Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling Commons^™

Clinician’S Recommendations In Treating Victims And Survivors Of Narcissistic Abuse, Sadaf Shalchian

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Although marriage and family therapists are one of the main providers in treating mental and relational health issues, there is not a significant emphasis on the identification, assessment, and treatment of victims and survivors of narcissistic abuse in COAMFTE-accredited Masters level Marriage and Family Therapy programs (COAMFTE, 2017). This needs assessment aimed to identify the knowledge and clinical skills recommended by clinicians who treat victims and survivors of narcissistic abuse to identify some needs, assessments, and treatment practices that can guide LMFTs in treating this population. This needs assessment explored current literature, research, and academic and clinical resources focused on …

A Program Evaluation Of Bhc Alhambra Hospital Outpatient Services, Emily Rose House

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A program evaluation of the Behavioral Health Care (BHC) Alhambra Hospital's Outpatient Service program was conducted. The purpose was to evaluate the program implementation, assess the program results, and highlight methods of program improvement. The evaluator conducted focus groups with administrative and clinical program staff and evaluated data utilizing thematic analysis. Three themes, education, programmatic operations, and team highlighted areas of program effectiveness and areas of program improvement. Administrative staff and clinical staff highlighted the importance of training and improved communication between program staff and board and care staff. Recommendations include the administrative staff creating a plan to account for …

Forged In The Fires Of Covid-19: The Evolution Of Systemic Therapy For Online Practice And Beyond, Lauren Skuba M.A., Mftc, Lindsay Edwards , Ph.D.

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

There has been a swift uptake in the use of teletherapy since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has corresponded with an increase in clinical scholarship focused on conducting systemic therapy in an online format. A majority of this scholarship offers ideas for adapting therapeutic tasks developed around in-person contact for a remote format. The current article moves beyond adapting and offers ideas for remote systemic therapy that are born from our experiences of evolving through teletherapy. We begin by noting some of the significant differences between in-person therapy and teletherapy before describing how these differences can influence client …

Bowen Informed Therapy Integrated With Gene Keys, Kristen Oliver M.A.

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

The mental health professions require innovation in order to advance theory and practice. This article presents reimagined therapeutic work that joins the metaphysical element of Gene Keys with the largely accepted theoretical approach of Bowen Family Systems Theory. We propose the integration of metaphysics as a way to facilitate higher levels of differentiation – particularly in clients who have an expanded worldview inclusive of metaphysics. The reader is asked to stretch their beliefs and perspective as they read through this paper.

Mft Trainee Experiences Of Shame, Self-Criticism, And Self-Compassion In Their First Practicum, Mark Karris , Ph.D., Angela B. Kim Ph.D.

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of MFT trainee shame, self-criticism, and self-compassion. Additionally, this study also sought to understand how those experiences may affect a trainee’s clinical work as a first-time practicum student. Interviews were conducted with 15 trainees in a graduate program who were performing therapy at a practicum site. Utilizing Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenology, six essential themes emerged: (1) shame and self-criticism are interrelated and can affect therapeutic presence; (2) self-criticism can have a positive impact on clinical work; (3) trainees use metaphors to describe shame and self-criticism (4) self-compassion …

Using Stories With Families: A Scoping Review, Sam Hadji Cyrous Ph.D. (Candidate), Sofia Valadares Nishiyama Cordeiro, Ana Caroline De Caldas

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

This article is the fruit of a systematic scoping review, according to PRISMA precepts. Its objective was to explore the use of stories and other symbolic genre on family therapy settings. Thus, it explains how the researchers made the selection of articles in phases or steps, in a total of six, having a final result of 11 articles, in a time-lapse of 28 years. By the one hand, it was observed a relationship between different techniques that are usually grouped separately and, by the other hand, the disparate way in which the same concepts are confused among researchers, where each …

Notes On Language In The Clinic In A Lacanian Key, Sean J. Carroll

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

There is no shortage of therapeutic modalities and interventions at the therapist’s disposal. Psychotherapy, because it claims to treat the individual, is necessarily multifaceted and complex. The dimension of language which structures much of our experience should be considered as a starting point for a psychotherapeutic technique. French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan developed a theory and technique of the talking cure beginning from this assumption: that language structures our experience. In the early 1950s he sought to recover a linguistic Freud: to re-center psychoanalytic psychotherapy on language itself. In this paper, I sketch the theoretical reasons for this turn in Lacan …

