Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Counselors Who Integrate Spirituality And Religion Into Therapy With African American Clients: A Phenomenological Study, Curissa Sutherland-Smith

All Student Theses and Dissertations

Spirituality is important when it comes to a client's identity, mental health functioning, treatment planning, recovery, and prevention work. However, in the United States, there tends to be a separation between the sacred and the secular. Integrating spirituality within the therapeutic setting is among counselor education and professional practices' most challenging and misunderstood areas (Stebnicki, 2017). A phenomenological qualitative design was used to collect data from participants. The study allowed licensed clinical professional counselors to discuss their experiences related to how they incorporate spirituality into their counseling sessions and how their perception and experience with the Black/African American community impacted …

Transition To Civilian Life: Exploring That Of The Fewer, The Prouder, And Female Marine, Glenisha Foreman

All Student Theses and Dissertations

Female Marine veterans are a group that intersects two at-risk populations, Marines and female veterans, and the potential struggles associated with them. Marine veterans have among the highest rates of suicide after transition, as well as one of the highest military sexual trauma (MST) rates. Studies indicate that women veterans are at risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), housing instability, and PTSD. Additionally, various social factors impact female veterans, such as a lack of familial support. There are many studies on the overall transitional experiences of the military and even some that evaluate experiences of female service members, but information …

Finding Harmony: The Lived Experiences Of African Americans Who Have Participated In Emotionally Focused Therapy, Jennifer R. Young

All Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of African Americans who have participated in emotionally focused therapy (EFT) within the past 2 years. Despite EFT's recognized effectiveness in fostering secure attachments and emotional expressiveness among distressed couples, there is a significant gap in research concerning its application within the African American community. This study addressed this gap by examining the personal narratives of six African American individuals, focusing on how EFT influenced their emotional expression and interpersonal relationships. The research identified four prominent themes: Transformation and Growth, Initial Apprehension and Fear, Cultural Sensitivity and Therapeutic Alliance, and Normalization and …

Undocumented Immigrant Intervention Training For Counselors: A Quasi-Experimental Study On The Msjcc And Ethnic Tolerance, Pamela Fullerton

All Student Theses and Dissertations

The number of immigrants coming to the United States has tripled since the 1970s (Budiman, 2020). Due to various global and international factors, the numbers of immigrants arriving to the United States continues to increase yearly (Ward and Batalova, 2023). Of the 45+ million immigrants currently in the United States, more than 11 million are undocumented (Budiman, 2020; Chhabra et al., 2023). Research has found that being an undocumented immigrant in the United States comes with many additional challenges and limitations including financial, health, educational, and legal barriers (Allweiss & Hilado, 2018; Capps et al., 2013; Chhabra et al., 2023; …

Sharing Hope Together, Praveen Jasthi

All Capstone Projects

The primary purpose was to raise donations and aid those in need. Establishing a resource center to serve as an information center and library for farmers to gain the most up-to-date knowledge on climate change is a realistic aim and a solid sign of a successful fundraising event. It seemed like a great opportunity to engage with key contributors and supporters, so the team went ahead with it. Indeed, it may provide an opportunity to show thanks for their cooperation and provide an update on critical activities. Furthermore, it may provide an excellent opportunity to invite influencers and notable corporate …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Approach To Analyzing How Licensed Counselors Practice Self-Care, Sadé Dunn

All Student Theses and Dissertations

Self-care in the mental health field is essential to counteract burnout in clinicians. This study uses the hermeneutic phenomenological approach to analyze the lived experiences of Licensed Counselors (LC) in Outpatient Mental Health Clinics (OMHC). The researcher took an in depth look at the level of support and their lived experience while they practice self-care. The study consisted of individual interviews and a writing prompt with the LCs. In order to be considered for the study, the participants had to be working 30 hours and employed at an OMHC. The study was conducted with the hope of understanding better modes …

Counselor Educators‘ Lgbt(Q) Social Attitudes: An Association With Critical Consciousness, Reiko Miyakuni

All Capstone Projects

LGBTQ individuals are at a higher risk for mental health problems and have a greater need for mental health related services than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, due to discrimination, harassment, and violence, and yet they continue to face discrimination in mental health care settings. Furthermore, the lack of LGBTQ counseling competency continues to be documented. Counselor educators play a critical role in shaping students’ attitudes toward LGBTQ persons; however, their social attitudes towards LGBTQ identities and LGBTQ equality remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of LGBT social attitudes of counselor educators who teach …

