Psychology Commons^™

Mentalization In Counseling Processes, Matthew J. Swartzentruber

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The purpose of this literature review is to demonstrate the profound influences and numerous applications the concept of mentalization has within counseling processes. The skill of mentalizing extends across theoretical orientations within existing counseling frameworks and has been suggested to be a core factor within the counseling process (Allen, Fonagy, & Bateman, 2008). Mentalizing capacities have been linked to positive therapeutic alliances (Markowitz & Milrod, 2011), positive client outcomes (Bernbach, 2002; Bouchard et al., 2008; Fonagy & Target, 1996; Karlsson & Kermott, 2006; Levy et. al., 2006; Meehan, Levy, Reynoso, Hill, & Clarkin, 2009), and counselor effectiveness (Cologon, 2013); and …

The Influence Of Personal Threat, Personal Loss, Age, Practice Characteristics, And Death Education On Counselors' Death Anxiety And Death Acceptance, Michael Morad-Mccoy

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

A sample of 234 professional counselors were surveyed to investigate factors that affect professional counselors’ levels of death anxiety and death acceptance were investigated. Factors included personal experiences of mortality (personal threat), experiences of bereavement (grief), hours working with clients presenting death, dying, and bereavement (DDB) issues (client hours), numbers of clients who have died (client death), age, and hours of formal death education (death education). The measures of death anxiety and death acceptance were participants’ scores on the Death Attitudes Profile—Revised.

Analysis of the results found a significant negative relationship between client hours and death anxiety measures and a …

Asl: A Visual Language, Laura L. Wood Ph.D., Lmhc, Rdt_Bct, Miako Villanueva, Deanna Twain

Laura L. Wood

This chapter outlines the main concepts in the linguistic study of American Sign Language (ASL), a language used by deaf people in the United States and a large part of Canada. While the study of languages has been around for centuries, the vast majority of research has focused on spoken languages; approaching the signs used by deaf people as full-fledged, natural languages in their own right and therefore equally worthy of linguistic study is a relatively new concept. The first documented linguistic studies of signed language in the United States were carried out in the late 1950s and early 1960s …

Functional Isolation: Understanding Isolation In Trafficking Survivors, Liz Mahan

Student Theses

This study examined how traffickers used different elements of isolation and how such tactics may have contributed to the traffickers’ success in maintaining control over the victim. I examined in-depth narratives from 14 women between the ages of 20-53, primarily immigrants, who were recruited from an agency serving victims of sex trafficking in a large metropolitan city. The tactics used by traffickers varied and included not only the commonly defined structural isolation in which victims are restricted physically and socially, but also included a shrinking of safe social space and an elimination of privacy and social support. The latter is …

The Substance Abuse Treatment Experience Of Men Who Have Sex With Men, Scott Sanford Johnson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The following qualitative research study focuses on the substance abuse treatment experiences of men who have sex with men. Current research in this area indicates that while these men sometimes seek treatment for substance abuse issues, their treatment experience can be compromised due to personal fears or ignorance on the part of treatment staff members or others in treatment (Cabaj, 2008; Cheng, 2003; Hellman, Stanton, lee, Tytun, & Vachon, 1989). Specific goals of this study include: (1) gaining insight into the treatment experience(s) of these men and (2) learning about how their individual and collective treatment experience(s) contribute to their …

The Efficacy Of A Goal-Based Study Skills Course For Academically At-Risk, First-Generation, African American, Female Students, Sarah Beth Garrison

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify effective intervention strategies used in a goal-based study skills course for academically at-risk, first-generation, African-American, female students. Based on the theoretical framework from goal, motivation and achievement theories (Covington, 2000; Kuh, 2007; Nicholls, 1984), this study provided an analysis of research regarding the academic success and persistence of at-risk students. An explanatory mixed-method design was employed that consisted of two phases. The first phase of the study used quantitative data to test for difference in GPA and academic status between the control and treatment group. Quantitative data was also used to identify …

A Phenomenological Analysis Of God Attachment, Romantic Attachment, And Relationship Satisfaction In Christian Couples Completing An Emotionally-Focused Marital Intensive, Shanon Roberts

