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The Impact Of Microaggressions And Microaffirmations On Safety, Acceptance, And Inclusion For Lgbtq+ Middle School Students: A School Counselor’S Perspective, Sheila Barnhart-Ramirez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite societal and cultural trends toward acceptance, the LGBTQ+ community continues to endure stressors related to their minority status, often in the form of microaggressions. As the average age of “coming out” is much younger than in years past, a greater number of adolescents are now subject to these same stressors. Accordingly, this qualitative phenomenological study sought to examine the experiences of school counselors who support LGBTQ+ students at the middle school level to determine their perceptions related to safety, acceptance, and inclusion for this vulnerable population. Additionally, the impact of microaggressions and microaffirmations on LGBTQ+ students was explored. This …

Opening A Crack To Let The Light In: An Exploration Of An Online Group Adolescent Compassion Focussed Therapy Intervention, Euan Pb Fraser Tait

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current study’s goal is to expand the adolescent compassion focused therapy (CFT) literature by exploring participant experiences of a novel CFT protocol which was delivered in an online group therapy format. This study is a mixed methods approach using surveys, open-ended questionnaires, and interviews to explore participants’ experience and expression of feelings of inadequacy (FOI) and self-compassion. Thematic analysis findings revealed that participants struggled primarily with FOI relating to evaluative contexts such as school and sports and that these FOI also carried with them implications of self-worth and perfectionism. Through participating in the program, participants were able to de-shame …

Independent And Cumulative Impacts Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Adolescent Subgroups Of Anxiety And Depression, Isak Kim, Angélica Galván, Nayoung Kim

Counseling Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to investigate the independent and cumulative impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on the subgroups of anxiety and depression among 12–17 aged adolescents in the U.S. A sample of 21,496 cases was derived from the 2017–2018 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). Four adolescent subgroups were identified depending on their mental health condition: Anxiety-only (7.2%), Depression-only (1.5%), Anxiety-Depression (6.3%), and None (85.0%). All sociodemographic characteristics such as sex, age, race/ethnicity, and family structure had significant associations with the subgroups. Two multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the independent and cumulative effects of …

The Implementation Of Spirituality In School Counseling, Molly Attoe

Counselor Education Capstones

Spirituality has been identified in empirical literature as a developmental asset for adolescence and a protective factor for areas including mental health, life satisfaction, purpose and behavior. These benefits emphasize the importance of spirituality exploration and development in this stage of life. School counselors, given their professional duties to support academics and social-emotional development, are in a prime position to achieve positive impact. Hesitations and limitations do exist for this practice, however. Lack of consensus and understanding surrounding the difference between religion and spirituality, as well as laws and policies complicating the incorporation of these areas in school have caused …

Engagement And The Therapeutic Process In Art Therapy With Adolescent Boys In Residential Care: A Literature Review, Lauren Gallagher

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Current treatments for youth in residential treatment incorporate aspects of behavioral based and psych-educational based approaches with point and level systems, cognitive behavioral therapy, psychiatric services, and psychopharmacological treatment. However, research is lacking on improving the agency, motivation, and motivating factors of the therapeutic process for children in residential settings, specifically adolescent boys. Art therapy with a relational and person-centered focus may be an influential alternative treatment to motivate and engage this population. Within this body of research, the areas of art therapy, trauma-informed practice, relational-cultural theory, person-centered approaches, and the C.A.R.E. model are explored as treatment methodologies with adolescent …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And The Associations With Depression And Anxiety In Adolescents, Hye Yeon Lee, Isak Kim, Jeongwoon Jeong

Counseling Faculty Publications

Objectives

There has been increasing attention to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among adolescents in the U.S because ACEs may result in severe mental health issues. Although associations between ACEs and mental health have been explored, research on how different types or combinations of ACEs render different impacts on adolescents is limited. Therefore, this study aims to (a) examine latent classes of ACEs among adolescents who have experienced at least one ACE and (b) investigate associations of each latent group of ACEs with mental health problems, depression and anxiety.

