [presentation]. Blackboard@LU. Retrieved from https://learn.liberty.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/COUC515_D55_202020/iSpring%20Presentations/Module%2001/Mod%2001%20-%20Scientist%20Practitioner%20%28LMS%29/res/html5.html

Liberty University (2019b). The love lab 

. Blackboard@LU. Retrieved from https://learn.liberty.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_600534_1&content_id=_38211263_1

Matheson, F. I., Daoud, N., Hamilton-Wright, S., Borenstein, H., Pedersen, C., & O’Campo, P. (2015). Where did she go? The transformation of self-esteem, self-identity, and mental well-being among women who have experienced intimate partner violence. Women’s Health Issues, 25(5), 561-569. doi:10.1016/j.whi.2015.04.006