Digital Commons Network^™

So, Your Favorite Therapist Is........A Horse?, Elizabeth M. Armstrong

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

The field of Equine Assisted Mental Health (EAMH) is both new and broad. The purpose of this paper is to explore justifications and methods for incorporating EAMH into practice; identify core concepts of an equine assisted therapy program for counselors; and describe the experience of learning within one of those programs. The method to accomplish this goal was a phenomenological account of finding, comparing and taking part in an EAMH training program. This account looks at the many ways EAMH can be applied within a counseling practice and describes the core concepts of a program that teaches counselors the EAMH …

Counselors As Advocates For Change In Local Homelessness Discourse: A Content Analysis Of Harrisonburg, Virginia Media, Sarah E. Brown

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Data on homelessness does not reflect the vast numbers of people living without stable housing. Research shows that while the public may feel compassionate towards those without homes, they may also blame and stereotype people experiencing homelessness. Stigmatization can impair public support of policies that would provide the structural change needed to address the housing crisis. Studies have found when media use non-stereotypical examples of people without homes, stigmatization decreases and public support for systemic change increases. Using person-first language and the concept of housing as a moral human right further increase public support. This content analysis examines media in …

Navigating "Technoference" In The Family System, Kathlynn Sergent

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

This integrative literature review explores the increase of technology use in families, with a focus on how technology is disrupting in-person social interactions within the family system. Many studies have been conducted on how technology impacts a couple’s romantic relationship, and only a few have examined the relationship between the parent and child. This review is one of the first to examine how technology may affect the entire family unit from before children to raising adolescents. Each section of the family unit is examined, beginning with before children, followed by the early bonding and attachment associated with infant/childhood, and then …

“You Feel Like You Belong Nowhere”: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence And Social Identity In Post-Genocide Rwanda, Myriam Denov, Laura Eramian, Meaghan C. Shevell

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Globally, the systematic use of sexual violence in modern warfare has resulted in the birth of thousands of children. Research has begun to focus on this often invisible group and the obstacles they face, including stigma, discrimination and exclusion based on their birth origins. Although sexual violence during the Rwandan genocide has been documented on a massive scale, little research has focused on the relational dynamics between mothers who experienced genocide rape and the children they bore. This paper explores the post-genocide realities of these two under-explored populations, revealing two key tensions in relation to identity-building and belonging. Drawing upon …

The Shape Of Trafficking, Abigail Shifley

Honors Projects

“Much of the popular writing on human trafficking has been anecdotal or sensationalistic, and most scholarly publications are either general overviews of the problem or critiques of the literature” (Weitzer 2014).

A 2017 report estimated 24.9 million people were victims of human trafficking globally. Of those 24.9 million, 71% are women and girls and 25% are under the age of 18. Research on human trafficking is limited, and training is lacking within organizations essential to the fight against human trafficking. Additionally, members of the public are typically ignorant of the true nature of human trafficking, which is multifaceted and much …

What Makes Inclusion Work: An Autoethnography On Coordinating An Inclusive Youth Advocacy Program, Megan Price

University Honors Theses

In this autoethnographic thesis, I analyze my observations as the co-coordinator of an inclusive youth advocacy program (YAP) to detail what made inclusion successful, and what was ineffective. I had the unique position of facilitating conversations and workshops around social justice issues and how to advocate using self-expression and art. In this thesis, I will reflect on the Inclusive Education Conference (IEC) in Spring of 2019, and the Summer Summit in the summer of 2019, both in Portland, Oregon. At the IEC some of the observations noted as harmful to inclusion included: people wanting to silence the youth, inclusion being …

Sport Participation For People With Disabilities: Examining Perceived Constraints To Participation In Sport, Allison Pinello

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The aim of this paper is to investigate the constraints, or barriers, that people with disabilities (PwDs) perceive as factors related to their participation in sport and recreation activities. An electronic questionnaire was administered through email via a regional disability advocacy and programming organization and was completed by PwDs with varying levels and types of disability. The questionnaire included questions related to three different dimensions of constraint: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural, as well as subdimensions within the structural constraint. From the data analysis, five different conclusions were drawn: 1) The interpersonal constraint was the most commonly cited constraint. 2) The …

A Community To Call Mine:Supportive Community Environment And Citizen Actions?, Elizabeth Namakula Kamya

Silicon Valley Notebook

To what extent are supportive Community Environments and Citizen Actions needed to strengthen community attachment? The answers were explored among three distinctive communities across America (Thriving, Struggling, and Suffering) using a mixed methods design; analyses of secondary survey data from the 2010 Soul of The Community Survey were supplemented with qualitative insights from four community development professionals as well content analysis of select community development and affluent neighborhood initiatives. As predicted using Solari’s Affluent Neighborhood Persistence Model, members of thriving communities were more likely to take ownership when there was a supportive social environment. But, citizen action, particularly through political …

Humor, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is humor?