Community Trust Building And The Elgin Police, Frank Trost

All Capstone Projects

This study focused on police and community trust and how it may be affected by one’s sense of community. The idea of sense of community has been compared to school spirit. There has been little research that examines if sense of community influences trust in their police. A quantitative study was conducted utilizing an online survey. The location was the city of Elgin, Illinois. Its purpose was to determine what level of sense of community the respondents had and what level of trust they had in the police overall and the Elgin police specifically. The study resulted in 637 respondents …

Using Genograms To Explore Transgenerational Trauma And Racism In African American Couples, Hollie F. Campbell

All Capstone Projects

Despite a significant amount of literature on genograms in the ERIC, PsycINFO, and SocINDEX with full-text databases, only a handful of articles and book chapters address using genograms with African Americans. Of the articles that were found on the clinical application of the genogram as a counseling technique with African American couples, three provided a specific set of interview questions for the construction of a genogram, but did not explore the effects of transgenerational trauma and racism on these couples. Using a modified Delphi technique, the researcher solicited input from a panel of experts who developed and then assessed a …

The Correlation Between Employee Engagement And Job Satisfaction In The Social Security Administration, Courtney Lynn Barden

All Capstone Projects

In today' s environment, one way to retain people is to have fully engaged employees. A correlation study was conducted to examine the relationship between job satisfaction and employee engagement among Social Security Administration (SSA) employees. The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) is a tool that measures employees' perceptions their agencies. Pre-existing data was collected from the FEVS provided by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study is to determine the relationship between employee engagement and job satisfaction at SSA. The outcomes of this study provides knowledge regarding job satisfaction, which leaders can …

Have Video Gaming Revenues Led To An Increase In Municipal Services In Illinois?, Christopher Dudzinski

All Student Theses and Dissertations

In 2009, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Video Gaming Act, the largest gambling expansion in the state’s history. That expansion allowed locations within Illinois to have five Video Gaming Terminals (VGT) within their business, similar to the slot machines previously only seen at state casinos. These terminals arrived under much scrutiny, as scholars and citizens alike were concerned with the social negatives attached to gambling facilities. Previous research points out many of the societal connotations that comes along with Video Gaming such as negative externalities associated with bankruptcy and addiction, but has yet to analyze the impact on the …

Facing Obstacles As A Senior, Catherine Mccarthy

All Student Theses and Dissertations

Seniors are individuals who need the most assistance because they are a growing population in our society. It is estimated that by the year 2020, those 65 years and over will reach 55 million and those 85 years and over will number 7.3 million. Seniors need the most attention because daily items such as personal care, preparing a meal, going to the grocery store or housework become very challenging. This is when you need to acquire services that can help daily for these tasks. The Department of Aging plays a vital role when becoming a senior over the age of …

Explicit Content: Hip Hop, Feminism, And The Black Woman, Brittney Nicole Davis

All Student Theses and Dissertations

This work uses grounded theory and the framework of Black feminist thought to analyze the messages in contemporary hip hop music. Grounded theory was chosen to create an unbiased setting that allowed the themes to emerge rather than looking for specific occurrences. The beginning sections focus on the history of hip hop music, Black women in media and hip hop culture, hyper-masculine blackness, before reviewing key points in Black feminist thought. The top twenty hip hop songs from 2016 were studied lyric by lyric and coded into various themes resulting in three main areas of study: Formation of Black Femininity, …

What Effects Body Worn Cameras Worn By Law Enforcement Had On Society, James Bianchi

All Student Theses and Dissertations

The United States experienced unprecedented growth after World War II. America in the 60’s began to confront cultural, racial and value issues. Questions regarding brutality and unjust treatment by members of law enforcement towards minorities began to become more observed. March 2015 saw President Barack Obama’s Taskforce on 21st Century Policing begin to address this issue in their interim report. The task force identified law enforcement’s need to use new technology as a tool to improve the relationship with the citizens they are sworn to protect and serve. This finding was supported immediately by the Obama Administration. The goal of …

The Influence Of Adult Attachment Orientations And Multicultural Competence On Higher Education Faculty Perceptions Of Ell Students, Helene Zongo Brou

All Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the influence of adult attachment orientations and multicultural competence on higher education faculty perceptions of ELL (English Language Learner) students. My primary research question is whether difficulty working with ELL students, from the perspective of faculty members, is associated with individual differences in adult attachment orientations or cultural competence. There were 60 faculty members from three Midwestern American universities who completed the survey. Faculty perceptions, the dependent variable, were measured through faculty reports of their attitudes towards ELL students and their perceived adequacy of the English language proficiency of ELL students. The …

