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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Therapist Self-Reported Attachment Organization And Countertransference Responses To Psychotherapy Clients, Morgan Janay Pell Jan 2022

Therapist Self-Reported Attachment Organization And Countertransference Responses To Psychotherapy Clients, Morgan Janay Pell

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Therapists experience thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in response to their clients, which are sometimes referred to as countertransference. Such responses may be influenced by the therapist’s personal history, including the quality of their attachment experiences. Research has demonstrated that adult attachment organizations influence a person’s cognitive, behavioral, and affective responses toward close others, thus providing a useful framework for understanding some countertransference experiences of therapists. This quantitative study sought to add to the existing literature by examining the relationship between therapist self-reported attachment organization and countertransference responses to clients. Seventy-three therapists participated in this study, including licensed psychologists, doctorate-level psychologists, …


Social And Cultural Considerations In Accessing Mental Health Treatment In The Gambia, West Africa, Safiya Njai Jan 2022

Social And Cultural Considerations In Accessing Mental Health Treatment In The Gambia, West Africa, Safiya Njai

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This study examines the social and cultural considerations in accessing mental health treatment in The Gambia, West Africa. Participants were recruited from The Gambia for a qualitative study that included semistructured interviews (N = 17). A team of analysts identified five themes. The results highlighted social and cultural conceptualizations of mental health and mental illness, sociocultural determinants of health, interventions, barriers to care, and the legal framework to support mental health change. These findings are important for counselors to understand different perceptions of mental health and mental illness and the associated stigma. Furthermore, several opportunities for advocacy in The Gambia …


A Genuine Artifice, A Specific Vagueness: Psychotherapy, Performance, And The Practitioner, Chris M. Defossez Jan 2022

A Genuine Artifice, A Specific Vagueness: Psychotherapy, Performance, And The Practitioner, Chris M. Defossez

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The following is a literature review and research project aimed at examining the performative choices psychologists make when interacting with their patients. The goal for this research is to begin to understand the “essence” of a psychologist‘s experience as they present themselves in their work. Drawing from published literature on the therapeutic alliance, social constructionism, postmodern feminism, art, and aesthetics, the author argues that the therapeutic frame taken by a particular therapist can be understood as a performative act. This author examines the implications of this idea and what can be learned from conceptualizing the therapeutic alliance through a performative …


Women’S Lived Experiences Of Gender Microaggressions: Dental Hygienists’ Stories, Karin E. Hovey Jan 2019

Women’S Lived Experiences Of Gender Microaggressions: Dental Hygienists’ Stories, Karin E. Hovey

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation presents research involving women’s subjective experiences of gender microaggressions. The introduction includes a review of the literature on microaggressions: (a) the types of microaggressions, (b) the emotional and psychological cost to those who experience microaggressions, and (c) how gender microaggressions against women work to maintain oppression and sexual objectification of women in American society. This current research addresses the knowledge gap created by little research on women’s lived experiences of gender microaggressions they encounter in their everyday lives, particularly in the workplace. The population studied was dental hygienists. This population is unique because of the disproportionate number of …


Therapist Attachment And Meaning-Making In Adolescent Residential Treatment, Lisa J. Milone Jan 2019

Therapist Attachment And Meaning-Making In Adolescent Residential Treatment, Lisa J. Milone

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative study explores therapist views of the therapeutic relationship in adolescent residential treatment from an attachment perspective. The therapeutic relationship is a strong predictor of outcomes in adult psychotherapy and a significant body of research has relied on the attachment literature to understand its importance. Research yields comparable results when examining the significance of the therapeutic relationship with children and adolescents; however, there is virtually no literature exploring it from the attachment lens. This is particularly notable for children and adolescents in residential treatment. As treatment intensity increases from outpatient to inpatient to residential, challenges and opportunities within the …


The Cost Of Comforting: Phenomenological Study On Burnout Among Marriage And Family Therapists In Community Settings, Steven Razo Apr 2018

The Cost Of Comforting: Phenomenological Study On Burnout Among Marriage And Family Therapists In Community Settings, Steven Razo