There are numerous definitions of humor in the research literature, with significant variety among them. A relatively simple definition of humor is something that is said or done to elicit levity or laughter (Dubinsky, Yammarino, & Jolson, 1995). Examples of the more complex aspects of other definitions of humor include expression, recognition, or appreciation of it; the purpose, nature, or target of it; and attitudes toward it. One way of summarizing some of the different perspectives is to define humor as being either (a) positive or negative and (b) directed inward or outward (Martin, Puhlik-Doris, Larsen, Gray, …

Experiences Of Transgender Adults Navigating Healthcare Access In Massachusetts, Nic Tompkins-Hughes

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Recent research studies regarding Transgender individuals’ experiences of discrimination in health care settings strongly recommend the value of qualitative data, and the need for research into how transgender patients find, obtain, and access medical care, preventatively and as needed. However, despite calls for qualitative data, limited qualitative studies have focused on medical access and experiences of transgender patients as of 2019. This exploratory qualitative study utilized semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted between May 27^th, 2019 through August 10^th, 2019 to ask about the experiences of transgender individuals as it pertains to accessing health care services in Massachusetts. …

Assessment And Strategic Planning To Determine The Growth Feasibility Of A Distance-Based Rural Baccalaureate Nursing Program, Amber Proctor Williams

Dissertations

A greater supply of nurses who are prepared at the BSN level minimally, are needed to address the increasingly complex healthcare and community needs in rural counties. An innovative partnership between a rural regional campus and a university based college of nursing has extended access to baccalaureate education to those based in that rural area. The purpose of this work sought to assess the feasibility of expanding the current distance-based rural BSN program from a systems level. This project illustrated how the organizational assessment can be used as a starting point to deconstruct the complexity surrounding the feasibility of expansion. …

Evidence-Based Practice Preparation In Nursing Education: Recent Bsn Graduates And Their Experience With Applying Evidence-Based Practice, Claudia Werner-Rutledge

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the level of knowledge of evidence-based practice (EBP) among registered nurses (RNs) who have joined the profession within the last 5 years. The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services PARIHS framework provided the appropriate lens through which to discover the experiences of nurses and their use of EBP.

2020-May-06-Etsu Offering Summer Online Courses Related To The Covid- Pandemic, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY (May 6, 2020) – In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, East Tennessee State University is offering several online summer courses across multiple disciplines that are related to the pandemic and its effects on society.

“The COVID-19 crisis has affected every person and every class at ETSU,” said Dr. Wilsie Bishop, interim provost and senior vice president for academics. “I am proud of the way ETSU has responded to the crisis and how quickly our faculty have adapted courses and used their expertise to create new courses that address subject matter and challenges associated with the pandemic.

“This summer, …

Part-Time Babysitter, Part-Time Barista, Full-Time Advocate - Journey To Commencement, Sarah Sapp

Journey to Commencement

Morgan Blythe builds a future in social work from a foundation of faith

Suicide Prevention In Schools, Peyton M. Petersen

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Studies have shown that a school environment is the most effective place to administer suicide prevention programs in order to reduce suicide rates among adolescents. This literature review evaluates different prevention programs and implementation strategies in order to determine the most effective suicide prevention method utilized at a high school level. Out of all of the prevention programs examined in this literature review, the Promoting CARE program appeared to yield the best results, as it saw a decline in suicidal ideation and behaviors in the participants over the course of 6 years following the program. This type of program along …

Drawing Out Trauma: Visual Art Therapy For Child Sexual Abuse Victims, Katelynn K. Mckinnon

Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a global problem that can have lasting effects cognitively, physiologically, and emotionally for the victim. If the psychological damage from CSA goes untreated, it can lead to unstable conditions within one’s self, and in relationships. When children are affected by sexual abuse, it can be difficult for them to verbalize the traumatic incident. This inability to express can lead to problems in viewing and experiencing the self, and may lead to dissociation. Many aspects of trauma symptoms are difficult for individuals and especially children to express verbally. Visual arts therapy offers an alternative to verbal-based …

“The Past Is Not Prologue”Educational Achievements Of Young Adults, Oscar Quiroz-Medrano

Silicon Valley Notebook

As global competition intensifies; college education has become a necessary tool for young adults to succeed. In this study, a mixed method approach was used (the NLSY survey, supplemented with qualitative interviews of seven education professionals) to identify the supportive resources needed by young adults to overcome the risks they faced as they aspired to complete high school and actualized their college aspirations. High school experiences and aspirations did not hinder youth from their later educational achievements. Rather, it was the social and cultural resources available in their post high school lives that mattered in actualizing their college aspirations. That …

Understanding Perceptions Of Community Though Community Art And Storytelling From National Louis University’S Rotating Art Exhibition, Julia Grant

SPACE: Student Perspectives About Civic Engagement

Understanding Perceptions of Community though Community Art and Storytelling from National Louis University’s Rotating Art Exhibition

Abstract

This paper presents the formation and execution of the first rotating artist exhibition at National Louis University. The exhibition’s curators organized and prepared for the exhibit in fall and winter terms in 2018 and showcased the work at each of NLU’s six campuses throughout the spring term in 2019.

