Counseling Commons^™

Faith-Based Counseling Versus Traditional Psychotherapy: A Phenomenological Evaluation Of African American Protestant Experiences, Shannon Gray

Dissertations

This phenomenological study was designed to evaluate the experiences of African American Christian adult clients within traditional psychotherapy and faith-based counseling settings. Research has shown various therapist/counselor identities affect Christian African American clients, and that Christians as well as African Americans have historically been less likely to pursue traditional psychotherapy for a variety of reasons. Participants were six African American Christian adult participants (three traditional psychotherapy participants and three faith-based counseling participants). All participants were asked open-ended questions about their experiences in traditional psychotherapy or faith-based counseling. In addition, they were asked to evaluate several aspects of their therapy/counseling experience …

Opening A Crack To Let The Light In: An Exploration Of An Online Group Adolescent Compassion Focussed Therapy Intervention, Euan Pb Fraser Tait

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current study’s goal is to expand the adolescent compassion focused therapy (CFT) literature by exploring participant experiences of a novel CFT protocol which was delivered in an online group therapy format. This study is a mixed methods approach using surveys, open-ended questionnaires, and interviews to explore participants’ experience and expression of feelings of inadequacy (FOI) and self-compassion. Thematic analysis findings revealed that participants struggled primarily with FOI relating to evaluative contexts such as school and sports and that these FOI also carried with them implications of self-worth and perfectionism. Through participating in the program, participants were able to de-shame …

The Draw Of The Wild: How To Easily Integrate Nature Into Clinical Practice, Jason T. Duffy

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

For thousands of years many societies and people have intuitively recognized the wellness-enhancing power of the natural world as well as its ability to assist people in the construction of a sense of purpose and meaning. More recently, research emanating from the field of ecotherapy as well as other fields has begun to build empirical support for the efficacy of the natural world in promoting mental and physical health. This conceptual manuscript provides the rationale for integrating nature into clinical practice and describes flexible, concise, and easy ways for counselors to utilize ecotherapy in their work with clients, including, ironically, …

The Language-Dream Relationship In Multilinguals, Brittany Dishaun Burkes

Dissertations

According to the United States Census Bureau, the United States alone is host to around 350 languages. When it comes to investigating languages in dreams by multilinguals, some studies have focused heavily on only two languages—Spanish and English. The purpose of this study was to add to the understanding of how language use relates to the dream content of multilinguals. This study recruited the assistance of nine polylingual individuals. The participants were instructed to record their dreams in the languages in which they occurred for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, the participants translated their dreams into English in order for …

Toward Holistic Mental Wellness: A Literature Review Of Mindfulness-Based And Focusing-Oriented Art Therapies, Lesley Vernon

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Modern day living, for all its benefits, is synonymous with record levels of stress. The mental health clinician’s role is to assist clients in accessing the skills and tools necessary to reduce and alleviate the symptoms of stress-induced anxiety. Mindfulness is emerging as a potent and effective tool to restore one’s state of well-being. Likewise, engaging in art therapy has been shown to reduce stress and foster resilience. Grounded in humanistic and existential theories, this literature review aimed to assess the impact and effectiveness of two intermodal holistic therapies, specifically mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) and focusing-oriented art therapy (FOAT). A …

Trauma Healing With The Neurosequential Model Of Therapy And Bal-A-Vis-X, Becky Johnston

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Stigma related to childhood trauma is shifting with the help of advancements in the understanding of neurobiology and interventions that are proving to be effective for healing. There are immense costs and consequences for survivors of childhood trauma and their loved ones that were not so long ago considered irrelevant and the notion that kids bounce back from adversity was previously popular in the psychological community (Perry & Szalavitz, 2017). The broad strokes of Dr. Bruce Perry’s clinical intervention model, The Neurosequential Model of Therapy (NMT) describes a trauma-sensitive, sequential approach to changing the stress response within mental health counseling. …

Counseling Experiences In Physically Disabled Individuals, Leah Schulze

Honors Projects

This pilot study covers the effects that counseling has on the physically disabled community. 5 individuals were interviewed on a mid-sized college campus about their experiences.

