Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Exploration Of Adult Children’S Attachment To Their Parents Across Two Cultural Groups: Indians In India And Indians Who Immigrated To The United States, Vilasini Meenakshi Arun

Doctoral Dissertations

Typically, attachment theory has been studied and explored with western populations. Individuals seeking mental health treatment within the United States include western and nonwestern cultural groups and research, theories and interventions that apply to diverse populations are necessary. Attachment relationships are often a part of, or reasons for clients to seek therapy either overtly or covertly, thus allowing research on attachment to better inform treatment plans and practice. An attachment relationship between a parent and child can be influenced by several factors and may change over the course of development, but little is known about this process among Indians …

Social Wellness Of Counselor Education And Supervision Doctoral Students Before, During And After Covid-19, Alexandria Barnette

Doctoral Dissertations

Counselor education and supervision doctoral students (CESDS) comprise a unique population with oftentimes strenuous and competing roles that may impact their social wellness and feelings of connection and support. The arrival and continued presence of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic also heightened isolation and increased impediments to connection and support for many. Given some of the benefits of social wellness, research on recent CESDS experiences is timely. This two-manuscript dissertation begins with a literature review on the topic and ends with an empirical study to further knowledge on the experience of social wellness that CESDS had during their doctoral programs taking …

Juvenile Probation Officers’ Lived Experiences Of Collaboration With Clinical Mental Health Counselors: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis., Henrietta Gantt

Doctoral Dissertations

Juvenile offenders (JO) are at high-risk due to significant mental health challenges. We review the importance of collaboration between the mental health providers and juvenile justice system (JSS) and identify that more research regarding collaboration experiences between clinical mental health counselors (CMHC) and juvenile probation officers (JPO) would be beneficial. Using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) we explored JPO’s lived experiences of collaborating with mental health professionals (MHP). The aim of the study was to unveil more nuance and description of collaboration efforts to better support JO. Our findings offer a systemic understanding of collaboration as well as the catalysts and …

Exploring Wellness Behaviors Following A Non-Death Loss Experience: A Structural Equation Model, Covington Hanley

Doctoral Dissertations

Loss and grief are inevitable aspects of the lifespan. Although non-death loss (NDL) is not a new phenomenon; it has recently entered the public knowledge. The first manuscript is a basic primer on NDL for counselors. I review the types of non-death loss experiences, grief responses, theories, and skills and processes utilized for clinical work with NDL. The second manuscript is the empirical study. In this study, I utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the relationship between reactions to non-death loss (loss of control, avoidant, positive) and wellness behaviors (physical, essential, social, creative, coping), as moderated by resilience. The …

Counselor Educators’ Engagement In Mental Health Services In Higher Education Institutions, Kristen Anne Carlosh

Doctoral Dissertations

In campuses across the U.S., and especially in the wake of the global pandemic, concern for student mental health is increasing. Descriptions of disparity between service provision and demand are making national headlines, as reports of student depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicidality rise. Additionally, several marginalized groups, among them: racial, ethnic, and cultural minorities, continue to have mental health needs that go unaddressed and unmet. As the future workforce of the world, students’ mental health support remains a crucial priority. This is not to discount the wealth of campus resources that exist, but merely to advocate for the need …

Assessing The Landscape Of Relationship Help And A Pilot Adaptation Of Relationship Checkups For Christian Churches, Adam W. York

Doctoral Dissertations

The health and stability of adult romantic relationships and the health of a society are deeply intertwined. This two-part dissertation aims to highlight the potential to bridge the gap between effective interventions and couples who need them most. The first section reviews the literature concerning relationship health, relationship help-seeking, and relationship assistance. A few important findings are revealed. Effective relationship help exists. People often do not seek help for their relationship. When people do seek help for their relationship, the methods they seek have varying degrees of effectiveness. People prominently seek religiously mediated help for their relationship. These findings led …

