Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Radical Youth Work: A Community Based Approach To Working With Youth, Young Adults And Families, Weston J. Robins

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Radical Youth Work: A Community Based Approach to Working with Youth, Young Adults and Families

A focus on experiential mentoring, humanistic counseling and community engagement as a way to work with youth, young adults and families to provide true holistic therapeutic support and guidance.

Combat Exposure And The Influence Of Psychopathy On Suicidality In Military Veterans, Dante Buell, Rocky Marks, Nicole Moreira, Ben Barnette, Keyne Law

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

The link between combat exposure and suicidality is well-established, yet the impact of psychopathic traits on this relationship has been overlooked. This study aims to address this gap by exploring how different psychopathic traits influence the link between combat exposure and suicidal ideation or acquired capability for suicide. The results suggest that psychopathic traits significantly affect the relationship between combat exposure and suicidal ideation, highlighting the need to consider suicide risk for military personnel with high levels of these traits who may be contemplating combat. Understanding the interplay between psychopathy and combat exposure is essential within military suicide risk assessment.

Understanding Mental Health Stigma, Lainie K. Krumenacker

Scholars Week

Understanding Mental Health Stigma

Lainie K. Krumenacker

Problem or Purpose

Mental illness affects nearly 1 in 5 adults according to the National Institute of Mental Health and yet discrimination against mental illness is not only relevant, but considered a risk factor as stigma can be responsible for treatment delay. Individuals suffering from mental illnesses may not seek treatment, as they may fear they will be regarded negatively which can lead to detrimental health outcomes (Shrivastava, et al., 2022). Where is the disconnect if so many adults are experiencing mental illness? Why isn’t it more widely researched with a solution focus, …

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.

What Is Race-Based Trauma And Why Does It Matter?, Julie Luong

MSW Capstones

Systemic racism continues to be prevalent in our society today, especially with the exponential rate of Asian Americans experiencing racial discrimination and microaggressions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since post COVID-19, members of the Asians and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community are more susceptible to experience violence, such as serious physical injuries or death. Misinformation from political leaders are a contributing factor for the anti-Asian hate crimes and violence post COVID-19. This problem is extensive where members of the AAPI community are now concerned for their own overall safety and physical well-being. A workshop will incorporate an overview of …

Value-Aligned Behavior & Psychological Flexibility: Exploring Relationships Between Seeking Mental Health Services And Core Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Processes, Morgan Brewington

Scholars Week

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on acceptance, cognitive defusion, being present, the sense of self as context, committed action, and values (Hayes et al., 2006). Valued living, or acting in line with personal values, includes behaviors that are personally meaningful and intrinsically engaging (Smout, et al., 2014). Behavior aligning with values has been related to lower levels of anxiety and depression, as well as lower impairment for individuals experiencing posttraumatic stress symptoms, pain, or other psychological stressors (Fox et al., 2019). Psychological flexibility, particularly low experiential avoidance, aids in valued living (Fox et al., 2019). Approaches such as ACT …

Emotions & Satisfaction: Does Emotional Contagion Make The Heart Grow Fonder?, Morgan Brewington

Scholars Week

Existing research identifies strong links between empathy within couples and relationship quality, often helping to cope with difficult life events (Levesque et al., 2014). Similarly, emotional contagion is the process of mirroring the expressions and affect of others, but going further to adopt the emotions that were mimicked (Doherty, 1997). Some research identifies a positive relationship between contagious emotions and relationship quality but impacts of empathy and emotional contagion in relation to sexual and relational satisfaction are yet to be investigated (Mazzuca et al., 2019). The interpersonal theory of depression includes the contagion of negative affect, by which depressed individuals …

Adhd: Not Overdiagnosed, Misdiagnosed, Krista Graham

Capstone Showcase

There has been much debate surrounding the over- or under- diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). One reason for this debate is that ADHD is a commonly misdiagnosed disorder. This leads to negative consequences for those who have been misdiagnosed and receive stimulant medication management. Misdiagnosis of ADHD is likely due to the interaction of four main factors. First, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has a lower validity for ADHD diagnosis than previous editions. Second, primary care physicians (PCPs) are responsible for the vast majority of ADHD diagnoses but have a …

