Digital Commons Network^™

Talking About Race : How Do White Clinicians Engage In Dialogue About Race In Cross-Racial Therapy With Black Clients?, Elizabeth J. Hare

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explores how White clinicians engage in dialogue about race in cross-racial therapy with Black clients. Open-ended survey questions were used to gather narrative data from 12 White clinicians who have conducted therapy with Black clients. The central question of this research study is: when, how and why do White clinicians engage in dialogue about race in cross-racial therapy with Black clients? The study investigates how White clinicians think about their choices to broach the subject of race and their perceptions of the therapeutic alliance as it relates to conversations about race and racial difference. It also explores …

Sleep With One Eye Open : Specific Safety Concerns That Homeless Males Face And How They Cope With Dangers, Rachel Sloane

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study attempts to understand the safety concerns that homeless males have and how they cope with dangers. In-person, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 adult males who had been homeless after the age of 18. The interviews were conducted at an emergency men's shelter located in an urban East Coast city. This agency provided a safe space for individuals who fit the inclusionary criteria to participate in one on one interviews. Personal narratives were used in order to gain a more insightful, person centered understanding of specific dangers and coping skills used towards those dangers. Adult males was …

How Do The Online Illness Narratives Of People Living With Advanced-State Cancer Inform Clinical Social Work Practice With This Population?, Jenny B. Grabelsky, Jenny B. Leitson-Grabelsky

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory-descriptive study set out to identify the unmet needs of people living with advanced cancer, and how those needs might be addressed by clinical social workers. To this end, the previous literature on this topic was reviewed, and the online illness narratives of ten people living with advanced cancer were examined. The narratives, which portrayed the lived experiences of the population at the heart of this study, were then compared and contrasted with previous research findings to identify areas of need that have not been mentioned in the literature and/or require additional attention and resources. The existing literature and …

The Role Of The Rural Family In Opiate Addiction, Elizabeth A. Slowinski

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Both popular media and academics have noted that rural communities are beset with an opiate epidemic. However, research related to opiate abuse tends to focus on those living in urban settings. The present study compared the responses of urban and rural clinicians who work with opiate/opioid-dependent clients, as it was hypothesized that addiction is uniquely influenced by population density. Specifically, this research focused on the role an opiate-dependent client's family plays in their opiate use and whether this role differs based on location. Bowen's Family Systems Theory was used to frame the study, as it was hypothesized that family norms …

Personality Development In Clinical Social Workers : The Significance Of Introjective Personality Type In Therapists, Lindsey C. Calder

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study explored the relationship between clinical social workers who were identified as having strong self-definitional personality characteristics and selfdefinitional attributes within the social worker's clinical work. Self-definitional characteristics of clinical social work study participants were identified through Self- Criticism scores within the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (Blatt, D'Afflitti, and Quinlan, 1976). Motivation for this study grew out of the apparent dearth of research on introjective and anaclitic personality characteristics among psychotherapy providers and the researcher's subsequent desire to bring a more Relational perspective to research regarding personality development and characteristics as measured by the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire. Quantitative data for …

Bridging The Gap : Integrating Intersectional Oppression And The Unconscious Mind In Prostitution Discourse, Hannah R. Pocock

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This paper brings intersectional theory into conversation with relational psychoanalytic theory to examine how the interlocking oppressions of race, class, and gender shape and sustain the commercial sexual exploitation of women, and how an intrapsychic analysis can shed light on women's entry into prostitution, they challenges they face in attempting to escape it, and considerations for psychotherapy with prostituted women. This paper attempts to bridge the gap between sturctural and intrapsychic analyses of prostitution, examining the interaction between structural oppression and intrapsychic processes that script multiply marginalized women for prostitution. This analysis challenges the notion of the universal "sex worker" …

"Black Is, Black Ain't" : A Theoretical Exploration Of The Impact Of Systemic Racism On African American Adolescent Identity Development, Janae A. Peters

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis explores the impact of systemic racism on the African American adolescent's ability to secure a cohesive and positive identity. Working from a symbolic interactionist frame influenced by critical race theory and social identity theory, this thesis explores the unique challenges African Americans face in this critical identity development process and seeks to explore explanations for the role of racism as an institutionalized system that hinders healthy development. This thesis aims to examine how the messages received by African Americans in all systems--ranging from schools to health services--privilege the dominant perspective and ideology and negatively impact racial identity …

Parental Perceptions Of Parent-Therapist Alliance And Adolescent Self-Disclosure On The Perceived Efficacy Of Adolescent Psychotherapy Treatment, Kara G. Maltese