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 …

Mindfulness As An Effective Conceptual Tool For The Pastoral Care Of Western Christians, Beth Virostek

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

The rapprochement of mindfulness within Christian ministries of the West is integrally important as mindfulness continues to grow as a field and be utilized in the secular world as a tool for growth and the promotion of subjective well-being. If this rapprochement is not attempted, the conflicts surrounding Christians approaching and utilizing mindfulness will continue. In recent decades, the application of mindfulness in a variety of areas has exploded. The neuroscience research has followed, citing great benefits to the practice of and the trait of mindfulness. However, Christians remain hesitant in approaching mindfulness for fear of it being heretical in …

Pornography: Social, Emotional And Mental Implications Among Adolescents, William K. Canady

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This presentation will explain the historical development of pornography. It will highlight four segments: 1- Porn’s impact on brain development of reward pathways, ultimately increasing the appetite for more porn. 2- Porn can be a false substitute for real intimacy, resulting in decreased sexual satisfaction with a real person and increased verbal and physical aggression. 3- Porn promotes sex trafficking, promotes multiple sex partners and reduced STD prevention. 4- A review of interventions available to assist clients in navigating a lifestyle away from pornography.

Testing Barriers To Non-Suicidal Self-Injury With College Students: Narcissistic Traits As Moderators, Philip Stoner

Dissertations

Research on non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has produced mixed findings, resulting in a lack of clarity regarding these behaviors (Klonsky & Meuhlenkamp, 2007). To address this, Hooley and Franklin (2018) developed the Benefits and Barriers Model (BBM) to provide a comprehensive understanding of NSSI, in which they identified the barriers that commonly prevent people from engaging in these behaviors (e.g., self-esteem, shame, and peer-bonding motivations/social norms). They also identified adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as a distal predictor of NSSI, which aids people in overcoming the barriers to engaging in these behaviors. Recent NSSI literature has shown that college women in the …

The Gender Freedom Model: A Framework For Helping Transgender, Non-Binary, And Gender Questioning Clients Transition With More Ease, Rae Mcdaniel, Laurel Meng

Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education

Transgender/non-binary experiences and identities are often represented in academic literature through narratives of distress and are often pathologized through a medical lens. This holds implications for the field of psychotherapy, as interventions aimed to support transgender/nonbinary individuals often focus solely on risk mitigation. This article presents a therapeutic framework that rests on three pillars—Play, Pleasure, and Possibility—as the focal points for reimagining work with transgender/non-binary clients. This model aims to help this population explore gender transition with more ease through building practical skills, cultivating personal and collective pride, and centering pleasure equity.

The Impacts Of Learning 2 Breathe On Rumination, Adessa Flack

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

The present study examined the impact of Learning2Breathe (L2B), a mindfulness-based stress reduction program developed for use with adolescents on rumination. The program was applied to rumination in college-age men and women. Our experiment utilized a quasi-experimental design. The sample consisted of 50 undergraduate students that were placed in either the experimental or control group. Data was collected pretest and posttest through a variety of measures including the Rumination Reflection Questionnaire (RRQ) which consisted of a rumination and reflection subscale, and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). A two-way mixed ANOVA design was used to analyze data. There was no …

Examining Face-To-Face And Online Supervisee Disclosure Within The Supervisory Alliance, Letitia D'Aria Unger Johnson

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this research was to examine face-to-face and online supervisee disclosure within the supervisory alliance. Just as client care pivoted to online platforms, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, so did clinical supervision, which was uncharted territory for many, including those familiar with online counseling. The methodology used was consensual qualitative research (CSR). Eight participants were recruited as a sample of convenience, and semistructured interviews were conducted via Zoom. Results indicated domains such as important characteristics of the supervisory relationship, importance of communication, supervisor characteristics related to self-disclosure, positive aspects and negative aspects of online supervision, and …

Imposter Phenomenon And Ces Doctoral Students, Michael Drane

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The aim of the study was to explore the lived experience of counselor education and supervision students who reported experiencing symptoms of imposter phenomenon (IP). The population included counselor education and supervision students in their first year of their program, with a sample of convenience (N = 4). The method used in this study was an interoperative phenomenological analysis. Data analysis revealed four major themes: (a) counselor education students express self-doubt, lack of confidence and concern about competence, (b) students rate different levels of competence in counselor education and supervision roles, (c) instructor feedback impacts student perceptions of competence, and …

The Impact Of Creative Arts On Meaning Reconstruction And Loss Adaptation In Widowed Adults, Dani Baker-Cole

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

In counseling, helping grieving clients find meaning after significant loss is a unique, multidimensional, and lengthy process. This is particularly true in Western societies, where antithetical linear grief models, supported by hegemonic expectations to move on after loss, add exhausting pressure to speed up an individual’s natural grieving process. For that reason, this study examined how creative arts interventions such as using traditional art media and expressive writing, combined with postmodern, nonlinear, culturally sensitive bereavement models, help individuals explore their loss narrative to make meaning and adapt to loss. Specifically, this study examined the impact of a switch from traditional …