Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

New England High School Coaches’ Perceptions Of The Role Of Team Culture On Performance And Well-Being, Stephen Brown

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

High school sports are the most popular extracurricular activity in the United States. Coaches serve as gatekeepers to team culture and influence student athletes’ experiences in those sports. Team cultures influence performance and well-being outcomes. Those outcomes are not inherently beneficial and have caused harm to some student-athletes. Guided by a constructivist approach paired with grounded theory analysis, this study investigates how high school coaches in New England perceive the role of team culture in promoting student-athlete well-being and performance. Thirteen head varsity athletic coaches from New England schools took part in interviews via Zoom to share their thoughts on …

Unveiling The Voices: Lived Experiences Of Adolescent Girls With Emotional Disturbance In Special Education, Jasmin Hagen

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation addresses a significant gap in existing research by exploring lived experiences of cisgender female adolescents (Grades 7–12) diagnosed with emotional disturbance (ED) in the U.S. Current statistics indicate that 28% of students in special education with an ED diagnosis are girls; yet, their perspectives remain largely absent from scholarly discourse. Rooted in critical constructivism, critical feminist theory, and dis/ability studies and critical race theory (DisCrit), this qualitative study aims to elucidate insights that can enhance academic success and elevate high school graduation rates for this demographic. This research investigates the experiences of seven participants from New England, representing …

Mothering In The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Feminist Relational Discourse Analysis, Erin Spencer

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the caregiving landscape, presenting distinct challenges for parents. While existing literature highlights the considerable increase in parenting stress and burnout during this period (Griffith et al., 2022), it also foregrounds the indispensable and often invisible labor of mothering¾emphasizing the disproportionate burdens placed on mothers as they bridged gaps in societal infrastructure (O’Reilly & Green, 2021). Grounded in matricentric feminist theory, this qualitative study delves into the dominant ideologies and social constructs shaping normative motherhood as a framework for understanding maternal stress and resilience during a global health crisis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 mothers …

Perceptions Of White Therapists’ Social Class By White Clients Experiencing Rural Poverty In Maine, Rebecca Roveto

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation explored the experiences and perceptions of white therapists’ social class by white clients facing poverty in rural Maine. Employing an intersectional methodology rooted in Critical White Theory, Critical Theory, and the Critical Theory of Care in Nursing, the study utilized semi-structured interviews, thematic coding, and discourse analysis. The findings revealed that regional cultural values, specifically intergenerational ideals of independence, privacy, and self-sufficiency, significantly impacted clients’ encounters with stigma and social exclusion. Notably, participants perceived that Mainecare’s, Maine’s Medicaid program, reimbursement rates influenced therapist accessibility and questioned if it was associated with a lower social class.

This study made …

Sexual Assault And The Impact On Identity And Mothering: Women's Lived Experiences, Madelin Cerullo

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Literature on traumatic events, particularly those of a sexual nature, suggests that these events have an impact on one’s wellbeing and ability to parent. However, limited literature centers a women’s experience, with little attention focused on identity formation, the role of mothering, and healing as an outcome (Babcock et al., 2015; Clifford et al., 2020. Much extant literature focuses on predetermined themes that narrow participants’ reports and fail to capture lived experiences (Carothers Bert et al., 2009) with emphasis on significant disruptions to lives because of the traumatic event (Clifford et al., 2020). When literature considers these topics as part …

Re-Shaping The Definition Of Eating Disorder Recovery By Amplifying Adolescent Voices: An Arts-Informed Phenomenological Inquiry, Lauren Porter

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Adolescence is known as being a critical period of development, especially for adolescent girls. During this developmental stage, young girls may fall susceptible to concerns about body-image, weight, shape, and appearance, and are deeply influenced by the perceptions of others, particularly their peers. Eating disorders constitute a significant public health concern, with adolescent females being particularly vulnerable. Recovery from eating disorders remains a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, characterized by varied definitions within the literature (Bardone-Cone et al., 2010). Despite the rampant nature of eating disorders among this age group, there is limited literature denoting the recovery experiences of female adolescents …

A Critical Inquiry Exploring The Relationship Between Critical Consciousness And Community Engagement Educators, Carol Difalco

