Getting to the Sandbar: Understanding the Emotional Phases of COVID-19 Among College and University Students.

This paper provides a framework for understanding the emotional and behavioral responses of college and university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. It builds on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Phases of Disaster Model and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Additionally, we conceptualize a new phase in the Phases of Disaster Model, which we refer to as the "Sandbar Phase," to address the unique factors of COVID-19 for college and university students. For each phase, we discuss the expected timeline and the associated emotional reactions, behaviors, and applications of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs during COVID-19 for college and university students. Our proposed model aims to reveal short- and long-term effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of college and university students and be a resource in the development of effective mitigation efforts to diminish any psychological deficits as the result of future disasters and/or traumatic events.

Critical incidents and assistance-seeking behaviors of White mental health practitioners: A transtheoretical framework for understanding multicultural counseling competency.

An exploratory qualitative analysis of the critical incidents and assistance-seeking behaviors of White mental health psychologists and professional counselors was performed in an effort to examine a theoretical supposition presented within a Person(al)-as-Profession(al) transtheoretical framework (P-A-P). A concurrent nested strategy was used in which both quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously (Creswell, 2003). In this nested strategy, qualitative data was embedded in a predominant (quantitative) method of analysis from an earlier study (see Middleton et al., 2005). Critical incidents categorized as informal (i.e., personal) experiences were cited more often than those characterized as formal (i.e., professional) experiences as influencing the professional perspectives of White mental health practitioners regarding multicultural diversity. Implications for the counseling and psychology professions are discussed.

Church-based breast cancer screening education: impact of two approaches on Latinas enrolled in public and private health insurance plans.

INTRODUCTION: The Tepeyac Project is a church-based health promotion project that was conducted from 1999 through 2005 to increase breast cancer screening rates among Latinas in Colorado. Previous reports evaluated the project among Medicare and Medicaid enrollees in the state. In this report, we evaluate the program among enrollees in the state's five major insurance plans. METHODS: We compared the Tepeyac Project's two interventions: the Printed Intervention and the Promotora Intervention. In the first, we mailed culturally tailored education packages to 209 Colorado Catholic churches for their use. In the second, promotoras (peer counselors) in four Catholic churches delivered breast-health education messages personally. We compared biennial mammogram claims from the five insurance plans in the analysis at baseline (1998-1999) and during follow-up (2000-2001) for Latinas who had received the interventions. We used generalized estimating equations (GEE) analysis to adjust rates for confounders. RESULTS: The mammogram rate for Latinas in the Printed Intervention remained the same from baseline to follow-up (58% [2979/5130] vs 58% [3338/5708]). In the Promotora Intervention, the rate was 59% (316/536) at baseline and 61% (359/590) at follow-up. Rates increased modestly over time and varied widely by insurance type. After adjusting for age, income, urban versus rural location, disability, and insurance type, we found that women exposed to the Promotora Intervention had a significantly higher increase in biennial mammograms than did women exposed to the Printed Intervention (GEE parameter estimate = .24 [+/-.11], P = .03). CONCLUSION: For insured Latinas, personally delivering church-based education through peer counselors appears to be a better breast-health promotion method than mailing printed educational materials to churches.

A lesbian/straight team approach to changing attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people.

SUMMARY Advantages of a lesbian/heterosexual team approach to education on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues are examined and a case study is analyzed. A lesbian guest lecturer provided a contact experience, personal anecdotes, passion, and expertise. Facilitation of later class discussion by the heterosexual instructor allowed for frank discussion among students, processing of presentation content, and modeling of gay-affirmative attitudes by the instructor and other students. Summaries of the guest lecture (fantasy exercise and informational lecture) and later discussion are provided. Student comments during discussion demonstrated evidence of deep challenge, attitude change, and heightened understanding.