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With professional counseling ethics and organizations moving to more spiritual and cultural sensitivity on behalf of their clients, there is limited research on Christian couples in the area of marital intervention. This phenomenological study examined the shared experiences of five Christian couples who participated in a Christian emotionally-focused therapy marital intensive and who reported maintaining relationship satisfaction one year later. The study assessed the effectiveness of this Christian marital counseling intervention; and identified emergent processes and themes that occurred specific to Christian couples in a marital intervention setting; and added to the God attachment and romantic attachment literature through a …

Recovery From Borderline Personality Disorder Through Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Carla D. Chugani, Ashley R. Seiler, Tina R. Goldstein

The Qualitative Report

This article presents a qualitative investigation of the perspectives and experiences of recovery from borderline personality disorder from six individuals who were treated with comprehensive dialectical behavior therapy. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, transcribed, and coded using a six-step analysis process. Six primary themes emerged: (1) belief about recovery, (2) current experience of self, (3) facets of recovery, (4) motivating factors, (5) external supports to recovery, and (6) characteristics required for recovery. Overall, the findings took a dialectical form in which participants often described conflicting experiences (e.g., feeling recovered while also continuing to experience heightened emotional sensitivity). We conclude …

Introduction To Animal Therapy And Its Related Tax Benefits, Claudia L. Kelley, Christopher K. Eller

Journal of Counseling and Psychology

How are animals being used to improve the emotional and physical health of individuals? What are the tax implications associated with service and therapy animals? We examine these questions by providing an introduction to the subject of Animal Assisted Therapy, including how therapists and counselors are routinely using therapy animals in both individual and group treatment settings. Additionally, we discuss the potential tax savings that may be available to counselors and their clients who are using service and therapy animals. We also offer recommendations and guidance for counselors who wish to incorporate animal therapy into their treatment options.

The Path (Partners Against Trafficking In Humans) Project: Development Of The Path Model, Fanell Williams

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

The University of Toledo’s Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute is conducting the PATH (Partners Against Trafficking in Humans) Project to develop the PATH Model. The PATH Project is a community-wide, coordinated, and data-driven response to human trafficking. PATH applies the structure and techniques from a successful and focused healthcare model called the Pathways Model. The vision is for the PATH Model to become an evidence-based model expanded throughout the United States.

PATH coordinates existing services to create a transparent, accountable, and comprehensive system to move clients along the continuum of care. The goal is to move victims from survivors …

Prompting Deliberation About Nanotechnology: Information, Instruction, And Discussion Effects On Individual Engagement And Knowledge, Lisa M. Pytlikzillig, Myiah J. Hutchens, Peter Muhlberger, Alan Tomkins

Lisa PytlikZillig Publications

Deliberative (and educational) theories typically predict knowledge gains will be enhanced by information structure and discussion. In two studies, we experimentally manipulated key features of deliberative public engagement (information, instructions, and discussion) and measured impacts on cognitive-affective engagement and knowledge about nanotechnology. We also examined the direct and moderating impacts of individual differences in need for cognition and gender. Findings indicated little impact of information (organized by topic or by pro-con relevance). Instructions (prompts to think critically) decreased engagement in Study 1, and increased it in Study 2, but did not impact postknowledge. Group discussion had strong positive benefits for …

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 …

Building Blocks: A Multi-Theoretical Preventative Model To Promote Post-Traumatic Growth, Jared S. Becknell

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

The following is an exploratory model to understand the factors that promote growth after traumatic events, also known as post-traumatic growth (PTG). Additionally, the hope is to inspire further research and create quantitative data regarding the effectiveness of these factors, add additional interventions and integrate into crisis/trauma paradigms during recovery. Therefore, clients would be more equipped to handle the possibility of another event. When PTG occurs, victims of trauma experience increased positive well-being, life satisfaction and regain a new compassion for meaning or purpose in their life. By utilizing the following interventions, victims of past traumatic events can live a …

At The Pillar Of The Proverbial Golden Calf: Sacrificing The Need For ‘Responsible Knowing’ On The Altar Of A Compliance-Based Ethic, Izaak L. Williams

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Evidence-based practice (EBP) has been promoted and adopted broadly and has led to advances in health and human services. Notwithstanding the underlying rationale of EBP philosophy to diversify the current body of information concerning evidence-based practices, this paper draws attention to critical thinking fallacies that confound non-evidence-based “treatment as usual” practice with actual EBP philosophy. Flawed belief systems about EBP, in tandem with a compliance-based culture, fail to provide structure to the possibility of evidence-based practice philosophy and proper use of EB treatment modalities. Impediments to EBP implementation are created by lack of “responsible knowing” and this results in practitioner …

