Digital Commons Network^™

The Integrationists : Exploring The Experiences Of Third Culture Kid Psychotherapists, Carly S. Inkpen

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to explore how being a third culture kid (TCK) impacts the experience of working as a psychotherapist. A TCK is a person who spent a significant part of their developmental years living outside their passport country, often moving between numerous countries. This study sought to understand the unique perspective that TCKs bring to psychotherapy work and to increase the visibility of transnational, multicultural therapists and clinicians of color in the clinical literature.

Sixteen TCK psychotherapists on five continents were interviewed, responding to a range of questions about how their TCK identities impact their experience of clinical …

Experiences Of Multilingual Social Workers : Trauma Therapy In Spanish And English, Emily H. Aviles

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study examines the experiences of social workers engaging in multilingual—Spanish and English—therapy with individuals who speak both Spanish and English, identify as Latino/a, have a history of trauma, and identify as having a history (personal, familial) of immigration to the U.S. The study uses semi-structured interviews with 10 social workers to gather qualitative data about their experiences engaging in trauma therapy with individuals who identify as multilingual as well as Latino/a immigrants to the U.S. The project examines ways that multilingual clinicians process trauma with individuals in more than one language; paying attention to the ways clinicians think …

Clinicians' Experiences Of Personal Wealth : Impacts Within Clinical Practice, Sarah Schwartz Sax

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory/descriptive quantitative/qualitative study surveyed clinicians with wealth about their experiences working with clients who do not have wealth. While there is much research that examines the implications of race-privileged clinicians (i.e., white clinicians) when they work with clients who are race-oppressed (i.e., clients of color) there is very little research on parallel class-based dynamics when the clinician is of a more privileged socioeconomic class than the client. Thus, this research was an initial attempt to fill that gap in the literature. Fifty-four mental health clinicians with wealth voluntarily identified themselves to the researcher via a confidential online tool. Screened …

The Role Of Mother Tongue In Therapy For Limited English Proficiency Individuals : Sense Of Self, Emotional Expression And The Therapy Relationship, Maria F. Plazas

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Language fundamentally shapes an individual's identity and worldview. It is a principal component in the development of self, identity, and how relate with others. Individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) who immigrate to the U.S and learn English as adults must learn a new language. This process allows the individual to adapt to and survive in their new environment while they simultaneously experience a sense of loss of the original self and mother tongue. When these individuals seek treatment, they may not have a choice in the language used, and internally, may move between languages. Theory suggests that this can …

Talking About Race : How Do White Clinicians Engage In Dialogue About Race In Cross-Racial Therapy With Black Clients?, Elizabeth J. Hare

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explores how White clinicians engage in dialogue about race in cross-racial therapy with Black clients. Open-ended survey questions were used to gather narrative data from 12 White clinicians who have conducted therapy with Black clients. The central question of this research study is: when, how and why do White clinicians engage in dialogue about race in cross-racial therapy with Black clients? The study investigates how White clinicians think about their choices to broach the subject of race and their perceptions of the therapeutic alliance as it relates to conversations about race and racial difference. It also explores …

Cultural Competence : An Exploration Of Its Translation Into Therapeutic Practice, Tsu-Yin Chang

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study explores the construct of cultural competence through clients' perceptions of treatment issues encountered when working with clinicians of a differing racial background. Utilizing interviews with twelve clients of color who had worked psychotherapeutically within cross-racial dyads, this exploratory study examines clients' experiences of treatment issues in this treatment context, clients' understanding of cultural competence in psychotherapy, and their suggestions for cultivating it in clinical practice. Participants were recruited from the San Francisco Bay Area of California and sat for an hour-long audio-taped interview during which prompts designed to elicit information regarding their past treatment experiences were given. The …

Authentic Connectedness : An Exploration Of Gestalt Therapy Principles In Addressing The Dynamics Of Interacting Across Identity Difference, Marissa H. Mcmillin

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explored the experiences of how Gestalt therapists understand and apply principles of "authentic connectedness" when interacting across difference, such as race, culture, class, gender or sexuality, in both their clinical work and experiences in daily life. The researcher was especially interested in how these principles are used to understand and address interactions around privilege and oppression, which are dynamics that come up on a daily basis in American society, both within and beyond the therapy relationship. Ten Gestalt therapists, formally trained in Gestalt therapy, were interviewed and asked to describe interactions where they were cognizant of a …