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Burnout is best defined as a condition consisting of symptoms of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment (Maslach, 1982). It has been characterized as a process that develops through a variety of work and individual factors. Furthermore, it has been shown to impact one’s career, physical health, and mental well-being. Much of the literature on burnout has been studied on psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers, with a paucity of studies focused on marriage and family therapist (MFTs). The lack of burnout literature on MFTs is in spite of their employment in many diverse clinical settings. The purpose of this …


Nonmonogamous Clients’ Experiences Of Identity Disclosure In Therapy, Viktoriya Fuzaylova Jan 2018

Nonmonogamous Clients’ Experiences Of Identity Disclosure In Therapy, Viktoriya Fuzaylova

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Presented is a qualitative phenomenological investigation of the experiences and perspectives of individuals who self-identify as consensually nonmonogamous regarding disclosure of that identity in psychotherapy. Members of this rarely-studied group (n=10) shared their accounts through an anonymous open-ended online questionnaire. Their prompted autobiographical accounts were analyzed for recurring themes and unique concepts which were drawn together into a model of disclosure of a nonmonogamous identity in a therapeutic setting. This model suggests that while nonmonogamous clients expect prejudice from their therapists, their desire for personal integrity and their culturally informed conviction that openness is necessary for best results, often leads …


Feelings Of Enlightenment: A Hermeneutic Interpretation Of Latent Enlightenment Assumptions In Greenberg's Emotion-Focused Therapy, Alex A. Gomez Jan 2018

Feelings Of Enlightenment: A Hermeneutic Interpretation Of Latent Enlightenment Assumptions In Greenberg's Emotion-Focused Therapy, Alex A. Gomez

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how a mainstream theory of psychological practice might inadvertently conceal and ignore contemporary values and ideologies and their pathological consequences. Through a hermeneutic approach, I interpreted Leslie Greenberg’s Emotion-focused therapy: Coaching clients to work through their feelings (2nd ed), a popular and widely used theory in psychotherapy. As a practitioner with humanistic foundations, this was also an opportunity for the author to understand his own unexamined values as a therapist. Specific EFT constructs and concepts that reflected Enlightenment assumptions and values were examined. EFT was situated within Enlightenment philosophy, particularly …


Common Psychosocial And Spiritual Factors Among Individuals Who Have Healed From Chronic Lyme Disease, Frederick Green Jan 2015

Common Psychosocial And Spiritual Factors Among Individuals Who Have Healed From Chronic Lyme Disease, Frederick Green

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation examined the subjective experience of individuals who have healed from Chronic Lyme Disease (CLD). Despite significant attention paid to the controversy over CLD diagnosis and treatment, scholarly research has neglected the psychosocial and/or spiritual factors that facilitate healing from the perspective of CLD sufferers. This study addressed this research gap by using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the barriers and facilitators of healing among those who have healed from CLD. Six participants who had suffered from CLD and considered themselves healed from the disease were recruited and interviewed. The qualitative data was reduced to meaning units, which …


Alliance Expectations And Alliance As Predictor Of Therapy Engagement And Outcome, Daniel C. Greif Jan 2015

Alliance Expectations And Alliance As Predictor Of Therapy Engagement And Outcome, Daniel C. Greif

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Clients begin psychotherapy with expectations that may or may not be met during treatment. Discrepancies between pretherapy expectations and the therapy experience may influence client response to treatment. This naturalistic observational pilot study investigated whether the discrepancy between initial expectations of the working alliance and the experience of the alliance predicts early client engagement and outcome. Participants were adult therapy clients at a university training clinic. Each participant completed the Expected-Working Alliance Inventory before their first session and a shortened version of the Working Alliance Inventory after. We hypothesized that the difference between expected alliance scores and actual alliance scores …


Serving Clients With Intellectual Disabilities: Clinical Psychology Training In Apa-Accredited Doctoral Programs, Emily J. Graesser Jan 2014

Serving Clients With Intellectual Disabilities: Clinical Psychology Training In Apa-Accredited Doctoral Programs, Emily J. Graesser

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

People with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience mental health problems at a higher rate than the general population, yet encounter significant barriers in accessing quality mental health services and have poorer mental health outcomes. Disparities in both psychology research and practice contribute to these barriers, and few mental health practitioners are willing and competent to treat people with ID. Lack of training availability has been suspected as an underlying factor, yet no previous investigation of training has been conducted in the United States. This study utilized a 20-question self-administered internet survey to explore the quantity, quality, and types of training APA-accredited …