A top priority for the rotating art exhibition was to keep the exhibition truly inclusive, meaning advertising and promoting the opportunity to students, faculty, staff, and alumni across each campus. The exhibition would also …

Diversity And Social Justice In The Massachusetts Classroom: Teachers Implementation And Students Reflections, Josephine Ciatto

Honors Program Theses and Projects

As public school classrooms have become increasingly diverse and complex, the curriculummust reflect this to prepare students for their futures. When shaping the curriculum that ourstudents receive, it is important to ensure a well rounded, multicultural education even if theclassroom itself does not reflect a diverse community. This qualitative and quantitative, mixedmethod research study looked at the Massachusetts state guidelines concerning diversityeducation and compared it to what teachers say they are implementing in the classroom as wellas with what students say they learned. This mixed method design includes teacher surveys (n=78), teacher interviews (n=4), and student surveys (n=289). The student …

Embodied Transformation: A Review Of Play And Dance Movement Therapy For Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Kaiyue Chen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explores the potential role of play and playfulness in dance movement therapy (DMT) for the treatment of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), which results from exposure to complex trauma. As its name suggests, CPTSD symptoms can be more severe than that of PTSD, and the prevalence of CPTSD is estimated at 3.8% of the U.S. population (Cloitre et al., 2019). Given these factors, this mental health issue warrants further research and treatment support. Towards this end, a critical review of the literature on the topics of complex trauma/CPTSD, play, and DMT has been conducted. Based on a synthesis …

Therapeutic Support Found In A Printmaking Method With Older Adult Veterans Through A Recovery Model Lens, Mckenzie Paddock

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Creative arts therapies provide expansive opportunities for personal growth and healing, but little research exists to prove printmaking as effective in increasing an individual’s quality of life. The indirect multi-step art form of printmaking offers therapeutic support through its attributes of unpredictability, containment, multiplicity, and adaptability, while accommodating themes of the three Rs of recovery: remediation, restoration, and reconnection. This study aimed to highlight the therapeutic effects of printmaking with older adults as displayed by an arts-based method conducted with veterans. A relief printmaking workshop took place over two-hour sessions once a week for three weeks at a Veteran Affairs …

The Prospector, May 5, 2020, Utep Student Publications

The Prospector

Headline: Congratulations Graduates

Um Presents Excellence In Community Engagement Awards, Edwin B. Smith

University of Mississippi News

Second annual program recognizes achievements in community engagement

Examining Relationships Between Early Childcare Teachers' Adult Attachment Orientations And Quality Of Interaction In The Infant Classroom, Alexandra Morris Benoit

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past several decades, women have entered the workforce in increasing numbers. This has led to the majority of infants and young children being cared for outside of the home by extra-familial caregivers. Research has shown the benefits that quality childcare can have on the developmental trajectories of children, as well as the detrimental effects that can be seen when children experience low quality care. Further, children are particularly vulnerable in the first year of life when they are establishing attachment bonds with their primary caregivers. With the long hours that many spend in the care of childcare workers, …

Acronym Usage In Groups: The Relationship Of Socialization And Identification, Dara K. Carney-Nedelman

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

This study analyzed the relationship between knowledge of acronym meaning and group member’s socialization and identification. It examined the understudied relationship between knowledge of acronym meaning for group members and their socialization and identification in the group. Research has concluded that when assimilated into a group the group members contribute more, and overall have greater satisfaction (Riddle, Anderson, & Martin, 2000). This assimilation can be separated into two variables, socialization and identification of group members. Research on the relationship for knowledge of acronym meaning and assimilation has been understudied; therefore, this project explored how the terms we use in groups …

Covid Final Essay, Anonymous

Longwood: Life during COVID-19

Farmville, VA during the Covid outbreak.

Community Health Workers And Behavioral Health Care, Richard C. Boldt, Eleanor T. Chung

Journal of Health Care Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Foster To Adopt: Pipeline To Failure And The Need For Concurrent Planning Reform, Cockayne, Maggie Wong

Santa Clara Law Review

FOSTER TO ADOPT: PIPELINE TO FAILURE AND THE NEED FOR CONCURRENT PLANNING REFORM

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet May 2020, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The May 2020 Monthly packet includes the May agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held April 2020.

PSU faculty, staff, and students may access a recording of the meeting via this link. Log-in is required.

Fostering Success: What Happens After The Transition Out Of Foster Care?, Paige N. Mikels

Honors Theses

The foster care system in the United States continues to pose a great negative impact on its participants. This negative impact consequently lowers their chances of attaining the same level of success as their non-fostered peers. The foster care experience affects their academics, mental and physical health, employment, and has a special impact on minority children. There are several sources of support and resources available to assist this population if the individual, their foster parents, or case manager is aware of them. In addition to being aware of the sources of support and resources, the foster youth or foster care …