The purpose of this study was to evaluate the applicability of the Critical Events Model to the psychotherapy supervisory process, with a focus on gender related events (GREs) experienced by counseling trainees. Four research questions framed the study: (1) What types of GREs do trainees experience in psychotherapy supervision? (2) How do supervisors attend to these GREs? (3) What is the relationship between the interventions that supervisors use and the resolution of the critical event? Finally, given the importance of the working alliance and the supervisor's multicultural competence, (4) What is the relationship between GREs, the supervisory working alliance, and supervisees' perceptions of their supervisors' multicultural competence as it relates to gender related events? A consensual qualitative research-modified (CQR-M) method was used to examine the qualitative data, highlighting four types of GREs reported by counseling trainees: Gender Discrimination, Gender Identity Interactions, Attraction, and Power Dynamics. While supervisors attended to GREs using various interventions, multiple linear regression analyses revealed that the most frequently used interventions (i.e., therapeutic process, exploration of feelings, focus on skills, and focus on self-efficacy) were significantly related to the resolution stage. GREs related to Gender Discrimination were significantly and negatively related to the supervisory working alliance and supervisees' perceptions of supervisors' gender-related multicultural competence.

Traumatic events (TEs), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms can significantly impair functioning, yet little is known about whether associations among these variables differ between men and women within young adult samples. The current study conducted a path analysis of archival, longitudinal data from the Drug Use Trajectories: Ethnic/Racial Comparisons 1998–2002 (DUT) study (Turner, 2011) to examine gender differences as a possible moderator of the relations between TEs, PTSD symptoms, and AUD symptoms among 1,076 young adults (aged 18–23 years) residing in South Florida. The sample included 580 male (53.9%) and 496 female (46.1%) participants, whose ethnicity was self‐reported as African American (n = 280, 26.0%), non‐Hispanic White (n = 268, 24.9%), other Hispanic (n = 267, 24.8%), and Cuban (n = 261, 24.3%). Significant positive associations were found between TEs and PTSD symptoms, βs = .08–.30; PTSD and AUD symptoms, βs = .09 – .10; PTSD symptoms over time, β = .52; and AUD symptoms over time, β = .46. In addition, for male but not female participants, a higher frequency of PTSD symptoms at Wave I was related to more AUD symptoms at Wave II, β = .09. Findings build upon existing research to further elucidate the role of gender as a potential moderator of the associations among TEs, PTSD symptoms, and AUD symptoms for young adults and provide important implications for future research and clinical practice, including informing mental health prevention and treatment efforts.

Prior evidence has suggested that cannabis use is associated with greater posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity and worse outcomes following trauma-focused treatment. However, lack of high-quality randomized studies necessitates the use of clinical data to clarify the relationship between cannabis use and PTSD treatment to help inform clinical practice. A total of 114 veterans completed cognitive processing therapy in a residential PTSD treatment program. Differences in treatment response between cannabis users and nonusers were evaluated for measures of PTSD, depression, and posttraumatic growth using analysis of covariance to control for pretreatment scores and other drug use. At baseline, cannabis users reported higher levels of PTSD symptom severity relative to nonusers but reported similar levels of depression and posttraumatic growth. Significant differences between groups in the amount of change were not observed on any of the measures from before to after treatment; however, the total sample reported significant improvements in all measures of interest. These results suggest that PTSD treatment outcomes for cannabis users may be similar to nonusers when use is stopped during treatment. Additional data are needed regarding whether outcomes remain similar at follow-up, whether cannabis users maintain abstinence after treatment, and the impact of resumed cannabis use on PTSD symptoms. Impact StatementThis study suggests that veterans with a recent history of cannabis use who maintain abstinence over a course evidence-based treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder in residential treatment achieve comparable treatment outcomes with veterans without a recent history of cannabis use. These results add to evidence that abstinence may be an important treatment objective when treating individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder who also use cannabis.

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