Racially Aware Supervision : Examining How White Mental Health Clinicians Address Cultural Competency With Their White Supervisors, Elizabeth Hammond

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This research examines how multicultural competency and racial difference are addressed in supervision between White mental health clinicians and their White supervisors in mental health settings that serve primarily clients of color. The researcher completed a qualitative case study analysis of five participants who were asked to discuss the content and nature of their supervision with their White supervisors. Three research questions served as the foundation to explore supervisors' and clinicians' attention to cultural competence in the supervisory relationship: (1) How are multicultural issues, race, and racism addressed in supervision? (2) How does attention to clinician-client cultural issues in supervision …

Coloring In The Margins : The Impact Of Racial And Ethnocultural Identity On The Professional Lives Of Social Workers Of Color, Jessica R. Sundram

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory quantitative study examined the impact of racial and ethnocultural identity on the professional lives of social workers of color, focusing on experiences of social workers of color with racism, the influence of racial and ethnocultural identity in cross-cultural clinical work, and the perceived impact of racial and ethnocultural identity on career trajectory and professional experiences. Social workers of color have been and continue to be underrepresented in the population of licensed social workers. In this study, a sample of 86 social workers of color with a Masters in Social Work and two or more years of experience in …

Exploring Cultural Competence In Clincial Practice Behaviors, Yolonda M. Young Armstrong

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative research study explores clinical practice behaviors that influence the perceptions of college students' of color regarding cultural competence in the therapeutic dyad. Interviews were used to obtain data from six college students of color in Western Massachusetts who had a history of engagement in outpatient therapy. This study uses Object Relations Theory as a conceptual framework for understanding social constructions of privilege and identity development and as a learning tool for examining interpersonal behavior as a reflection of one's internalized perceptions. More specifically, for this study, Object Relations Theory provides academic context for understanding how external social phenomena …

Multicultural Competency, Training, And Outreach And Setting : A Quantitative Study With College Counselors, Eline Potoski

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study looked at differences in multicultural competencies of college counselors by training, outreach, institutional setting, and demographic characteristics and their relationship to multicultural counseling competencies as measured by the Multicultural Counseling Knowledge and Awareness Scale. Using a non-experimental cross-sectional design, this study gathered information from 77 college counselors responding to a web-based, self-report survey. The participants for this study were drawn from a non-probability sample of college counseling center staff currently employed at a college counseling center and currently providing counseling services to college or university students. The study found that training, outreach and certain institutional setting characteristics, such …

Aid From Without, Healing From Within : An Examination Of The Use Of Target Population Cultural Knowledge Of Mental Health And Healing In Refugee Camp Mental Health Programs, Madeline Erin Kilpatrick

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative survey of reports is an examination of the use of target population cultural knowledge of mental health and healing in refugee camp mental health programs. The data for this study came from a survey of reports from completed refugee camp mental health programs. The survey was designed to examine how refugee camp mental health workers use the target refugee population's cultural knowledge of mental health and healing throughout the process of needs assessment, program implementation and evaluation and how the use of the target population's cultural knowledge coincides with UNHCR and affiliated NGO operating procedures regarding the participation …

Encompassing Acholi Values : Culturally Ethical Reintegration Ideology For Formerly Abducted Youth Of The Lord's Resistance Army In Northern Uganda, Neil James Bilotta

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The focus of this study was to explore the historical underpinnings of culturally specific "healing" strategies associated with returning formerly abducted children in northern Uganda, post captivity in the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group. Although studies exist that examined both individualistic and collective approaches to aid in the reintegration process for youth who escape the war, there is minimal literature focusing on the cultural implications of Western therapeutic interventions for former child combatants in northern Uganda. Are Western mental health practitioners culturally aware of the distinctions between the Western world and that of Acholi youth? Are traditional Acholi values maintained …

The Role Of Language In Therapy : How Bilingual/Multilingual Therapists Experience Their Work With Bilingual/Multilingual Clients, Sofia Maia Rosenblum