Treating Bipolar Disorder: Investigation Into The Integration Of Quality Of Life (Qol) In The Treatment Plan, Carolynn B. Shor Jan 2014

Treating Bipolar Disorder: Investigation Into The Integration Of Quality Of Life (Qol) In The Treatment Plan, Carolynn B. Shor

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative bounded case study focuses on how the therapist integrates the quality of life into his or her treatment plan when treating a bipolar patient. Quality of life may be defined as an individual's perception of his or her position in life in relation to psychological and physical health, social relationships, goals, expectations, and environment (WHO, 1995). This study specifically explored how therapists treat their bipolar patients and how they integrate QoL into therapy. Two men and seven women were interviewed in Santa Barbara, California. The criterion for participants included licensed psychologists who have treated at least one bipolar …


Seasoned Psychotherapists' Experience Of Difficult Clinical Moments, Kirk J. Honda Jan 2014

Seasoned Psychotherapists' Experience Of Difficult Clinical Moments, Kirk J. Honda

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Purpose: This phenomenological study was concerned with the clarification of the experience of the difficult clinical moment which is defined as a discrete moment in which the psychotherapist experiences distress as a result of his or her work with a client. Method: Retrospective descriptions of experience of difficult clinical moments were obtained from a diverse sample of ten seasoned psychotherapists in the Seattle area. The interviews were transcribed, analyzed, and summarized, and these summaries were confirmed by each participant as being an accurate representation of their experience. Results: Thematic analysis revealed six themes of experience during a difficult clinical moment: …


Psychotherapy And The Embodiment Of The Neuronal Identity: A Hermeneutic Study Of Louis Cozolino's (2010) The Neuroscience Of Psychotherapy: Healing The Social Brain , Ari Simon Natinsky Jan 2014

Psychotherapy And The Embodiment Of The Neuronal Identity: A Hermeneutic Study Of Louis Cozolino's (2010) The Neuroscience Of Psychotherapy: Healing The Social Brain , Ari Simon Natinsky

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

In recent years, there have been several ways in which researchers have attempted to integrate psychotherapy and neuroscience research. Neuroscience has been proposed as a method of addressing lingering questions about how best to integrate psychotherapy theories and explain their efficacy. For example, some psychotherapy outcome studies have included neuroimaging of participants in order to propose neurobiological bases of effective psychological interventions (e.g., Paquette et al., 2003). Other theorists have used cognitive neuroscience research to suggest neurobiological correlates of various psychotherapy theories and concepts (e.g., Schore, 2012). These efforts seem to embody broader historical trends, including the hope that neuroscience …


Factors That Promote And Inhibit Client Disclosure Of Suicidal Ideation, Robert William Orf Jan 2014

Factors That Promote And Inhibit Client Disclosure Of Suicidal Ideation, Robert William Orf

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Approximately 36,000 people commit suicide in the U.S. each year, making it the fourth leading cause of death for adults between 18 and 65-years-old. Clients participating in psychotherapeutic treatment are at elevated risk for suicide, due to the emotional distress that drives their entry into psychotherapy. Therapists cannot know the full extent of their clients’ risk for suicide if clients do not fully confide their thoughts and intentions. The current study sought to discover factors that inhibit and promote client disclosure of these thoughts and behaviors. The study utilized the Suicidal Ideation in Psychotherapy Questionnaire (SIPQ), a questionnaire developed for …


Therapists’ Experiences Of Incidental Encounters With Their Clients, Beth Ketaineck Jan 2014

Therapists’ Experiences Of Incidental Encounters With Their Clients, Beth Ketaineck

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Incidental encounters with clients occur frequently and have been found to elicit feelings of surprise, uncertainty, and discomfort for the therapist (Sharkin & Birky, 1992). This qualitative study examined therapists' experiences of such incidental encounters to better understand factors that may contribute to those feelings. I conducted semi-structured interviews, in line with Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), with six licensed clinical psychologists who have experienced an incidental encounter within the last five years. Participants were asked to imagine the encounter, discuss factors that contributed to their feelings about the encounter (during and after), consider long-term consequences, and describe their level of …