Digital Commons Network^™

Storytelling And Equity: A Program Evaluation That Promotes And Supports Narrative-Based Learning And Open Dialogue Practices At Higher Ed Institutions, Regis A. Peeples

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

On college campuses worldwide, storytelling functions as a primary method for transmitting and affirming knowledge. It serves to validate lived experiences, acts as a relational teaching tool, and supports theoretical inquiry. Given that teaching is inherently political, storytelling can also perpetuate hate, oppression, and other social harms within academic environments. Even when educators use storytelling constructively, limited training exists on the full range of its impacts on students, particularly in terms of what may be described as “dangerous” storytelling. Dangerous storytelling refers to narratives, intentional or authentic, that reinforce or cultivate phobias about physical appearance (e.g., race, culture, nationality), propagate …

Hiding In Plain Sight, Gayle M. Perreault

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Some autistic individuals reach adulthood without receiving a diagnosis, and the processes contributing to delayed recognition are not yet fully understood. This study explored how contextual conditions across development related to the emergence and use of camouflaging behaviors in late-diagnosed autistic adults from groups historically underrepresented in autism research. Using an inductive collective case study design, narrative interviews were conducted with seven autistic adults diagnosed after age 15. The analysis examined how participants described learning, maintaining, and interpreting camouflaging behaviors across childhood through early adulthood within social, environmental, and institutional contexts, with attention to how participants experienced environmental expectations and …

Virtual Communities, Real Identities: Bi+ Storying And Connection On Youtube, Gabrielle Gershoni

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation explored how bi+ individuals narrate identity, belonging, and community connection through personal storytelling on YouTube. Despite being a significant subset of the LGBTQIA+ population, bi+ individuals face unique challenges such as monosexism, bi-erasure, and binegativity. These systemic challenges contribute to health disparities and a pervasive lack of belongingness in both straight and queer communities. Using a narrative inquiry framework and reflexive thematic analysis, this study examined six publicly shared narratives of bi+ YouTube creators to investigate how digital spaces are utilized to construct and discus bi+ identities. Heteronormative socialization, “clicks” of identity recognition, relational negotiations, and misrecognition both …

How To Reduce Inpatient Violence: A Theory Synthesis From Four Models, Arthur Walker

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Working in an inpatient setting inherently involves an increased risk of violence. This violence can affect both staff and patients alike and can lead to psychological trauma, serious bodily injury, and even death. To mitigate this risk, many models for preventing inpatient violence have been proposed for hospitals to implement. However, the evidence for the efficacy of these methods is inconsistent, and the theoretical underpinnings are varied and slim. This dissertation seeks to improve these models by re-examining the theoretical structures for common themes of four models for inpatient violence reduction and proposing additional recommendations informed by this synthesis. First, …

Sustainable Justice: A Critical Contemplative Approach To Sustainability In Higher Education, Jessica A. Reneau

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The field of sustainability studies increasingly asks students to confront ecological crises alongside considerations of power, privilege, and unequal environmental harm. This work can be emotionally challenging as well as intellectually complex. Contemplative practices, such as meditation and yoga, may offer meaningful pedagogical support, helping students cultivate the attention, reflection, and emotional capacity needed to stay engaged with justice-centered sustainability learning. Although the use of contemplative pedagogies is growing in higher education, little research has examined how these practices shape justice-orientated learning outcomes in sustainability education. This dissertation addresses that gap by exploring how both student and instructor experience contemplative …

Illuminating Secrets Of Harmful Supervision: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Lived Experiences Of Marriage And Family Therapy Supervisees Of Color During Clinical Supervision And The Effects On Their Personal And Professional Identity, Danielle Garcia Gomez

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Harmful supervision is a critical yet often underexamined issue for supervisees of color (SOC), whose lived experiences are underrepresented in clinical supervision literature. Given the hierarchical and evaluative nature of clinical supervision, power dynamics are placed at the center of professional training, thereby creating conditions where unchecked supervisory power can lead to harm. Within Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT), research on harmful supervision is limited, despite the profession’s emphasis on relational dynamics. This qualitative study aimed to amplify the voices of SOC victim-survivors of harmful supervision and to answer the research question: How have harmful supervision experiences affected the personal …

Bipoc Supervisors And Their Cross-Ethnoracial Supervisees: An Exploratory Dyadic Interdependence Study On Cultural Humility, Ethnocultural Empathy, Supervisory Alliance And Ethnoracial Identity Development, Karen Andal Neri