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Community engagement programs are shaped by the educators who facilitate them. Due to a curtailed critical consciousness, such programs are not always sensitive to the negative implications for the communities they are attempting to support. Guided by critical ethnographic and interpretive phenomenological analysis, this study examines how educators perceive their relationship with critical consciousness, its impact on their community engagement initiatives, and what we can learn from educators using community engagement to work towards social justice issues. As expected, results from the participants revealed varying awareness and understanding of how structural power and institutional oppression impact community engagement initiatives. Some …

Family Caregiving And Serious Mental Illness: Navigating Complex Relationships, Lynn Sellon

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Treatment of serious mental illness (SMI) has shifted over the last 60 years from an institutional model to a community-based approach (Chan, 2011; Di Lorenzo et al., 2021; Jain & Singh, 2014). Families have become an integral part of the caregiving network, bringing into focus the relationships between caregivers and individuals with SMI. Although literature has emphasized the key role family members play in supporting individuals diagnosed with SMI, there is a dearth of in-depth qualitative research on how primary caregivers traverse these relationships (Biegel et al., 2013; Chang & Chen, 2021; Young et al., 2019). This research addressed that …

Changing The Way We See Ourselves In The World: Critical Youth Participatory Action Research Investigating Intergenerational Trauma And Macro-Cultural Influences With Adolescent Girls, Raja Sinjab

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This study explores the social-ecological experience of human development in adolescent girls in attempts to better understand what young people may need. Five adolescent girls participated in a three-month long critical youth participatory action research study utilizing a photovoice method to investigate environmental messages that impact their identity. Specific themes of intergenerational trauma and macro-cultural influences were identified through a co-generated data analysis process, which contributed to a community action plan. The data generated with the co-researchers provided thematic information for the researcher to apply in a critical discussion exploring the influence of social power structures on families and youth. …

An Examination Of Law Enforcement And Behavioral Health Collaborations In Multidisciplinary Teams (Forensic Mdts), Joanne Barros

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative case study research was to identify the advantages and disadvantages of collaborations among law enforcement and behavioral health providers on multidisciplinary teams when responding to behavioral health crises. The aims included 1) understand how communication between behavioral health professionals and law enforcement officers impacts their ability to collaborate; 2) uncover how information sharing between both disciplines influences outcomes; 3) describe the perceptions of members of both disciplines regarding levels of case engagement.

Background: Law enforcement is increasingly engaged in behavioral health crises. In addition, there is growing demand for clinical input regarding law …

Understanding The Role Of Educator: Leveraging Social-Emotional Learning In Service Of Equity And Inclusion In K-12 Public Schools, Jeanne Baskin

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Following a comprehensive literature review on the topic of social-emotional learning (SEL), a noticeable gap revealed insufficient research to ensure all students gain access to the benefits of SEL, particularly racially diverse students from under-resourced backgrounds. As a result, this qualitative research study used narrative inquiry to explore the beliefs, viewpoints, and lived experiences of educators working in a K-12 public school setting related to social-emotional learning and equity in education. A purposive sampling strategy was utilized to invite 14 participants to share in a semi-structured interview conducted virtually. Data from participant interviews were investigated through thematic analysis to bring …

Understanding Factors Associated With Clinician Confidence To Identify And Treat Ptsd And Complex Ptsd, Parad Meier

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This dissertation explores mental health clinicians’ experiences and self-identified confidence to identify and treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD. PTSD is a highly prevalent mental health condition that impacts an estimated 24.4 million individuals in the United States (PTSD United, 2019). Complex PTSD has just emerged for the first time with official diagnostic criteria in the publication of the ICD-11 in 2019 for use beginning in January 2022 (WHO, 2019). There is very little existing research that considers the experience or confidence of clinicians who work with clients who have PTSD and Complex PTSD, which is troubling …

Simple But Not Easy: An Examination Of The Test-Retest Reliability Of The Perceived Stress Scale (Pss-10) And Exploration Of A Meditation App For Stress Management With High School Students, Eileen Kaskons

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Stress can have a negative effect on overall well-being, trigger physical disease, and contribute to mental health disorders. The 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) is frequently used in research. However, there are limited studies on the test-retest reliability of the PSS-10 with adults, and no studies could be identified that tested this issue with adolescents. Meditation apps are often recommended for stress reduction, but they have not been widely studied for use in high school. This study investigated the test-retest reliability of the PSS-10 and examined the feasibility of using a meditation app with high school students. First, a comprehensive …