Therapist Self-Disclosure And Recall Of Therapy Content, Shivani Mansharamani, Steven Robbins

Capstone Showcase

SHIVANI MANSHARAMANI

Therapist Self-Disclosure and Recall of Therapy Content

Research Mentor: Dr. Steven Robbins

Patients’ faulty memory of what they learned in therapy is often associated with poor outcomes. One way to improve therapeutic outcome is to improve patients’ memory of therapy content. Therapist Self-Disclosure (TSD) refers to a therapist’s disclosure of personal information to facilitate the client-therapist relationship. It has been employed as a tool to improve alliance and overall treatment outcome, and has often been used to prime more client disclosure. Past research on a memory support system has been unsuccessful at significantly improving client memory. In this …

Personal Standards But Not Maladaptive Evaluative Concerns Perfectionism Predict Exercise Dependency Over Time, Sarah E. Ernst, Irina A. Vanzhula, Cheri A. Levinson

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Exercise is generally thought to be beneficial for physical and mental health; however, when done in excess, exercise can lead to damaging physical, psychological, and social health consequences. This type of exercise is known as exercise dependency and is frequently associated with eating disorder pathology. Perfectionism (high or personal standards and maladaptive evaluative concerns) is a risk factor for eating disorders and is also associated with exercise dependency. However, no studies have examined longitudinal relationships between perfectionism and exercise dependency. The current study used a sample of adolescent females (N = 444) from a Southeastern United States high school, …

Forgotten Children & Bonds That Heal: The Critical Nature Of Attachment, August Ashbaker

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Human attachment is one of the most critical factors in proper neurological and physiological development. Attachment is built through the mutuality of emotional impact, as well as the regular reception of physical touch. Infants and children who have been deprived of these vital necessities through the lacking initiatives of their caregivers—through neglect—display visible signs of its physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral impact. Research has found neglect to be the highest risk factor for permanent damage to brain development in comparison to other forms of complex trauma (i.e. chronic caregiver interpersonal trauma in childhood); it is also the most prevalent …

Dissociation, Identity Distress, And Rejection Sensitivity In Adult Adoptees, Lee J. Mclamb

Digital Repository: Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence

No abstract provided.

Mental Health & The Modern Educator, Samantha Nousak

Honors Projects

Mental health issues are far more prevalent than most are aware; according to the National Institute of Mental Health (2017), 49.5% of 13 to 18-year-olds will qualify for any mental illness. Mental health concerns will impact students in every single classroom, yet curriculum for Education majors does not include more than rudimentary information on this topic. This presentation aims to provide basic facts pertaining to mental health (including incidence rates, educators' responsibilities, and the impact mental health issues can have on students), discuss broad strategies to employ with students with mental health concerns (basic do's and do not's), and provide …

Ego Development, Defense Mechanisms, And Adaption In Transgender And Gender Nonconforming Individuals, Jack Girardi

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

This presentation talks about ego development, starting in early childhood, for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals and how that in turn manifests into defense mechanisms. These defense mechanisms are being misattributed to other factors as a result of societal stigmas that also play out in the immediate home, school community, and clinical atmospheres of the individual. Early psychoanalytic theories are used to explain the transgender and gender nonconforming individual's negative sense of self and low self-worth. This negative sense of self is then transformed into defense mechanisms which then have the power to destroy interpersonal relationships, career development, and academic …

The Effectiveness Of Coloring Methods For Anxiety Reduction, Laura Ashlock, Cindy Miller-Perrin, Elizabeth Krumrei-Mancuso Dr.