Saudi Women's Abuse And Help-Seeking Experiences: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis, Shahad Ahmed Subiani

Doctoral Dissertations

In 2013 the Saudi government established the Protection from Abuse Act, which made domestic violence (DV) a crime, as well as outlined the responsibilities of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in providing reporting mechanisms. These and more societal shifts, along with the creation of the governmental family protection units (FPUs), set the stage for greater recognition of DV and more women seeking help. Though public opinion is slowly changing, DV in Saudi Arabia is still largely perceived as a private family matter (Alhabib et al., 2010). Guided by the help-seeking and change model (Liang et al., 2005), …

Problems Of Professional Competencies And Pre-Licensed Counselors: Licensure Supervisors’ View Of Critical Incidents, Jennifer Moralejo

Doctoral Dissertations

Problems of professional competencies (PPC) and remediation have grown in awareness in the counseling profession and within the literature. Counselor education programs adopt guidelines from their accrediting bodies to identify, evaluate, and remediate PPC exhibited by counseling students. The literature indicates that students are still entering the professional field without proper remediation and are seeking licensure through licensure supervision. Manuscript one includes a review of literature regarding PPC in context of licensure supervision. The literature indicates lack of structure within licensure supervision, reports of inadequate and harmful supervision, issues of non-disclosure, and lack of observation of pre-licensure counselors’ clinical skills …

An Exploration Of Photography As A Wellness Tool For Counselors-In-Training, Charaya Chontay Upton

Doctoral Dissertations

Counselors-in-training (CIT) often experience a myriad of challenges during their academic studies. From balancing time, finances, acclimating to a new environment, fears of being judged or receiving negative feedback (Patterson & Levitt, 2012; Prosek et al., 2013; Warren & Nash, 2019), CIT physical (Neviyarni et al., 2018), mental (Prosek et al., 2013), and overall wellness (Lenz et al., 2012) tend to be impacted negatively. For these reasons, Counselor Educators (CE) have used wellness models and assessments to assist in the educational journey; however, wellness practices continue to decline for both CIT and practicing counselors (Abel et al., 2012; Lenz et …

School Counselors’ Lived Experiences In Supervision, Leigh Bagwell

Doctoral Dissertations

Supervision for practicing school counselors is integral to their professional growth and development (ASCA, 2019a). This is delivered through three modes of supervision as administrative, programmatic, and clinical with researchers identifying administrative as the most prevalent mode of supervision delivered as evaluation by school administrators (Perera-Diltz & Mason, 2012). However, school counselors have stated that they want access to programmatic and clinical supervision (Sandifer et al., 2019). Derived from a synthesis of the related literature, a Suite of Supervision (SoS) was proposed that integrated the three modes, identified appropriate supervisors, and provided focus areas for professional growth and development through …

The Development Of Teacher Identity In Counselor Education Doctoral Students, Wesley Allen

Doctoral Dissertations

Moving forward, the field of counseling needs to continue to be concerned about strengthening its identity (Kaplan et al., 2014). Part of this process concerns the training of competent and effective professional counselors. It is important that consideration be given to how the individuals preparing these counselors are trained. Counselor education doctoral students, as part of their training to become counselor educators, are prepared to work as counselors, scholars, leaders, supervisors, and teachers. While we have a firm understanding of how these students develop in general (Limberg et al., 2014; Moss et al., 2014), there is little known about how …

Addressing The Inconsistencies In Counselor Skill Development And Measurement Through Deliberate Practice And Assessment Tools, Zach Budesa

Doctoral Dissertations

Counselor educators and supervisors have an ethical duty to monitor client welfare and student counselor development, but the tools and processes programs put in place may miss the mark. This dissertation proposes deliberate practice and assessment improvement as avenues for counselor educators to leverage existing skills and resources for the benefit of clients and students. In the first manuscript, deliberate practice is proposed as a framework which can unify the various methods and teaching practices which have proliferated over the history of counselor education. This manuscript reviews the literate surrounding counselor skill development and deliberate practice and provides examples of …