Fertility Counseling For Couples, Brennan Peterson, Kristy Koser

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Books and Book Chapters

This chapter addresses the role, and importance, of individual counseling and psychotherapy in providing psychological assistance and support to patients who are struggling with infertility and loss. Depression and anxiety are the two most frequent emotional sequelae of the infertility experience. The chapter therefore speaks not only to what factors contribute to making fertility counselors effective in their work, but also addresses specific treatment approaches that can yield positive outcomes in working with this unique population. These approaches include psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive–behavioral therapy (including dialectical behavior therapy and trauma-focused therapy), and supportive counseling. A brief history and description of each …

Mental Health In Coptic Orthodox Communities: Needs Assessment, Marina Zaky

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

In order to better understand the contributing factors to low visibility and an overall lack of representation of Coptic Orthodox individuals within the field of mental health, a needs assessment was conducted. Previous research studies have focused on the low visibility of the Coptic Orthodox population within the field of mental health but have focused primarily on stigma, without determining other needs and contributing factors. This needs assessment utilized the Delphi method of data collection in order to conceptualize the needs of the community from the perspectives of experts within the group. An extensive literature review was completed in order …

Sweet Pea: An Integrated Postpartum Mental Health Program For Mothers & Their Partners, Robynn L. Mays

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Sweet Pea: Postpartum Parenthood Program is a postpartum depression and anxiety intervention to provide support for mothers and their supportive partners for 16- weeks of therapy. Through group, individual, and couples therapy, parents can discuss their symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety in three different settings. The parents will have the support from their Postpartum Care Team (PCT) which includes: their Case Manager and Clinical Therapist. Parents will also receive health care and social services provided through PCT to ensure the proper support through their postpartum parenting journey. The Sweet Pea Program is based on the concepts of the …

Emergency Care For Youth Who Experience Suicidality And Identify As Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning (Lgbtq+): An Interpretive Phenomenology, Theresa Schultz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Suicide is a leading cause of death in children; youth who identify as LGBTQ+ are at an exponentially higher risk of suicide. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of young adults who identify as LGBTQ+ and sought emergency care for suicidality when they were adolescents.

Methods: Heideggerian hermeneutics phenomenology is the research method used in this study. Youth, ages 18-25 years, who identify as LGBTQ+ and sought emergency treatment for suicidality when they were adolescents (13-17 years) were recruited to participate;fifteen youth enrolled. Individuals ranged in age from 20 to 25 years. Participants described …

“My Attitude On Telehealth Has Completely Changed.”: Facilitators And Barriers To Implementing Technology For Care Delivery In Community Mental Health Centers, Suzanne Meller, Justin Tauscher, Dror Ben-Zeev

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

The purpose of this study was to explore facilitators and barriers aiding community mental health centers in implementing technology-assisted care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Six key informants were interviewed and 28 clinicians were surveyed from three community mental health centers. Interviews focused on technology-assisted care implementation efforts and factors that facilitated adoption. Surveys focused on clinician beliefs and experience with technology-assisted care in addition to training needs. Barriers to technology-assisted care implementation included beliefs about the quality of virtual services and a lack of technology access. An increase in service utilization was reported. Technology-assisted care facilitators included reimbursement policy changes …

How Does Trauma Experienced During Immigration Affect Mental Health?, Taliyah Sims, Daeja Hinton

Immigration Scholarship: History, Trends and Development in Global Immigration

The research topic being explored focuses on hardships that immigrants face before, during, and after migrating into the US. Over the years immigration has changed in many ways, for better and for worse. Immigration has become such a difficult and tedious process, which can absolutely take a toll on the mental health of the people who just want to move and start better lives. Violence and crimes also play a major role in why people are looking to flee from their home countries in the first place. Moreover, the research will provide a closer look into the violence and crimes …

Solution Focused Brief Therapy And Vicarious Resilience In Bolivian Protective Family Services Workers, Marcos Pérez Lamadrid, Adam S. Froerer

Journal of Solution Focused Practices

Vicarious resilience (VR) is defined as the positive effects caregivers experience within their personal lives, their work lives, and within their worldview as a whole, that come from witnessing the resilience that clients demonstrate in facing their traumatic experiences. This research study is a quasi-experimental pilot study about how solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) influences the vicarious resilience of family protective system (SLIM) workers in Bolivia. The Vicarious Resilience Inventory (VRI) was administered in a pretest/posttest design for an experimental group (applying SFBT) and a control group (training as usual). Both groups experienced an increase in vicarious resilience, but the …

Pathways For Healing: An Online Therapeutic Support Group Program, Lisa Yvette Salazar