Method

Questionnaires on ACEs and depression/anxiety from the 2016 National Survey of …

Early Adolescent Social Isolation, Hope, And Well-Being During A Pandemic, Alicen Hauck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social isolation is often divided into two subcategories of objective and subjective. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in objective social isolation in the form of social distancing and fewer social events. Research delineating the relationship between social isolation and adolescent well-being utilize measures of subjective social isolation. Whereas, measures of objective social isolation are more commonly used with geriatric populations. Therefore, there is a lack of information specific to the impact of objective social isolation on adolescent well-being, particularly during a pandemic. The effects of social isolation due to COVID-19 will not be short lived. Deciphering the …

Promoting Resilience In Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents Through School-Based Expressive Arts Groups, Bailey Knox

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Since 2013, the majority of students served by the public school system in the United States have been considered “low-income” by the federal government. The stressors associated with low socioeconomic status significantly increase risk for social, emotional and behavioral challenges at all age levels, but can be particularly damaging to adolescents coping with heightened stress levels related to the intense multi-dimensional changes that define this developmental period. As the correlation between economic disadvantage and negative socio-emotional and academic outcomes is increasingly evidenced, schools have begun to recognize their responsibility for providing preventative mental health care to high-risk students. Over the …

Social And Emotional Effects Of Language-Based Learning Disabilities On Adolescents Approached Through Dance/Movement Therapy: A Literature Review, Lindsey V. Spratt

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Over the past few years there has been a growth in research about the social and emotional effects of having a language-based learning disability. However, most of the interventions and assessments used with this population still primarily focus on the academic effects and do not always recognize the connection between the two. This literature review connects how identity development during adolescence in a school setting is impacted by the social and emotional effects of having a language-based learning disability. Individuals who experience learning difficulties often also experience internal and external academic criticism causing a decrease in self-esteem and an increase …

Is It Who Am I Or Who Do You Think I Am? Identity Development Of Adolescents With Substance Use Disorders, Danielle N. Treiber

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study was to unearth how adolescents with substance use disorders achieve the task of identity formation and the construction of self-concept in the midst of the drug culture and society that exists. It sought to uncover the social constructs designed to ignore and/or remove human complexities and allow an intersectional approach to be brought to a study on this population. Historically, there has been a failure to investigate the underlying social attitudes and behaviors that impact the very delicate and vulnerable process of finding self. Psychosocial and relational adjustment are strongly influenced by the extent to …

The Double Bind Of Siblings In Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment, Jonathan Caspi, David T. Lardier, Veronica R. Barrios

Department of Family Science and Human Development Scholarship and Creative Works

Siblings have been found to be perhaps the greatest source of social risk for adolescent substance abuse, particularly when the relationship is close. But, close sibling relationships are also linked to an array of important developmental and lifelong protective benefits. Sibling closeness simultaneously poses considerable risks and benefits. These conflicting findings suggest opposite treatment directions, or a “double bind” for practice. That sibling closeness risks contagion suggests treatment that aims to decrease sibling closeness. On the other hand, the many lifelong and protective benefits of close sibling relationships suggests increasing sibling closeness when possible. Family-based treatment is recommended for adolescent …

The Use Of Role Theory To Build Identity In Adolescents, Jordan Crawford

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper discusses how role theory introduced through the arts can aide adolescents in understanding the many parts of their own identity. The research focuses on the idea that through strengths based identity building, teens can increase their self-knowledge and self-esteem which will in turn decrease the chances for each individual developing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Relevant literature and research were used in order to develop evidence based expressive art therapy interventions to further explore identity using a strengths based approach. The intervention was introduced to an adolescent client who has a diagnosis of adjustment disorder with anxiety and …

Letter To The President: Longitudinal Critical Discourse Analysis Of Academic And Hip Hop Genres In A Rap Narrative Program, Debangshu Roygardner

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The objective of this study was to examine an in-school rap narrative workshop through critical discourse theory (Bamberg, 2012; Daiute, 2014). Twelve youth from a public school serving youth in urban Houston, TX were recruited from an in-school and after-school Hip hop/Rap narrative program to participate in a two-year cohort research study. The primary research question guiding the study was “How do young people participating in a school-based Hip hop/Rap program use a wide range of narrative genres for literacy and psycho-social development over two years in the program?”