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Bilingualism and multilingualism have not been afforded adequate exploration in clinical social work practice. This exploratory study examined the experiences of bilingual/multilingual therapists working with bilingual/multilingual clients. Utilizing interviews with twelve bilingual/multilingual therapists who were linguistically diverse, this study looked at the process of language switching in therapy, the effects of shared versus different languages on countertransference experiences, the interview subjects' conceptualizations of linguistic identity and how these identities have come to influence professional development, as well as the role that language plays in academic and training settings for mental health practitioners. The findings of the research showed the natural …

A New Praxis : Exploring Class-Based Microaggressions And The Application Of Relational-Cultural Theory And Liberation Psychology In Social Work Practice And Research, Lynn Hutton, Lynn Elizabeth Hutton

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis was undertaken to explore and describe the field of microaggression research, bring attention to the existence of class-based microaggressions, and consider contemporary theoretical approaches to research and practice that could be applied to the field of social work in the context of class-based oppression. Relational-cultural theory and liberation psychology were examined for their relevance to social work's role in addressing classbased microaggressions in practice and research. Literature was reviewed in areas related to racial and ethnic microaggressions, gender microaggressions, sexual orientation microaggressions, class-based microaggressions, and the theoretical frameworks of relationalcultural theory and liberation psychology. Through exploring these …

An Exploration Of White Mental Health Clinicians' Provision Of Spanish Language Services To Latino/A Clients, Sara Esther Walker

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study explored White mental health clinicians' provision of services in Spanish to Latino/a clients through exploratory interviews with thirteen clinicians. Participants were asked about their identities as White Spanish speakers and their motivations to provide services in Spanish. They were asked how clients, colleagues, and supervisors respond to them as White Spanish speakers. Challenging aspects of their work were explored, as were any instances in which they felt advantaged by their White identities. Finally, participants were asked about differences in the quality of care that they offer in English versus Spanish, and additional support or training that would help …

Race And Diagnosis : An Assesment Of Clinician Detection Of Eating Disorder Symtomatology In Asian, African-American, And White Women, Kristin Swenson

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to further explore the effect of race on clinicians' recognition of eating disorder symptomatology in Asian, African-American, and White women. This study replicated the work of Gordon, Brattole, Wingate, and Joiner (2006) in an attempt to re-affirm or challenge previous research findings found by Gordon et al., 2006, which suggest that clinicians identify eating disorder symptoms in White women more frequently than in African American women. The present study expanded Gordon et al.'s (2006) work by assessing clinicians' identification of eating disorder symptoms in Asian women and by examining themes in the qualitative …

Racial And Ethnocultural Considerations In The Treatment Of Combat Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder With Servicemembers And Veterans Of Color, Nada Michael

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Research from past wars has shown that veterans of color have significantly higher rates of PTSD than their white counterparts and a higher prevalence over their lifetime. Studies have sought to explain these differences and have found that while there are perhaps no racial genetic predispositions to the development of PTSD, ethno-cultural factors which are often associated with race play a significant role in the etiology and treatment of PTSD and therefore are important to consider when working with this population. This purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which clinicians who work with servicemembers and veterans …

What Is The Efficacy Of Evidence-Based Practice In Mental Health Treatment Of Diverse Ethnic Minorities?, Claire Denise Villegas

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed-method exploratory study attempted to examine the efficacy of evidence-based practice (EBP) in mental health treatment of diverse ethnic minorities. The study utilized an online survey consisting of demographic, multiple-choice and narrative questions. Twenty-one clinicians who utilized EBP interventions in their clinical practice completed this survey. The current EBP research lacks equal representation of ethnic minorities in the study populations. EBPs are increasingly mandated through agency policy and legislation (Carter, 2008). While broad claims are sometimes made that such interventions will "work" for everyone, it is noteworthy that diverse ethnic minorities are often not included in much of the …

How Palliative Care Professionals In Multicultural Or Monocultural Dyads Incorporate Humor In Their Work, Susan M. Lutzke-Hoff

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Some religions/people believe that a persons' core being, or spirit will cease to be at death, some believe in reincarnation, and others believe in eternal life. With the seriousness of one's spirit ending, transforming, or transitioning from this life to another, some believe it is a most solemn and serious time, where there is no room for humor. Others believe there are no boundaries to contain humor. It is part of life and death. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore how palliative care professionals in multicultural or monocultural dyads incorporated humor in their work. The narratives in …