Reflections On Living Gender In Prison: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Amanda Marie Simms

Doctoral Dissertations

Gender Dysphoria was introduced as a new mental health diagnosis in the Diagnostic Statistics Manual-5 (DSM-5) as of 2013 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). As a result of this addition and the lack of attention to identities other than transgender, there is a paucity of data related to the lived experience of the broader category of other than cisgender inmates. An estimated an approximate number of 1.4 million transgender individuals in the United States and other than cisgender individuals make up between 25-35% of the transgender population (Herman et al., 2016; Webb et al., 2016). Additionally, 16% of gender minorities have …

Mental Health Outcomes Of Various Types Of Fear Among University Students Who Have An Undocumented Legal Status During The Donald Trump Presidency, Liliana Campos

Doctoral Dissertations

Having an undocumented legal status is a risk factor for mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety among university students. Much of the literature on the experiences of university students who hold an undocumented legal status has primarily focused on better understanding the educational, social, financial, and legal challenges among undergraduate students. The literature has addressed how some of these difficulties impact components of their social and mental health wellness. Yet, there is still a dearth of research focused on further understanding the experiences of students who hold an undocumented legal status from a psychological perspective, and specifically, with …

Using A Cognitive Behavioral Approach In Individual Counseling With Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery, Nina Marie Ditommaso

Doctoral Dissertations

Morbid obesity is linked to physical and psychological well-being. Bariatric surgery has shown tremendous success with rapid weight loss in the patient population with morbid obesity. These patients experience issues with weight regain post-surgery, which can be linked to psychological and social factors. Despite this, mental health counseling is rarely offered in bariatric surgery programs. The primary investigator used a six-session Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach in individual counseling with patients following bariatric surgery. The primary investigator used a single case research design to treat four participants. The primary investigator measured the effectiveness of a six-session CBT treatment, assessing for …

It’S All The Rage: An Animated Approach To Screening For Postpartum Depression, Amanda Gorham

Doctoral Dissertations

Postpartum depression presents a complication for mothers which can, in some cases, be severe and even life-threatening. Instruments commonly used to screen for this psychological condition have been challenged by an extensive body of literature, with many mothers being unidentified and even untreated for their symptoms. The presented research introduces a newly developed screening instrument for detecting probable postpartum depression using text-free scenario-based animations, based on the lived experience of the condition as qualified by empirical research and the existing body of literature. Developed items were controlled for quality via Think Aloud Protocol and alignment studies with subject matter experts …

The Lived Experiences Of Graduate Student Veterans Enrolled In Cacrep-Accredited Counseling Programs: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Gerald Spangler

Doctoral Dissertations

Student veterans (SVs)are a population of students studied extensively at the undergraduate level. These students possess military traits and characteristics that influence their academic experiences. Existing research focuses on these experiences to better understand and assist in fostering academic persistence. However, there is gap in literature that explores the lived experiences of graduate SVs. This literature is even more pronounced when narrowed to graduate SVs enrolled in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Therefore, this study sought to address this gap and gain a better understanding of graduate SVs and their academic experiences that lead to …

Experiences Of Latinx's Adult Transition To The U.S. And The Clinical Implications That Arise In Acclimating Into The Dominant Culture: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Gabriela Olavarrieta

Doctoral Dissertations

There has been a significant gap in the literature regarding the lived experience of the Latinx adult transition to the United States and the clinical implications that arise in acclimating to the dominant culture, particularly under the Trump Administration. The approach for the current research examined Latinxs’ adulthood transitions to the United States, experiences of acculturative stress, including instances of discrimination as well as their experiences acclimating or assimilating into the dominant culture. This study also examined what seeking, or being unable to seek, mental health services looked like in the current sociopolitical climate. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was utilized to …