Full Issue

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Grace As Psychotherapy: Suggestions For Therapists With Latter-Day Saint Clients, Matthew R. Draper, James S. Mcgraw, Daniel Sturtevant, Richard D. Draper

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

There is a growing body of literature that shows how perfectionism has tremendous effects on a person’s well-being. Specifically, maladaptive perfectionism continues to have an alarming influence on many individuals’ experiences with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicidal ideations. Interestingly, for religious or spiritual individuals, perfectionism is often colored by profound religious themes that further complicate treatment. This paper seeks to explore this issue by introducing the case of Sister Vivi, a Mormon woman who suffered a great deal of depression and anxiety, and eventually a suicide attempt due to perfectionism entwined within her religious beliefs. In cooperation with her …

Letter From The Editor, Kristin L. Hansen

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Humanistic Psychology, Same-Sex Attraction, And Safe Spaces, Edwin E. Gantt, Jeffrey L. Thayne

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

In this paper, we explore the concept of a genuinely “safe space,” what it might mean, and how such a concept is usually understood in both the discipline of psychology and the larger culture. Further, we explore some of the potential pitfalls that must be avoided in seeking to establish a “safe space” for members of the LDS Church who experience same-sex attraction (SSA) that is in harmony with the restored gospel. We will argue that one of the most serious potential threats to any effort to create a genuinely safe space for Church members who experience SSA is to …

"The Way Of Man Is Not In Himself": Reflections On Humanistic Psychology, Same-Sex Attraction, And Safe Spaces, Richard N. Williams

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Thanks For Nothin,' Timothy Leary: Reflections On Gantt And Thayne's, Lane Fischer

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Life's Lessons: Reflections On A Disciple Scholar, Colleagues And Students Of Dr. Robert L. Gleave

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

A Few Reasons I Choose Christ: A Beginning Expression Of Thankfulness For What Jesus Does For Me, Robert L. Gleave

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

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Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Cover

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

No Safety In Solipsism, Aaron P. Jackson

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

All Things Denote There Is A God: A Response To Gantt And Thayne, Michael J. Richardson

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

Gantt and Thayne’s (pp. 3–21) cautions about Rogerian psychotherapy are warranted. Certainly, the theory has been interpreted in ways that lead to the very dangers they highlight. However, there may be more to the theory than first meets the eye, and the very dangers invoked by the theory might also represent opportunities. Neglecting some of the truths in the theory might alienate its proponents rather than persuade them of a better way. In this response, possible compatibilities between the theory and the gospel are explored, along with ways in which these might provide inroads for LDS psychologists to influence a …

Mixed-Method Study Of Perfectionism And Religiosity Among Mormons: Implications For Cultural Competence And Clinical Practice, Samuel O. Peer, James S. Mcgraw

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

Extending prior research on perfectionism and religiosity, the current study investigated their relation among Latter-day Saints (LDS)–also known as Mormons–through a sequential mixed-methods design. An online community sample of 194 LDS completed the Religiousness Measure-Revised and the Hewitt Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. Subsequently, six of these participants were interviewed to further explore how perfectionism manifests among Mormons in a qualitative pilot study. Quantitative results demonstrated significant positive correlations between religiosity and perfectionism, but only for self- and other-oriented perfectionism. Qualitative content analysis indicated further how adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism manifest in an LDS context. Implications for culturally competent practice and future …

Cultural Nuances For Immigrant Adolescents And Adolescents Of The Third Culture Experience: A Book Review Of Immigrant Youth In Cultural Transition: Acculturation, Identity, And Adaptation Across National Contexts, Jennifer L. Wilson

Journal of Cross-Cultural Family Studies

Cross-cultural children include Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and the children and adolescents whose families have immigrated to a new society. The book Immigrant Youth in Cultural Transition: Acculturation, Identity, and Adaptation Across National Contexts (Berry et al., 2012), was a multi-national and multicultural study that sought to explain how immigrant youth navigate among cultures, how they manage their multicultural experience as it relates to psychological and sociocultural adjustment, and how demographics, family variables, and cultural variables affect the immigration, acculturation, assimilation, and adaptation process for these adolescents. Many similar processes have been described in the TCK literature for TCK children, …