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This quantitative study explored the impact of parental perceptions of adolescent therapy disclosures on parental perceptions of therapy and therapist. Questions examined were (1) whether parental perceptions of their adolescent's therapy disclosures, parent-reported closeness, and parent-reported warmth differ as a function of adolescent age and parent gender and (2) if parent-therapist alliance ratings, parent-reported closeness, and parent-reported warmth were associated with parental perceptions of treatment efficacy, and if perceived disclosures moderated this association. Participants were 42 parents who had adolescents (ages 12 to 18) who attended outpatient psychotherapy for a minimum of 6 weeks. Demographic information and perceptions of adolescent …

The Effectiveness Of Emdr Therapy On Clients With Addictions, Jennifer L. Franklin

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to determine how effective Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is in helping clients to lessen or end their cycle of SUDs and behavioral addictions in the long term. Secondly, this study aimed to determine whether or not EMDR therapy increases a client's likelihood of relapse, and whether or not relapse affects the outcome of treatment. Furthermore, this study looked at whether or not clients need to have abstained from their addictive substance for an extended period of time in order for EMDR therapy to be successful in their addictions treatment. The final question that …

Shifting Paradigms : The Embodied Intersubjective Matrix, Joanna Wiederhorn

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis traces two paradigmatic shifts currently transforming psychodynamic theory and practice: the shift from a one-person to a two-person psychology and the shift from conscious cognition to unconscious embodied affect. These two shifts support a phenomenological understanding of the clinical encounter as inherently intersubjective and embodied. The concept of embodied intersubjectivity is explored by weaving together relevant literature from the fields of relational psychoanalysis, interpersonal neurobiology, contemporary developmental psychology, and body psychotherapy. The view is offered that, for some clients more than others, developing a deeper connection with one's embodied sense of self, and having that experience recognized …

The Implementation And Acceptance Of Yoga Techniques For Children With Complex Trauma Among Practicing Clinicians, Danielle S. Martineau

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed-method study was undertaken to determine acceptance and utilization rates of yoga techniques in treatment with children ages 5-17, with complex trauma among practicing-clinicians. Secondly, it was to explore beliefs of effectiveness and barriers of implementation of yoga in a therapeutic milieu. An online survey was sent through mass emails of local agencies, online social media sites through groups associated with trauma and mental health to determine practicing therapists' interests, utilization, beliefs of effectiveness, and barriers of implementation of yoga techniques in therapeutic practice with children with complex trauma. To qualify to participate in this study, one had to …

Pregnancy, An Opportunity For Empowerment : A Trauma And Attachment Informed Approach To Creating A Corrective Relationship For Mothers With Trauma Histories And Subsequent Substance Abuse, Judith W. Kamara

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis examined how the capacity of a healthy pregnancy and birth and positive attachment could be a corrective experience for mothers with histories of trauma and subsequent substance use. Socratic questioning was used to help trauma and attachment-informed clinicians approach mothers in this population as an asset to their infants rather than viewing them as a risk, hopefully challenging the socially prevalent belief that these mothers should be treated punitively rather than receive treatment. The phenomenon also focused on this population of mothers rather than their infants as primary victim, examining individual and systemic factors that contribute to …

Adoption And The Use Of Self-Disclosure : A Qualitative Inquiry Of The Clincial Professional, Heather L. Smith-Jackson

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

One of the intentional purposes of this study was to expand upon the limited research that is offered from a clinical perspective regarding self disclosure, but with a concentration on adopted mental health professionals. This study: explored the nature of therapeutic relationship, investigated continued controversial topic of self disclosure and explored specifically adoption identity formation and self disclosure grounded in social constructivism.

Twelve female participants who identified as mental health professionals completed in person interviews. The goal was to recruit 16 participants evenly divided between clinicians who were adopted and non adopted. However because of limitations, the sample consisted of …

Art As A Clinical Tool In The Treatment Of Complex Ptsd : A Theoretical Study, Emma T. Brenner-Malin

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis explores how art-making can be used as a clinical tool in social worker’s psychodynamic treatment of complex post-traumatic stress disorder. A theoretical thesis was chosen in order to address the gap in the social work literature discussing the integration of creative action into trauma-informed care. D.W. Winnicott’s object relations theory and Trauma-informed art therapy theory are the two theoretical lenses applied and discussed. A review of the literature indicates that art created during therapy can function as a transitional object, facilitating the client’s ability to learn how to regulate their affect, recall dissociated affect and memories, bolster …

Gould Farm : Outcomes At A Psychosocial Therapeutic Community Reexamined : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, With Permission Of The Gould Farm, Monterey, Massachusetts, Frances Huberman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study reexamined the data on outcomes of programming with clients at Gould Farm, a psychosocial therapeutic community located in Monterey Massachusetts. The methods of treatment currently utilized at Gould Farm were explored and evaluated through this reexamination as well. The data was analyzed to determine if there was a positive change in client satisfaction scores on the Quality of Life Scale between the intake interview and the discharge interview, and additionally from the discharge interview to the six month follow up interview. The data was also analyzed to determine if there was a relationship between the length of stay …