Decreasing Stress Through An Emotion Regulation And Non-Judging Based Intervention With Trauma-Exposed College Students, Megan Cherry

Doctoral Dissertations

Among college students, trauma and PTSD symptomatology are associated with negative consequences (e.g., poor academic performance, stress sensitivity, and negative coping). College is often a stressful time, and those who have experienced trauma, particularly those experiencing PTSD symptoms, are vulnerable to heightened stress sensitivity and negative outcomes. It is imperative to identify interventions that decrease stress for trauma-exposed college students to reduce the deleterious effects of related outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine whether emotion regulation and non-judgment could be enhanced in trauma-exposed college students through a short, mindfulnessbased intervention, and whether the intervention would lead to …

Efficacy Of Integrated Mental Health Care With Dual Diagnosis Patients And Their Utilization Of Psychiatric Emergency Services, Denton Scott

Doctoral Dissertations

Historically, patients with dual diagnosis have been subjected to ineffective treatment and negative attitudes from healthcare providers. Further, these patients are plagued with myriad afflictions that exist beyond substance abuse and mental illness. The treatments and collateral damage associated with the diagnosis impose excessive healthcare costs and can be of significant detriment to society. Largely, patients suffering from dual diagnosis do not receive adequate treatment. As such, psychiatric emergency services are frequently utilized as an alternate treatment, wherein the main focus of care is on the substance abuse alone. This study argues that solely treating the substance abuse is not …

An Investigation Of Gender Bias In A Career Assessment For A Stem Field, Shelby Morgan Reyes

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined whether career counselors differ in their recommendations for a STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, mathematics) career (specifically, computer scientist) based on the gender of the client. In a randomized two group experimental design with a qualitative component, a fictitious student bio was created in order to understand the possible conceptualization differences seen between career counselors in regards to gender bias in the STEM fields. The primary research questions looked at whether participants were less likely to recommend the female student, compared to the male, to a STEM related career and to pursue graduate school. A secondary research …

Testing A Skills Training Course For Use In A Peer-Delivered Mental Health Intervention, Samantha L. Bernecker

Doctoral Dissertations

Millions of people who could benefit from mental health services do not receive treatment. If non-professional peers could learn to administer basic psychotherapeutic interventions to each other, taking turns as care provider and care recipient, this unmet need for mental health care could be partially filled. This study sought to test whether non-professionals could learn supportive psychotherapy skills from a massively scalable, free online course. Thirty pairs of individuals who were experiencing psychological distress or who wished to increase their mental well-being were enrolled in the study, and 19 pairs completed the prototype online course. Objective raters assessed participants’ skills …

Therapeutic Aspects Of Tattoo Acquisition: A Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Connection Between Psychological Trauma And The Writing Of Stories Into Flesh, Everett W. Painter

Doctoral Dissertations

Since the start of recorded history, accounts are replete of individuals being subjected to unthinkable experiences that possess the power to fundamentally disrupt their lives. Survivors of psychological trauma encounter numerous obstacles on the pathway to recovery (Briere & Scott, 2015). Counselors working with this population continue to search for effective strategies in support of restoration (Boxer & Sloan-Power, 2013). One possibility often discussed by trauma survivors in popular media as helpful is tattoo acquisition. However, our understanding of this body modification practice is incomplete due to a social history of stigma and bias (Stein, 2011). The purpose of this …

Experiences Of Professional School Counselors With Children Of Incarcerated Parents: A Case Study, Emily Courtney Brown

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the experiences of professional school counselors (PSCs) with children of incarcerated parents (CIP). The study addressed three research questions: In what ways do PSCs conceptualize the needs of CIP? In what ways do PSCs work with CIP? and How do PSCs experience barriers in their work with CIP?