Black Deaths Matter: Critically Understanding Black Female Clinicians’ Perspectives About Suicide In Black Communities, Heath Hightower

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Suicide is a multi-faceted human experience that threatens and harms Black communities. Historical data, critical theories, and extant research literature suggest that such threats and harms result from interactions between macrosystemic systemic forces and individual level meaning-making processes. To explore the dynamic and nuanced complexities between systemic forces and deaths often labelled “suicides” in contemporary U.S. Black communities, this project centered and amplified the critical perspectives of fourteen Black female clinicians. Because of their marginalized identities, intersectional lived experiences, critical orientation, and clinical training, these participants were well-positioned to analyze and understand the degrees to which suicides in Black communities …

Embodied Critical Analysis: Exploring The Impact Of Systemic Oppression On Black, Public School Educators Through Supervisor Relationships, Myisha R. Rodrigues

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This critical qualitative dissertation aimed to highlight the experiences and amplify the voices of Black, public school educators in the Boston metro area. Grounded in critical race theory and further defined by trauma and organizational/systems theories, this study illuminated the historical foundation of education as well as the dehumanizing treatment and resilience of Black Americans. This illumination provided a socio-political context that shaped the development of institutional injustice as well as Black educator well-being. With a specific focus on Black educator experiences with supervisors in public schools, specified methodology allowed for most impactful practice leveraging creativity through artistic means.

Critical …

The Pursuit Of Housing: Chronically Homeless Men And Their Experiences Seeking Affordable Housing, Serena Cardoso Ma, Lmhc

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Homelessness, or the lack of consistent and safe shelter, is a byproduct of nearly every social justice issue in the United States, including racism, sexism, income disparities, and inadequate education and healthcare. Chronic homelessness is a term used to describe an individual who has spent at least one year or repeated events totaling one year in homelessness, coupled with a disabling condition such as mental illness, physical disability, or substance use. Chronically homeless men deserve study because they make up the largest subgroup of the homeless population, are disproportionately men of color, and experience significant levels of traumatic stress. While …

Centering The Voices Of Transgender Supervisees Through Critical Inquiry, Kimberly Cherry

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Reflecting the systemic cisgenderism within dominant culture, transgender perspectives have been historically silenced in psychological literature. There is growing research regarding therapy with transgender clients; however, transgender therapists have not been the subject of substantial study. This critical narrative dissertation explores the experiences and insights of transgender therapists during clinical supervision. Drawing from intersectional feminism, queer theory and liberation psychology, this study utilizes a critical, relational approach in attending to issues of power, oppression, and social change. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight transgender therapists regarding their experiences in supervision.

Employing the Listening Guide method, a feminist narrative voice-centered approach, …

Disrupting Cis/Heteronormativity And Interrogating Whiteness: The Advancement Of Counseling Through Critical Sex Education, Carla Rosinski

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation provides a critical analysis of how cis/heteronormativity is reproduced and/or challenged in sexuality and gender discourses. Additionally, this research aims for critical consciousness raising and serves as further evidence of the need to integrate critical human sexuality training in counselor education. The meta theoretical orientation of this research combines liberation psychology, queer and Crip theories, and critiques of settler colonialism. These theories combine to illustrate the “wheel of domination” created by colonialism, capitalism, and white supremacy. Critical discourse analysis is utilized with naturalistic occurring data in the form of Podcast episodes on the topics of ‘sex ed’ and …

El Dilema En Los Números: An Examination Of The Historical Exclusionary Mathematics Placement Practices That Prevent Hispanic Level 1 And 2 El Student Participation In Higher-Level Mathematics Courses., Rardy Leandro Pena

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

The current placement of Hispanic level 1 and 2 English Learner students into mathematics courses has been constructed and propagated by the assumptions that these students enter school in the United States at a lower level in mathematics. This assumption, which has neither been tested nor confirmed, perpetuates the systemic injustices in public education by erroneously creating a homogeneous placement process for Hispanic English Learner students and contributes to the economic, social, and political marginalization often experienced by Hispanic immigrants. The purpose of the current project was to examine the veracity of these assumptions by exploring the mathematics placement practices …