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

There is an ongoing need for more relational, process-oriented multicultural supervision training models and research to address multicultural issues through a sociocultural perspective in cross-ethnoracial supervision. BIPOC therapists have often reported inadequate multicultural education and training as well as responsiveness from their White supervisors. As supervisors themselves, BIPOC therapists are often overlooked and understudied in the couple/marriage, family therapy (C/MFT) field, which remains predominantly Eurocentric. As a process-oriented model, multicultural orientation (MCO), especially its primary organizing pillar, cultural humility, appears highly relevant to BIPOC supervisors working across ethnoracial and cultural lines with their supervisees. However, neither the MCO nor broader …

Mental Health Therapists’ Experiences Of Moral Injury, Mary Krome

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Moral injury refers to the psychological, social, behavioral, and spiritual consequences that may result from experiences involving perceived violations of deeply held moral values and beliefs. Although research on moral injury has expanded beyond military populations, limited attention has been given to the experiences of mental health therapists, and qualitative investigations of this phenomenon remain scarce. Therefore, this project provides a qualitative assessment of mental health therapists’ lived experiences of moral injury, using an ecosystemic approach and accounting for biopsychosocial factors that influence experiences of moral injury. Six mental health therapists completed the Moral Injury and Distress Scale and endorsed …

Mind The Gap: Comparing Asian American And White American Experiences In Integrated Primary Care, Tenzin Miller-Dorjee

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explores Asian American and White American adults’ experiences of integrated primary care (IPC), focusing on patient satisfaction and perceived provider cultural competence. Although IPC models are intended to improve access to behavioral health services, it remains important to examine whether these models are experienced as culturally responsive and equitable across racial groups. This study used a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design with 550 adults in the United States who reported experience with IPC. Patient satisfaction was assessed using the Patient Experience of Integrated Care Scale (PEICS), and perceived provider cultural competence was assessed using the Iowa Cultural Understanding Assessment–Client …

Into Action: A Twelve Step-Informed Act Group Protocol For Outpatient Substance Use Treatment, Doug Hohenberger

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Substance use disorders remain a prevalent and costly public health concern. Despite this, efforts to disseminate evidence-based practices frequently encounter both practical and philosophical barriers. Language and practices from the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous have permeated addiction treatment settings and have become the “common tongue” for addiction recovery discourse. Consequently, most substance use treatment programs feature tenets of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous in their clinical programming, even though the framework was designed for peer support settings. Twelve Step fellowships have made important contributions to the substance use treatment field and have guided individuals through personal recovery through …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Fitness Wearable Use And Embodiment, Lucas Brandt

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Wearable fitness technologies have become increasingly integrated into contemporary health and wellness culture, providing users with continuous access to physiological and behavioral data related to movement, sleep, stress, recovery, and overall health. Research has demonstrated that wearable devices can increase physical activity and support health behavior change (Ferguson et al., 2022; Koivisto & Hamari, 2019). Although less is known about how these technologies influence individuals’ lived experiences of their bodies. Understanding this relationship is particularly important given growing concerns regarding embodiment, self-surveillance, and the psychological effects of health-tracking technologies (Bergsland, 2017; Rapp, 2021). Drawing on theories of mind-body connection and …

“I May Flourish In Spite Of The Obstacles": A Deaf Queer Minority Stress Model, Maya E. Weaver

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The current study explores the intersectional experiences of individuals who identify as both d/Deaf and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer/Questioning, among other marginalized sexual identities. Historically, both Deaf and queer communities have faced significant oppression and discrimination; yet little research has examined the unique challenges encountered by those living at the intersection of these two identities, with most of the existing deaf literature focusing on heterosexual individuals and most of the queer literature centering around non-Deaf individuals. This study sought to address that gap by, within an exploration of their unique form of minority stress, investigating how identifying with both …

Bi+ Cismale Experiences With Straight Cismale Friends, Taylor M. Hardock

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Minority Stress Theory (2006) posits that individuals with a marginalized sexual identity have unique challenges and stressors. Bisexual+, or bi+, individuals have particular stressors related to not holding a monosexual identity, including specific mental health challenges. Research has shown that friendship can have many positive benefits on individuals, though the literature looking at friendship among bi+ identifying people is very limited. This qualitative study investigates the experiences of friendship between bi+ and straight cis men, especially as they may relate to minority stress and experiences of resilience and community belongingness. A thematic analysis was utilized to understand the personal experiences …

Beyond The Rabbit Hole: Dmt, Death, And The Hereafter, Abby Molina

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation explores a proposed relationship between death and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) within the context of contemporary clinical psychology and the current psychedelic renaissance. Building on Rick Strassman’s hypothesis that DMT may be released at the moment of death and Imants Barušs’ conceptualization of death as an altered state of consciousness, this project examines the phenomenological similarities between DMT-induced experiences (psychedelic “trips”) and near-death experiences (NDEs). Through review of neurobiological research, psychedelic-assisted therapy literature, religious and cultural ceremonial practices, and documented DMT trip and NDE reports, this work evaluates the plausibility that endogenous DMT contributes to altered states of consciousness observed …