An instrumental case study design (Stake, 1995) was used to consider the experiences of PSCs in a single school district in a Southeastern state. Data sources included interviews with fifteen PSCs, observation of PSC professional development, and document review of policies and …

Persistence Of Traditionally Marginalized Doctoral Students In Counselor Education: A Grounded Theory Study, Sharon Leah Bruner

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative constructivist grounded theory study was to develop a theory regarding persistence of traditionally marginalized doctoral students in CACREP accredited counselor education programs. This study addressed two research questions: How do marginalized students persist through doctoral counselor education programs? and What factors influence persistence of marginalized students in doctoral counselor education programs?

This study included participants that identified as women, people of color, or LGBTQ who had successfully defended a dissertation proposal or were less than one year post graduation. Data was collected via three focus groups and two individual interviews with 10 participants. The researcher …

Laying Groundwork For The Use Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Constructs To Enhance The Identity Development Of Counselors-In-Training: An Exploratory Quantitative Analysis, Emma Christine Burgin

Doctoral Dissertations

Counselor educators aid counselors-in-training (CITs) in the process of professional identity development, which has its own challenges, such as managing anxiety and increasing self-awareness. One way proposed to enhance these therapeutic challenges is mindfulness. However, most research examining mindfulness in counselor education to-date lacks a standard theoretical framework, which may cause counselors to diminish the value of mindfulness in counselor training. One theory-driven concept of mindfulness comes from ACT, an empirically validated approach to counseling. It is possible that ACT could serve as a common language for educators to use when implementing mindfulness into counselor training, and thus, there is …

Factors That Shape Arab American College Student Identity, Abdul Rahman F. Jaradat

Doctoral Dissertations

Arab American identity has not yet received the research attention and scholarship that it deserves. In this dissertation, I have qualitatively studied the narratives of young Arab American college students and recent graduates. The research questions that I explored include what makes them Arab Americans, and what are the factors that help them identify as such. By focusing on Arab Americans and their identity factors, I have presented the narratives of those women and men who self-identify as Arab American and quoted their accounts of how they navigate this undervalued, misunderstood, and stereotyped identity. I have used ethnic and racial …

Residence Directors As Residential Crisis Workers: Exploring The Role Of Campus-Based Critical Incident Stress Management In The Mitigation Of Compassion Fatigue, Noga Flory

Doctoral Dissertations

Residence Directors, as a result of repeated exposure to their students' trauma, are prone to developing compassion fatigue. Research on the use of college-based Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) has been shown to foster collaboration, consultation, and increased stress debriefing among staff who respond to critical incidents on campus. CISM can teach Residence Directors means of recognizing work-related triggers, contribute to the normalization of stress reactions, and improve healthy coping and self-care strategies. CISM can also potentially help reduce or diminish the incidence of compassion fatigue and burnout, thereby improving Residence Directors' overall professional and personal quality of life and …

The Effects Of Motivational Interviewing On Heart Failure Self-Care During Transitional Care In An Appalachian Population, Jennifer Lynn Mabry

Doctoral Dissertations

Research has shown that patients who are successfully engaged in self-care for a chronic illness have a higher quality of life and reduced hospitalizations than those who are not. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, transitional care in the home setting has seen a 51% increase in mortality over the last 15 years (Reeder et al., 2015). This finding contrasts with the reported decline in hospital readmissions for chronic illnesses. With the lack of agreement on best practices for patient discharge education, transitional care has proven to be a weakness in chronic illness care that requires further research. …

Exploring The Professional Identity Development Of Counselors-In-Training Through Experiential Small Groups, Amanda Christine Dediego

Doctoral Dissertations

The concept of professional identity of counselors is a recent area of focus within the counseling profession. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs standards for counselor education programs of all specialties reflect the trend towards establishing a strong professional identity for counselors. One factor shown to be influential in professional identity development has been experiential learning opportunities, which allow counselors-in-training to develop an individual professional identity through application of educational content in real-world scenarios. The literature suggests experiential learning is a pivotal opportunity for professional identity development for entry-level counseling students. One opportunity for experiential learning, …