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health concerns in the United States according to the National Institute of Mental Health. A popular nonprofessional approach to managing anxiety is coloring. While mandala patterns have long been considered meditative and anxiety reducing, adult coloring books bring a new possibility to anxiety treatment. The present study compared the effects of four different coloring methods on state anxiety scores to determine whether adult coloring books are similar to other coloring approaches in impacting anxiety. Participants included 160 undergraduates (96 female, 64 male) attending a private, liberal arts university who were randomly assigned …

Neuroendocrine And Psychological Factors Associated With Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, And Reduced Compassion Satisfaction In Mental Health Professionals, Michelle Huffman

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Mental health professionals are at increased risk for burnout, compassion fatigue, and reduced compassion satisfaction. Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and loss of personal accomplishment. Compassion fatigue is a more progressed disruption relative to burnout marked by insomnia/nightmares, arousal, loss of objectivity, isolation, and intrusive thoughts. Compassion satisfaction buffers against burnout and compassion fatigue. Although links between demographic, psychological, and biological factors have been documented, interactions between these factors have not been explored. Mental health professionals completed psychological inventories measuring depression, anxiety, burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction. Saliva samples were collected during the Trier Social Stress Test …

Bridging The Gap: Pop Media As A Narrative Tool For Working With Millennials, Kristina M. Kays, David Kays, Adrian Egger

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

This seminar explores the use of popular media as a means to explore emotions issues resulting from trauma and abuse. The movie Inside Out will be explored as a practical and live example for use in integrating narrative therapy interventions with challenging clients resistant to exploring emotional concerns in therapy.

A Comparison Of Restorable And Unrestorable Defendants, Kristen T. Campbell

Showcase of Graduate Student Scholarship and Creative Activities

The current study examined differences in demographic, criminal, neuropsychological, and psychiatric variables between defendants restorable and unrestorable to competency. Defendants found to be unrestorable were more likely to have a misdemeanor charge, a cognitive disorder, a longer duration of illness, a lower IQ score, and a lower Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) score. Defendants found to be restorable tended to have a diagnosis of a mood disorder. With an improved understanding of characteristics associated with unrestorability, clinicians can make more accurate predictions about the probability of a defendant being restored to competency.

The Neuroscience Of Attachment Theory, Sarah M. Leitner

Sarah M Leitner

This presentation summarizes the latest findings from Cognitive Neuroscience as pertains to Attachment theory, with an emphasis on the literature from 2012 to 2014. It then explores the linkages in the neuroscience literature between attachment theory and mentalization, particularly in the areas of cognitive and emotional mentalization. Implications of the findings are considered, with an emphasis on the application of the findings for emotional regulation in the life of the counselor as well as for psychological and spiritual intervention in the lives of the counselee.

The Dance Of Life: A Cognitive & Contextual Theory Of Adult Development, T. L. Brink

T. L. Brink

Adult development cannot be conceptualized by stage theories, but involves numerous competing roles. Religion can be a force for resilience.

The Importance Of Treatment For Foster Youth, Lyl T. Cartagena

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

This presentation provides an overview of mental health interventions including highlights of their outcomes.The summary of the extant findings helps identify the strengths and deficits of what has been done, and supports a call for further research in order to change current methods of care provided along with developing an improved method of treatment for foster care youth.

The Effects Of Hiv/Aids On The Mother-Child Relationship, Margaret Gross

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

39 semi-structured interviews were conducted with HIV+/- mothers living in central Uganda. Interviews were assisted by a translator and recorded manually on paper then coded and analyzed. The majority of HIV+ mothers were found to be single, supported 5+ children, worked longer days to get by, and emphasized the importance of having a counselor. These findings suggest a strong relationship exists between HIV and motherhood. There is a need for further attention to help single mothers and foster programs that encourage economic growth within their families, nutritional improvement, and overall attention to a group that is currently receiving little assistance.

Working With Families With A Member On The Spectrum, Scott Browning Phd

Annual Foundations Behavioral Health/La Salle University Autism Spectrum Disorders Conference

This workshop is an examination of family therapy with a family when at least one member is on the spectrum. A trait scale (developed by the speaker) is utilized to assist therapists in having a clear direction to assist families in this position. Case studies will be utilized.