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Pathways for Healing: An Online Therapeutic Support Group Program (OTSG) is for women, ages 18 to 65 years old, diagnosed with chronic pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). The program focuses on women living in Texas rural communities with limited access to mental health providers. The aim for this study is to determine if an OTSG program, utilizing narrative therapy (NT) within a biopsychosocial-spiritual lens (BPS-S) will improve overall health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Support groups are provided in English and Spanish, over the course of 12 weeks, facilitated by a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) and licensed pelvic floor physical …

Combined Treatment Model Program For Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence, Hillary Jeanne May

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This project seeks to fill a void in the mental health field by providing a combined treatment model program to address the needs of survivors of intimate partner violence. As such, the primary purpose of this project is the development of a treatment program with services that are easily accessible by survivors that is intended for future implementation in shelters or agencies that have contact with this population of women. This program offers a means to engage an underserved population in access to services and self-development to improve overall mental and physical health outcomes and attempt to prevent recurrent intimate …

The Perceived Experiences Of High School Students And Their Mental Health In Sda Academies, Melody Ezpeleta

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this project was to gather the perceived experiences of high school students in terms of their mental health while attending Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) academies. The rationale for this qualitative needs assessment was to learn about how the identified mental health conditions are being attended to and what mental health resources or supports are needed at the academies. Forty-six participants were recruited from the Pacific Union under the North American Division Office of Education (NADOE). An anonymous, 20-minute online survey was completed independently by participants in which they were guided to select one of four roles: administration, direct …

An Intervention Program For Adult Female Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Camille Sauder

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) has been linked to adverse impacts within the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual (BPSS) domains of adult female survivors’ lives (Fergusson et al., 2013). The impact of CSA within each of these domains may contribute to long-term trauma symptoms that impact multiple areas of life including symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that underlie dysfunction within intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning. Programs that have been designed to holistically treat this population lack interventions that target each of the BPSS domains with a structured, cohesive approach that assess the survivor’s readiness based on level of current trauma symptoms. …

We Program Training Manual For Culturally Responsive School-Based Mental Health Practices, Staysha M. Veal

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

An abundance of evidence suggests that K–12 Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) students experience disparities in school-based mental health services and negative school-based outcomes due to racism, discrimination, and biases. Such experiences have deleterious impact on their mental health, academic functioning, and other pre- and post-matriculation outcomes. These dynamics can lead to poor academic functioning and adverse mental health outcomes which can include depression, anxiety, toxic stress, decreased self-worth and self-esteem, and psychological maladjustment. School-Based Mental Health (SBMH) providers that are trained to be culturally responsive are uniquely situated to mitigate these negative events and ensure that BIPOC students …

Program Evaluation Of The Mend Program In Its Application Of Working With Adult Pnes Patients, Ashley Park

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study is a program evaluation of a family systems program, MEND and its application of working with patients who have Psychogenic Non Epileptic Seizures, otherwise known as PNES. This study evaluates PNES patients who have completed MEND focusing and comparing outcome measures like health related quality of life (HRQL), emergency room visits, and medications with PNES patients who have not done MEND. Results suggest that MEND improved PNES symptoms and overall HRQL.

Decolonizing Psychotherapy, Nicole D. Taylor

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This project aims to increase the use and inclusivity of mental health services within marginalized communities by providing education and training tools on the use and application of integrative mental health approaches. It is an offering of guidance, providing a culturally responsive framework for integrating yoga into psychotherapy. The manual aims to reduce systemic, colonialist, barriers to mental health services. This project is founded on the basis that mono-cultural foundations in traditional psychotherapeutic treatments negatively impact the attitudes and beliefs of service seekers, typically within excluded groups. Systems Theory and Critical Race Theory and Social Justice principles inform the application …

Adaptation Program: Systemic Treatment Of Incarcerated Individuals And Their Families, Katrina Arabyan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of the Adaptation program is to support families impacted by incarceration. It is a family-based therapeutic program implemented within a correctional facility. Adaptation utilizes Structural Family Therapy (SFT) to focus on creating systemic change by addressing the rules, roles and behavior patterns of incarcerated individuals and their families. Barriers to family member attendance are addressed via the use of telehealth.