A Workshop For Transit Crisis, Ashley Tillman

All Capstone Projects

Crises can cause immediate chaos within any organization they touch. It is imperative that the individuals tasked with responding to crises are knowledgeable enough to communicate using a variety of methods and practices. Transit agencies task Transportation Managers and other key personnel to effectively communicate with front line employees before, during and after a crisis. In order for transit mangers to effectively communicate during crisis it is vital they are provided the necessary training relating to crisis communication. The purpose of the project is to develop a workshop for transit managers, stakeholders, and key leadership that are tasked with the …

The Transformation Of Homeless Adolescent Mothers Into Adult Leaders: Adolescent Pregnancy And Adolescent Reform, Annie Ware

All Capstone Projects

This phenomenological investigation recruited six female leaders using a convenient sampling method from social media connections and Governors State University’s graduate student distribution email lists to recruit leaders who were once homeless teenage mothers and resided in residential homeless shelters, foster families or without stable living arrangements. The women ranged in ages from 22 to 52. There was no restriction on race, ethnicity, or religion. The study included all women who were once homeless teenage mothers, yet ultimately attained a level of leadership within their chosen profession. Data uploaded into NVivo 11 from surveys and interviews were transcribed and coded …

Making An Inherently Dangerous Profession Safer: New Ambulance Designs, Amanda George

All Capstone Projects

Current ambulance patient compartment designs have proven dangerous to paramedics during patient transport. Currently, there are no set safety standards for patient compartments of ambulances. This study focused on three fire protection districts: Coal City, Wilmington, and Elwood; each identified that the current ambulance design is very dangerous for paramedics in a crash, particularly concerning usage of seat belts and dangers of the side-facing CPR seat and bench seat. Each fire district addressed these issues with new ambulance designs. The mixed methods research began with observations recorded from riding with paramedics on actual calls on both the old and new …

Violence, Paratexts, And Fandoms: The Walking Dead As A Societal Mirror, Jessica Lolli

All Student Theses and Dissertations

This project is a critical textual analysis of fan discourse surrounding the season seven premiere of The Walking Dead “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” that aired on AMC on October 23rd, 2016. Focusing on paratexts, fandoms, and the violence/horror genre as the theoretical framework, the project highlights fans role in the contemporary age of television and provides insight into how much violence and gore is acceptable for fans of the genre. This project also highlights how the premiere can be read as a societal mirror for violence’s representation in society. The artifact to be analyzed is fan …

The Cyber Crime And Internet And Internet Sexual Exploitation Of Children, Dickson A. Abimbola-Akinola

All Student Theses and Dissertations

The availability of the Internet has become increasingly easier to children due to technological advancements. An increasing number of children have access to smart phones and tablets, hence, allowing their susceptibility to become a cyber victim, as parental control is lacking. Concerns about the role of technological change in relation to sexual crimes against children, sexual exploitation and potential harm have been expressed in the USA for some considerable time. These have been reflected in a change in legislation with respect to abusive images of children (child pornography) and its attendant violent content. This study examined the impact of child …

The Makings Of An Activist: Navigating Through An Oppressive System And Understanding The Characteristics Of African American Male Activist, Tenille Wallace

All Student Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. minimizes struggles that African Americans have endured since enslavement. Oppression has robbed many minorities from developing their full potential as humans both psychologically and socially. Many African American men grapple with their identity, because their identity is formed by the dominant culture's narrative, developed by European Americans. Thus, the identity of African Americans may not be fully integrate into the dominant narrative which describes the lived experiences envision by African Americans. European Americans, specifically white researchers, maintain the status quo by neglecting African American experiences in academic literature. In order to develop a counter-narrative, researchers need to understand …

Evaluating Restorative Justice: A Guide For Practitioners, Nakee Yalon Holloway

All Capstone Projects

Restorative Justice (RJ) Programs exist in schools, workplaces, communities, the justice system, and other community and organizational settings and are targeted at various populations. In spite of numerous restorative interventions, there have been few comprehensive evaluations of those interventions that document RJ successes or provide evidence to increase the likelihood of success. RJ is responsive and emergent in nature; it is dynamic and ever changing. It is not a program with a linear path from idea to design to implementation to outcomes. RJ presents challenges to traditional approaches to research, such as process evaluations and long-term outcome studies. This research …

Examining The Feasibility Of Implementing A Deconstruction Nonprofit In East St. Louis, Il, David M. Hoag Jr.