Childhood Experiences Of Introversion : An Exploration Of Navigating Social And Academic Spaces And Ways Of Coping, Leah S. Schwartz

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of introversion in childhood. This research seeks to understand how introverted children perceive themselves and how this impacts the way they interact with the world around them. The overarching research question is: how does the experience of being an introverted child impact one’s sense of self? Given the practical and ethical challenges of interviewing actual children, for this qualitative research I interviewed 12 adult self-identified introverts about their childhood experience of being introverted. The design for this research study is qualitative and exploratory. Findings included what being introverted meant to …

"Good Enough" Nanny : Socioeconomic Disparity And Power In The Nanny-Employer Dyad, Carolyn M. Moody

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Because nannies are typically of lower socioeconomic status than their employers, unique power dynamics develop in the relationships between parents and secondary caregivers. This empirical study explored childcare providers' experiences of these dynamics by examining how similarity and difference in the nanny-employer dyad impacted the employer's management style. Sample. The quantitative, exploratory method utilized an anonymous online questionnaire to reach a broad sample of current and former nannies (N=167). Methods. Demographic data on participants' and employers' socioeconomic identities were collected and compared with management style indicators. Findings. The results suggested that similarity and difference in the dyad, both relational and …

"I Love My Children... But I Hate Being A Mom" : Exploring Narratives Of Maternal Ambivalence In Anonymous, Digital Spaces, Christine M. Lacy

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore narratives of maternal ambivalence displayed on an anonymous, digital discussion forum. This investigation based on an analysis of 341 written discussion posts shared on a message thread of a public website, which became an anonymous platform for mothers expressing negative feelings about mothering. This central questions of this study focus on how mothers' described their maternal ambivalence, what factors impact their ambivalence, whether they discuss guilt, shame, and social stigma associated with maternal ambivalence, and what participants reported gaining from their use of the site. The findings of this study suggest …

Advice Giving In Online Eating Disorder Forums : What Clinical Social Workers Need To Know, Elizabeth C. Reali

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study expanded the limited existing research on online eating disorder forums by examining the thematic content of advice giving on three different types of online eating disorder forums: 1) professional-operated, pro-recovery forums; 2) peer-operated, pro-recovery forums; and 3) peer-operated, pro-eating disorder forums. Additionally, the study sought to elucidate the comparative relationships amongst different forums between advice content, aims, and accuracy and key forum characteristics, such as forums' missions and methods of moderation. Two publicly available websites for each forum type were studied. From these, a total of 60 advice messages consisting of 91 advice units were …

"I Could Never Do That In Real Life" : An Exploration Of Real World Morality And Moral Decision-Making In Role-Playing Video Games, Samuel E. Flescher

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Video games as a medium for play increase in popularity and participation every year. Around the world, video games are also constantly criticized for depicting violent, gratuitous, and potentially immoral material that consumers can engage in. Yet very little evidence exists suggesting a tangible connection between individuals' real world thoughts and actions with their in-game experiences. This mixed-methods study aimed to explore the potential relationship between individuals' real world moral identities with their virtual decisions and actions in singleplayer role-playing video games. Fifty-one people completed an online survey containing qualitative and quantitative questions. Participants provided narrative accounts of in-game decisions …

Substance Abuse And Music Use : Exploring Relationships Through Recovery, Andrew Culler

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study considered the questions 'what is the relationship between music and substance abuse?', and 2) 'what is the role of music in treatment for/recovery from substance abuse?', through analysis of spoken interviews with 11 people in recovery from substance abuse—how they describe music's functioning in their lives and how they experience substance use/abuse, and recovery, as connected to music. The findings of this non-generalizable study suggest people seek out music as an outside object to alter, augment, or otherwise regulate self-states within changing environmental contexts, and that such a relationship becomes a continuity across descriptions of relationships between …

Exploration Into Pre-Clinicians' Views Of The Use Of Role-Play Games In Group Therapy With Adolescents, Sarah H. Flashman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study examines pre-clinicians' beliefs and experiences with adolescent group therapy and role-play games (RPGs) as therapeutic group treatment. Twelve pre-clinicians in a community mental health agency were asked about their thoughts and experiences of group therapy and the use of RPGs in adolescent group therapy. The larger themes found in this study were participants' experiences with group therapy, use of group therapy, and RPGs in adolescent group therapy. These results indicate that pre-clinicians rely heavily on experience, rather than research, when making clinical decisions. Furthermore, this study shows that pre-clinicians have little knowledge about RPGs, but view them …