Dance Movement Therapy Interventions To Build Coping Skills And Identity In Adolescent Patients Dealing With A Cancer Diagnosis: Development Of A Method, Ariel Hortin

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Adolescents are a special category in pediatric oncology because of their unique physical and mental development. This patient population has needs specific to both their development and cancer diagnosis. Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) focuses on building awareness of inner sensations so that the patient can then connect those observations with felt emotions and thoughts. Connecting the physical experience with the emotional experience can provide helpful information for the patient as a tool for change. Building and strengthening relationships with family members also strengthens the critical support system for the patient. Dance Movement Therapy interventions may be effective in working with …

Family-Centered Training And Therapy As Substance Abuse Intervention In Adolescents, Ryan St. John, Cam'ron Klotz, Muskaan Bibi, Archana Salek, Health Careers Opportunity Program - Rowansom, Rowan University

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

We hypothesized that providing mental health resources for adolescents and educating their parents and families would decrease the prevalence of substance abuse in the Camden, NJ community given that overdose death had risen 138% from 2014-2018. Educating parents and families on the importance of adolescents dealing with mental disorders may help evaluate the mental stability of their child and prevent them from turning to illicit substance to cope. Increasing the communication and the availability of resources for adolescents to turn to before resorting to illicit substances can have beneficial effects.

Parental Stress In Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, Jenny Do

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a multi-systemic genetic disorder with great clinical variability. As the needs of one child with TSC may vastly differ from another, parenting demands may similarly differ. Characterizing parental stress, or emotional maladaptation arising from parenting duties, can enable healthcare providers to assist parents of children most efficiently with TSC-related symptoms and improve both parent and child health outcomes. This study surveyed 269 parents of children (aged 0-12 years) with TSC and received the following information: children’s TSC clinical features, parent demographics, and a Parent Stress Index (PSI) score. Parents reported higher stress levels for children …

Caregiver-Child Conversations About Sex In African American Women, Hannah King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using grounded theory methods, this study examines the experience of African American women during their caregiver-child conversations about sex and the impacts of the conversations on their sexual attitudes. The process of these conversations begins with an unplanned topic and progresses further to identify six essential themes of these conversations: gender differences, race and religion, protective/emphasis on protection, lack of knowledge, withholding knowledge, and sex negativity/shame. African American women’s description of the process included feelings of shame and negativity towards their sexuality. Caregivers promoted positive messages about sex by having open conversations that advocated for equality between the genders, empower …

Children Of Divorce Parents Group Manual, Sheyenne Hokit

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Divorce is something that is, unfortunately, becoming a commonality for a lot of children, and due to the complexity of divorce, many children struggle when trying to understand divorce and how it affects them. Some effects of divorce are various emotional and behavioral issues such as increased anger and decreased emotion regulation. Social, health, and academic concerns were also found. Counseling interventions like narrative therapy, emotion-focused family therapy, emotion-focused therapy, and play therapy were found to be effective with this population (Hirschfeld & Wittenborn, 2016, Thomas & Gibbons, 2009). The identified interventions provide peer-based social support, education on the misconceptions …

Restoring Wholeness To Psychiatry: Models Of Understanding, Gregory Brown, Lisa Durette, Timothy Ebright, Katie Cho

Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Faculty Publications

Psychiatric practice is at a critical juncture in its evolution. Its identified model for understanding the complexity of individuals and their conditions has been the biopsycho-social-spiritual model since it was first proposed nearly half a century ago. In practice, this construct is being challenged by a biomedical model which asserts all psychiatric conditions can be reduced to either neurotransmitter or gene-based causation. We explore how models are used in science to approximate larger reality, with a focus on Systems Theory, which is the philosophical foundation for the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model to describe why this model is necessarily more complete than the …

Classical Music In Depth Psychology: Listening To The Unconscious In Active Imagination, Ellen Wimmer Sheahan

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

This article aims to explore the role of classical music in depth psychology, with insight from the author’s experience as a classical musician and psychotherapist. The author posits that classical music possesses deep archetypal wisdom that supports awareness for client individuation. Through personal reflection and case examples, the author examines archetypal potentials when classical music arises in active imagination. This writing aims to substantiate the importance of sound and music, as well as image, in the field of depth psychology.

Using Client And Supervision Feedback To Improve Supervision In Health Care, Daryl Mahon Ba, Ma

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

This paper seeks to establish a conceptual model of client and supervisee feedback that can be used to improve supervision processes and outcomes in health and social care settings. Supervision is a beneficial practice development endeavor that practitioners find rewarding for various reasons. However, the impact of supervision on client outcomes in health and social care settings is scant and not all supervision is helpful; indeed, harmful and inadequate supervision is also prevalent. Using supervisory measures of the alliance between supervisor and supervisee may be one method to help improve processes and outcomes. In addition, providing client feedback to practitioners …