The data-intensive study involved assessments of literacy and psycho-social development via …

Ruminative Exploration In Late Adolescence And Its Relationship To Depression, Self-Esteem, And Parental Autonomy Support, Kelsey A. Redmayne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ruminative exploration is considered a maladaptive dimension of identity development that appears to be at its highest during emerging adulthood (Luyckx, Klimstra, Duriez, Petergem, & Beyers, 2013a). Previous studies have assessed the relationship between ruminative exploration and well-being in populations in Dutch speaking populations of university students in Belgium (Luyckx, Gossens, & Soenens, 2006a; Luyckx, Gossens, Soenens, & Beyers, 2006b; Luyckx et al., 2007a; Luyckx et al., 2008; Luyckx et al., 2013a). Following the Dutch research, it was predicted that ruminative exploration will be positively correlated with symptoms of depression and low self-esteem among US college students. Beyond replicating the …

Meaning-Making In Early Adolescence: Practices And Perspectives Of School Counselors, Jill E. Schwarz

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Adolescence is a crucial life stage involving aspects of identity development and decision-making that have potential life-long consequences. A sense of meaning is related to many beneficial factors during adolescence, including psychological health, academic engagement, and overall well-being. This qualitative interview study was designed to investigate middle school counselors’ perspectives and practices regarding exploring meaning with their early adolescent students. Analysis of ten individual interviews and a focus group revealed that the school counselor participants did engage in work with middle school students around meaning-making. They primarily helped students to find meaning through identity exploration, specifically focusing on navigating challenging …

Exploring The Therapeutic Alliance With Adolescents And Their Caregivers: A Qualitative Approach, Jillian M. Hawks

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

The therapeutic alliance is largely recognized as an important component of the therapeutic process. For clients of all ages, the therapeutic alliance has been associated with positive outcomes and increased engagement in therapy (Bachelor, 2013; Bhola, & Kapur, 2013; Liber et al., 2010). However, very few studies have explored the complex process of fostering the therapeutic alliance with adolescent clients, while also maintaining a positive therapeutic relationship with the adolescent’s caregivers. The present study attempted to fill the gap in the literature through qualitatively exploring therapists’ perspectives of the therapeutic alliance with adolescents and their caregivers.

In order to discover …

“Young People These Days, Are Not Like We Used To Be ... #11;Or Are They?”, Harry B. Mayr

harry b mayr

No abstract provided.

Trauma-Focused Involvement In Psychotherapy: Relations With Therapeutic Alliance And Symptoms Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tess Siler Simpson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood trauma is a risk factor for a wide range of psychopathology and other damaging outcomes later in life (Cohen, Mannarino, Murray, & Igleman, 2006; Saunders, 2003). Among the many treatment models developed for maltreated youth and their families, both specific and non-specific therapeutic factors such as developing a trauma narrative (e.g., trauma self-disclosure) and forming a strong therapeutic alliance have been identified as ―active ingredients‖ that contribute to positive treatment outcome (Cohen & Mannarino, 1996a, 1998a; Friedrich, 1990). The current study used data from the Aurora-Adolescent Mood Project, a community based randomized controlled trial, which evaluated the effectiveness of …

Styles, Qualities, And Sexual Behavior In Young People's Romantic Relationships: A Longitudinal Examination Of Within-Person And Between-Person Effects, Meredith Cerian Joppa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of early sexual behavior places many youth at risk for unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV. The purpose of this study is to examine the interplay among romantic styles, relationship qualities, and sexual behavior at both the within-person and between-person levels. Frequencies of light nongenital, heavy nongenital, and genital sexual behavior were examined as well as risky sexual behavior. 200 young people from a community sample were assessed at six time points from ages 15 through 21. Avoidant styles were associated with less frequent sexual behavior at both within- and between-person levels, and with more risky …