This program is designed to help you…

1. Provide therapy to families with a ASD member
2. Know how to utilize the ASD Trait Scale
3. Assist couples in discussing differences in their perception of their ASD member
4. Have specific interventions available after the workshop
5. Know how to incorporate all family members into treatment

Promoting The Emotional Development Of Young Children On The Spectrum, Steven Glazier Ma

Annual Foundations Behavioral Health/La Salle University Autism Spectrum Disorders Conference

Neurobiological factors make it difficult for children on the spectrum to show and share their ideas, thoughts, and feelings. This can compromise their emotional development and social functioning. This workshop will highlight the challenges that our children face in this area and what we can do to support them.

This program is designed to help you…

1. Recognize the stages and themes of emotional development during the first 5 years of life.

2. Identify the special challenges children on the spectrum have in this process.

3. Learn specific strategies that caregivers and professionals can use to facilitate emotional development.

4. …

Termination Of Long-Term Mental Health Treatment With Foster Youth, Kimberlin Borca, Keala Pacheco

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Our previous work has demonstrated the effectiveness of long-term relationship-basedpsychotherapy for children in foster care. The current study examines circumstances inthe last year and at termination of treatment. Patients were seen on a weekly (65.5%) orbiweekly (18.2%) basis. Reasons for termination included patient relocation (14.5%),unexpected patient dropout (12.7%), treatment plateau/goals reached (10.9%), patientresistance to treatment (10.9%), lack of support from family or social services (9.1%),caretaker termination of treatment (7.3%), and transportation issues/scheduling problems(3.6%). Limitations of the study include a small sample size, potential bias from therapistinformants, and lack of a comparison group.

Termination Of Long-Term Mental Health Treatment With Foster Youth, Kimberlin Borca, Keala Pacheco

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Our previous work has demonstrated the effectiveness of long-term relationship-basedpsychotherapy for children in foster care. The current study examines circumstances inthe last year and at termination of treatment. Patients were seen on a weekly (65.5%) orbiweekly (18.2%) basis. Reasons for termination included patient relocation (14.5%),unexpected patient dropout (12.7%), treatment plateau/goals reached (10.9%), patientresistance to treatment (10.9%), lack of support from family or social services (9.1%),caretaker termination of treatment (7.3%), and transportation issues/scheduling problems(3.6%). Limitations of the study include a small sample size, potential bias from therapistinformants, and lack of a comparison group.

Student Affairs Program Evaluation: A Factor Analytic Solution, Oscar T. Mcknight

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

This program and presentation addresses the use of factor analysis in program evaluation. Specific focus will highlight the development and selection of marker items. The goal is to label and interpret factors according to targeted questions of interest. Therefore, results are not only descriptive, but predictive - with practical application to student retention and satisfaction. Process is useful for benchmarking best practices; measuring student satisfaction and learning; tracking student participation; evaluating program results; determining future program or service needs; and, assessing effectiveness of delivered programs.

The Effect Of Military Deployment On The Parents Of Those Deployed, Ashley Hinkamper, Cody Carson, Erica N. Johnson

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Research Exchange Conference

This study proposes to examine the psychological effects of military deployment on the parents of those deployed. Questionnaires will be administered to parents of active-duty and recently discharged marines via the internet. Whether deployment is to an area where there is substantial risk of injury or death or to an area without such risk will be assessed. Parents’ personal distress, efforts to cope with stress, and attitudes towards mental illness and its treatment will be evaluated. We hypothesize that parents of those deployed in danger zones will report greater distress, and that distress will be influenced by media exposure and …

What's Good About Feeling Bad: Developing A Theology Of Suffering, John C. Thomas

John C. Thomas

No abstract provided.

What's Good About Feeling Bad: Developing A Theology Of Suffering, John C. Thomas

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.