Digital Commons Network^™

The Development Of 4thekids: An Educational Support Group For Caregivers Of Individuals With Cerebral Palsy, Khrista E. Neville

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Raising a child can be challenging. Raising or caring for an individual with a disability can be even more challenging. Currently, groups exist to support these caregivers for individuals with disabilities. For example, caregivers of children diagnoses with Autism Spectrum Disorder often have groups designed to build community with others in similar positions while they support their loved one. However, there are few to no groups supporting caregivers of individuals with cerebral palsy. This doctoral specialization project aims to provide clinicians with a treatment manual to guide them through running a group that supports caregivers of individuals with cerebral palsy.

Canine-Assisted Cognitive Processing Therapy: Promoting Healing For Veterans Diagnosed With Ptsd Through Canine "Battle Buddies", Shelby L. Meadows

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Trauma related symptoms and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have long been recognized for their connection to military and veteran populations and has become a significant barrier to the provision of mental healthcare. This original contribution to practice explores the significance of Canine Assisted Therapy as a novel approach to treating trauma in veteran and military populations. An extensive literature review examines the current research and discussion on trauma-informed care. It begins with a discussion on evidence-based practices for the treatment of PTSD, including Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. This is followed by a comprehensive …

The Examination Of Suicidal Ideation And Ptsd Among First Responders, Amanda Catalan

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

First responders are vital to our safety and protection, but this does not come without a price. First responders are often exposed to life threatening situations that put them at risk, and are exposed to those in critical condition, and unfortuantely, those who have died. This makes first responders more at risk to develop mental health conditions, particulalrly Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. (PTSD). First Responders were found to be more likely compared to civilians to develop PTSD. They were also more likely to experience suicidal ideation. First responders who met criteria for a PTSD diagnosis were also more likely to have …

Clinical Challenges And Experiences: Shared Knowledge From Mental Health Clinicians, Tyler Mcqueen

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Though there is an extensive need for mental health practitioners of child and adolescent psychology, there tends to be a significantly lower number of these providers compared to adult clinicians. For this reason, this study sought to provide emerging child and adolescent clinicians with a point of clinical reference to allow for more efficient and competent services to be provided. This was accomplished by increasing the reader’s foundational knowledge of child and adolescent treatment via a brief historical review, while also increasing the reader’s clinical knowledge/readiness by examining participant reported interventions/insights on the most commonly encountered therapy interfering behaviors, clinical …

Measures Of Mood: Adaptations For Adults With Developmental Disabilities And/Or Severe Mental Illness, Tara Bord

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic was a source of anxiety and depression for many people, and for some it exacerbated existing mood and anxiety symptoms. Measurement of symptoms of anxiety and depression can play an important role in intervention to decrease these symptoms. However, to ensure validity of these measures, one must be able to understand the language of the screeners. An adapted Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Item Scale were created for usage with adults with developmental disability and/or severe mental illness who may have difficulty understanding the language of the original versions of these measures. A study was …

Development And Initial Validation Of The Triarchic Model Scales, Jordan A. Organ

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

The term “psychopath” is a word used often, particularly on tv shows, courtroom dramas like Law and Order, and even in everyday language to describe the people we know who may be deviant, cold, and lacking remorse. Although these descriptors may be accurate, they don’t adequately encapsulate the construct of psychopathy entirely. The picture of individuals with actual psychopathy is much more complex, and our field’s history of attempts to parse out psychopathic traits is equally as convoluted, which has led to differences in conceptualization and measurement. Despite the attention paid to the psychopathy construct, a full conceptualization of …

Caregiver Mediated Positive Behavioral Intervention Training: A Solution For Hcbs Waitlisted Families, Nicholas P. Hoffmann

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability characterized by persistent challenges in social communication and interaction, and restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior. These challenges manifest heterogeneously, resulting in a wide range of presentations and levels of support needs for individuals with the disorder. Behavioral intervention is an empirically supported treatment designed to support early skill development for people on the spectrum. Many Kentucky caregivers rely on two Medicaid waivers, the Supports for Community Living and Michelle P Waiver for these supports. However, there are currently over 14000 people on the waitlists for these waivers. The creation and implementation …

Exploring The Efficacy Of Interpersonal Psychotherapy Via Telehealth, Damon Tichenor Jr

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

The COVID-19 pandemic caused abrupt changes for healthcare providers across the globe. As a result of social distancing measures and stay-at-home orders, it was necessary that providers adapted their services to continue to reach their clients/patients. Specifically for the field of mental health, practitioners quickly and extensively adapted from a face-to-face format to providing their services using various forms of technology, otherwise known as telepsychology. Although telepsychology was established prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid adjustment forced practitioners to adapt their interventions to formats in ways that had not been proven to be effective. The purpose of the current …

The Non-Standardization Of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: A Call To Action, Gabriel L.S Gomez

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most diagnosed disorders in adults and children, yet there is no standardized method to assess for ADHD. The similarity of symptoms shared across other disorders (comorbidity) makes the assessment of ADHD a very delicate process. This is not aided by the fact that the assessment of ADHD is not standardized. This allows individuals able to assess for ADHD to give a test or a combination of tests that they find fitting. This in turn brings into question the quality of testing and disagreement in diagnosing across fields. Lastly, ADHD-focused measures typically …

The Suicide Gene: Examining The Environmental And Genetic Impact Of Someone Who Is Suicidal, Casey Allen

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Abstract

The progress of suicide focused research has been tremendous in recent years. There have been many theories posed that are foundational in understanding suicide. This project will examine the genetic and environmental impact of suicide. Serotonin, family heritability, twin studies, adoption studies, candidate genes, and genetic transmission of psychiatric disorders are key topics in the role genetics plays in suicide. Suicide has impacted many lives across the world. Survivors of suicide face stigma, trauma related symptoms, grief, and a whole host of other experiences. Suicide also poses a threat to the social, physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological well-being on …