All Capstone Projects

Background: According to an environmental justice case study by Kozol (2005), East St. Louis is considered the country's most distressed city. It has suffered from environmental and economic misfortunes for several decades. Many residents of the city have left due to the economic conditions of the city, which resulted in a loss of tax base. According to Hou (2010), the loss of tax base has had a severe impact on the community; the city that once had flourishing parks, streets, and businesses has now become blighted with condemned, abandoned, and foreclosed structures. Poor maintenance and neglect has led to decay …

A Model Of Segmenting A High-Cost Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Initiative, Paul Adams

All Capstone Projects

This project aimed to create a working model worthy to include within Schneider, Walker, and Sprague's description of a five-stage process of parceling out high-cost Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) initiatives. In 2002, the Department of Education and Department of Justice sponsored Schneider as the lead author for introducing and promoting CPTED initiatives for the first time in schools. This project's funding mechanism was created to help assist with the procurement of a highly priced CPTED initiative (key-less card system) for Suburban College.

Suburban College had faced a reoccurring pattern of theft from its classrooms and common areas. The …

New Day Ministries International Men's Ministry Leadership Workshop, Willie Gordon

All Capstone Projects

This project will consist of a three (3) hour workshop designed to teach and clarify some of the roles and duties of men in church ministry leadership. It is designed to help standardize specific duties men have as members of a Christian church organization, with a focus on building up the Kingdom of God. This workshop will not include the roles of pastors, elders, and ministers, but will focus primarily on the roles and duties of Deacons, Armorbearers, and Men throughout the general congregation.

This workshop is designed for client New Day Ministries International, as commissioned by Rev. Gregory C. …

Creating A Veteran Centered Wellness Treatment Model For Successful Reintegration, Lisa Troupe Wallace

All Capstone Projects

In today's society the issue of reintegration following combat deployment among American Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraq Freedom (OIF) veterans has been met with significant barriers. The purpose of this study was to examine current wellness models and to create a model that will assist veterans with reintegration into society. The current models will be examined to identify if the needs of the veterans are being met who are returning from combat and to examine community agencies, Department of Veteran Affairs and the Department of Defense programs and services essential to meeting their needs. A grounded study was …

Leadership Initiatives: A Mixed Methods Assessment Of Psychological Empowerment, Candice Robbins

All Student Theses and Dissertations

The researcher of the present thesis aimed to determine if, and to what degree, the Women's Leadership Symposium and Student Leadership Institute at a small Midwestern university impacted psychological empowerment among program participants. In this mixed methods thesis on psychological empowerment among Women's Leadership Symposium and Student Leadership Institute participants, psychological empowerment was quantitatively measured two times: (1) before the participation in the Women's Leadership Symposium and Student Leadership Institute and (2) immediately after the Women's Leadership Symposium and Student Leadership Institute. After the measures were administered at Time 2, participants were asked to volunteer their contact information for participation …

Effects Of The Illinois Budget Crisis On Home-Based Childcare Businesses, Okeycha Pettigrew

All Capstone Projects

There are over 800,000 children in Illinois that need to be placed in early learning programs. Many programs are closing due to the lack of financial support from government programs that provide financial assistance to parents who cannot afford to pay for childcare. The budget crisis that Illinois is currently experiencing has caused a decrease in funding early childhood education, and has cut many programs that are beneficial to home-based childcare businesses. What is happening to the children and the families that depend on childcare assistance? How does that affect the economy? What will happen to the communities that need …

Englewood: The Impact Of An Underserved Community That Is Faced By Violence: Politicians Vs. Residents Vs. Advocates, Ouidie M. Pollard

All Capstone Projects

This study examines the impact that violence has on an underserved community and its opportunity for revitalization. It attempts to reveal and analyze significant differences of opinion among residents, politicians, and other stakeholders in the Englewood community of Chicago, focusing primarily on what is needed to revitalize the community and reduce the level of violence in it. One key research finding is that there is a significant disconnect between residents of Englewood, the politicians who represent them, and activists and social-service providers who work with them in the community. Although there was no one clear reason for the disconnect, this …

The Facility Location Problem, Meghan E. Csoke

All Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the location of an emergency facility location within a town based on given information from the village and to use the results to determine the optimal location for an emergency facility. A model of the problem was developed using a spreadsheet and computer program to record and analyze the optimal response time based on different locations of emergency facilities. Assumptions were made to create situations easily computed through spreadsheet and computer programs. Once calculated, information was used to create a framework of demand density across a gridded map. Once the computer program …