Voices Of Family- And Partner-Violent Adults In Treatment : Participants' Experience Of Therapy, Justin Butler

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study examines the preferences and opinions of partner- or family-violent adults in rehabilitative therapy and counseling. With the goal of informing and improving treatment approaches for this population, the study seeks to augment the current field of research, based primarily on external measures, with the voices and opinions of participants themselves. A convenience sample of 80 male and female participants at an urban social service agency in the U.S. was selected to complete the mixed-methods (qualitative and quantitative) survey. The survey consists of 5 demographic elements, and 38 questions (33 rating-scale and 5 shortanswer). The survey explored participants' opinions …

Millennials' Perceptions Of How Their Capacity For Romantic Love Developed And Manifests, Kate Mcguire

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explores how the Millennial Generation understands how they learned to love, how they define and experience romantic love in the present, and what their hopes and fears are for romantic love in the future. The investigation is based on the perspectives of 25 participants from the Millennial Generation who answered 11 interview questions, in addition to completing the Experiences in Close Relationships – Revised Questionnaire (ECRR). Findings from my study suggests that the Millennial generation is forging a distinctively different pathway from older generations in areas related to social media, marriage and commitment, children, religious fidelity, social …

Cultivating Presence : Effects Of Therapist's Mindfulness Meditation On Therapeutic Presence, Marianne Galus

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this exploratory study was to gain a deeper understanding of how clinicians' daily mindfulness meditation practice influences the cultivation of therapeutic presence within the relational space of the therapeutic encounter. The study used semistructured, in-person, and Skype video interviews with 11 clinical social workers with a daily mindfulness meditation practice to gather qualitative data and their reflections on the dynamic interplay between mindfulness meditation and preparing the ground for presence, the process of presence and the experience of in-session therapeutic presence. The findings indicate that all of the clinicians experienced a positive direction of association between daily …

The Work Of André Green : An Introduction, Louis Scuderi

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

André Green was a French psychoanalyst whose work represents a unique contribution to the fields of theoretical, clinical, and applied psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic social work. Little has been written about him in English, however. In this study, Green's overarching theoretical project is reviewed, in addition to some of his major concepts and their clinical implications. Green's relationship to French psychoanalysis is outlined, as well as his relationship to his major influences: Winnicott, Bion, Lacan, and most importantly, Freud. Green's conceptions of the drives, narcissism, and the work of the negative are discussed in detail, and his work is situated in …

Social Work And Human Sexuality : An Examination Of The Country's Top 25-Cwse Ranked Msw Curricula, Hannah R. Wineburg

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Graduate students of social work seek education and training to increase their competency to practice in dynamic, multicultural environments that allow them to help diverse clients with a multitude of mental health and sociological related issues. Moreover, social work programs have long been known for teaching students to be agents of change, in particular preparing social workers to effectively and ethically enhance the wellbeing and productivity of an increasingly diverse client base. This often translates into confronting oppressive systems that uphold traditional policies and practices in areas such as race, class, gender identity, and human sexuality. How are social work …

Trans* Individuals' Experiences With Employment Discrimination : Supporting Self-Efficacy In The Job-Seeking Process, Matthew S. Meurer-Lynn

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Transgender and gender non-conforming individuals are often the subject of blatant and covert discrimination when seeking employment and studies demonstrate the negative effects on mental health. The research question for this study was: How can social workers best support trans* clients who are in the process of searching for employment, build self-efficacy and overcome psychological barriers that have developed as a result of oppression and discrimination? This qualitative study of seven trans* individuals provides examples of discrimination as experienced by the participants, examines the effects discrimination has on mental health and self-efficacy, and provides social workers with recommendations for supporting …

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder : Experiences Of Diagnosis, Treatment, And Management By African American Caregivers, Lydie H. Gnacadja

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

According to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders 5th edition, attention-deficit disorder is a childhood disorder in which symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention, and/or impulsivity are present for at least six months and must be present prior to a child turning12 years old (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Gapin and Etnier (2013) stated the following, ADHD "is one of the leading childhood psychiatric disorders in America and is a costly major public health problem" (p. 1). There is limited research on African American caregiver experiences (Miller, Nigg and Miller, 2009) and social workers would benefit by being familiar with African …

Exploring Clinicians' Experience Of Countertransference In Play Therapy, Asya Tsarkova

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore clinicians' experience of countertransference in play therapy. Through semi-structured individual interviews with twelve clinicians, narrative data was collected on the ways in which clinicians experience, process, and utilize countertransference in play therapy. Some of the findings of this study support previous research and theoretical literature on countertransference in the field of child psychotherapy. Additionally, this study's findings introduce the possibility that specific aspects of play therapy have a unique effect on the experience and processing of countertransference in play therapy due to the nature of this therapeutic modality. Implications for social …