Women's Lived Experiences With Benevolent Sexism, Sarah Schwerdel Ma, Lmhc

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation sought to explore the ways in which adult women make meaning of experiences of benevolent sexism in their everyday lives. By highlighting the meaning-making process of women who have experienced benevolent sexism, this research provides an important perspective on what it is like to experience gender-based oppression. Understanding that covert forms of sexism have implications for women’s well-being is an essential aspect of social-justice oriented mental health counseling. This phenomenological study focused on the perspectives of twelve adult women who have experienced benevolent sexism. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews. Line by line data analysis of the …

Counseling While Black: A Critical Inquiry Exploring The Experiences Of Black Master’S Level Counselors In Non-Academic, Predominantly White, Mental Health Settings, Brandon C. Jones

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

As the counseling profession has evolved to embrace multiculturalism, scant research has focused on examining how Black counselors in predominantly White settings navigate the social injustices of white supremacy and patriarchy. This dissertation project is a critical, dialogue-based study of Black, Master's level counselors' race and gender-related challenges in predominantly White, non-academic, mental health settings. It offers two primary contributions to existing empirical literature: a meta-theoretical understanding and a critical qualitative inquiry based on a methodological integration.

The meta-theoretical understanding offered in this dissertation is grounded in a theoretical reconstruction of Critical Race Theory (Bell, 1980; Crenshaw, 1989; Delgado, 1984; …

Grandparent Caregiver Well-Being And Identity Development, Brittany Torelli

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation aims to understand the experience of grandparent caregivers in the United States, exploring well-being and identity development as grandparents navigate their roles, both familiar and different at the same time. The investigation of well-being and identity development as they intersect and interact is crucial to understanding the complex and multilayered shifts this population faces as they transition into different roles. Grandparent caregivers experience impacts to their emotional well-being, physical health and financial status while simultaneously experiencing an impact to their identity development, carrying with it unique challenges.

This narrative inquiry obtains rich narratives from 9 participants, recruited from …

How Children Understand Disability: A Qualitative Exploration, Meredith Edelstein

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Disability research is broad in nature and covers a variety of experiences and conditions. Of critical importance in disability research is the delineation between the social and medical models of disability, and how these varying definitions inform one’s understanding of disability and internalization of the meaning-making of living with disabling impairments. Research exists on the adult experiences and retrospective accounts of individuals with disabilities. However, missing from these studies is the voice of children with disabilities. While there is an awareness that decreased self-concept and stigma exist surrounding childhood disability, there is limited data that considers how children make meaning …

Navigating The Emotional Contours Of Parenting A Transgender Adolescent Or Child, Maura Mccullough

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Transgender youth and their parents encounter high levels of intolerance, harassment, and stigmatization in an American culture entrenched in a two-gender, binary society. When navigating the gender transition of their child, parents experience an array of emotions, including distress, anger, sadness, and possibly, grief and loss. Parents confront unanticipated, life-altering decisions for their transgender child, and themselves (Gregor, Hingley-Jones, & Davidson, 2015), yet the complexities of parenting a transgender child are under-researched and the needs of these parents are often unaddressed. Parental acceptance of a trans youth is essential to their mental health and well-being. The gender transition may affect …

Exploring The Experience Of Psychological Distress For Young Adults With Cancer: Implications For A New Diagnosis Of Medical Traumatic Stress, Audrey Ryan

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how a serious medical diagnosis, such as cancer, can act as an acute or prolonged trauma. This was explored through the lived experiences of psychological distress of young cancer survivors. Participants were 12 men and women who had been diagnosed with cancer within the past seven years when they were between the ages of 18 and 39. From these interviews several themes emerged that describe the phenomenon of what I have termed medical traumatic stress.

Trauma from a medical event does not currently meet criteria for PTSD in the DSM-5 …

An Exploratory Study Of An Arts-Based Measure And Research Model That Examines The Relationship Between Attachment Style, Trauma, And The Use Of Adhesive Materials In Art Therapy, Lisa Furman

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Though the use of art materials (pencil, paint, clay) have been widely researched in art therapy, little has been written about the role of adhesives (glue, tape, staples) in the art making process. This exploratory, sequential mixed methods study examined the relationship between attachment style, trauma, and the use of adhesive materials in art therapy and serves as a model for arts-based research which combines the scientific rigor of quantitative inquiry with a rich narrative descriptive of qualitative data. This research was the first step in developing the Arts-based Attachment Style Assessment (ABASA), a newly created art-based diagnostic tool to …