Adverse Childhood Experiences Of Individuals Charged Or Convicted Of Homicide In Their Youth, Marcus Krodel

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) represent a collection of distressful events occurring during childhood and have been shown to have a negative impact on future functioning. ACEs were utilized in the current study to increase our understanding of a unique population among court-involved individuals: juveniles charged or convicted of homicide. Court decisions have established that juveniles convicted of homicide are both distinct from their adult counterparts and present with dissimilar risk and protective factors. The current study explored a sample of 66 individuals who were charged or convicted of homicide while in their youth. Each participant was retroactively assigned an ACEs …

Doctoral Trainees’ Experiences Of Vicarious Trauma Within Inpatient Settings: An Exploratory Study, Melissa Neitlich

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Vicarious trauma (VT), first coined by Irene Lisa McCann and Anne Pearlman, is described as a pervasive and cumulative impact of working with survivors of trauma, resulting in changes to the therapist’s identity, worldview, psychological needs, beliefs, and memory. In spite of the unique vulnerabilities of doctoral trainees for experiencing VT, there is limited research on the impact of VT among doctoral trainee populations, as most of the extant literature focuses on the impact of VT in middle- to late-career psychological practice. In this primarily qualitative dissertation, I examined trainees’ experiences of vicarious trauma within various inpatient settings using the …

Impact Of Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing Games (Ta-Rpg) For Individuals At The Intersection Of Sexual And Gender Minorities (Sgm) And Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Alexander S. Gelernter

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who also identify as sexual and gender minorities (SGM) may experience intersecting challenges related to communication, social belonging, masking, identity development, and access to affirming clinical spaces. Although role-play and therapeutically applied role-playing games (TA-RPGs) have been described as promising experiential approaches, limited research has examined how ASD/SGM individuals themselves understand role-playing games (RPGs) or evaluate their possible therapeutic use. This qualitative study explored how young adults with ASD level 1 who identify as SGM describe their experiences with RPGs and how they appraise the potential usefulness, risks, and conditions of TA-RPG. Five participants …

Cross-Domain Identity Development In Bipoc Autistic Adults: A Grounded Theory Study, Ginnylyne Mariano Guisadio

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Racial and autistic identity development both involve navigating stigma, seeking community, and contending with dominant frameworks that constrain authentic self-expression, yet existing research has not examined how these processes interact for individuals holding both identities. These interactions unfold within structural conditions such as diagnostic disparities, culturally specific ableism, and racialized consequences of visible autistic expression, which shape how identity development proceeds for BIPOC autistic adults. This study investigated whether and how the core identity processes of exploration and commitment proceeded for this population. Nine BIPOC autistic adults participated in written interviews analyzed through constructivist grounded theory, with identity status theory …

Dancing With The Void: A Cultural Exploration Of Nihilistic Musical Identities And Their Experience In Psychotherapy, Zachary Marciano

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation examines the profound existential paradox faced by individuals who have identified with nihilistic beliefs and ideas while attempting to seek meaning through therapy. Nihilism, characterized by the belief in the inherent meaninglessness of existence, poses a significant challenge to the traditional therapeutic framework, which often centers on the pursuit of meaning and purpose. This dichotomy poses a unique conundrum for individuals who embrace nihilistic perspectives shaped by identification with nihilistic lyrics and themes in alternative music genres such as metal, goth, grunge, and punk. Alternative music culture often serves as a vehicle for expressing and internalizing nihilistic beliefs, …

I’M A Sucker For You: The Role Of Parasocial Relationships And Celebrity Worship In Predicting Loneliness Among Fans Of The Jonas Brothers, Samantha Lynn D'Anna

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The current study sought to better understand the dynamics between parasocial relationships and celebrity worship in predicting loneliness among the Jonas Brothers fan community. A comprehensive review of existing literature positioned this dissertation within the context of current research. A quantitative, survey-based methodology was used to examine associations between variables through correlational analyses, and a qualitative component invited participants to share written narratives about the impact the Jonas Brothers have had on their lives. Quantitative findings showed that although parasocial relationships did not directly relate to loneliness, they were strongly linked to celebrity worship, which then mediated the connection between …

Climate Resilience In Action: Process-Based Equity For Co-Governed, Socially Cohesive, Ecologically Integrated Democracies Through The Design And Implementation Of Nature-Based Solutions, Donna Choih

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) governance and behavior have the potential to become more equitable, beginning with a closer examination of what equity entails. Governance and behavior together are the actions manifest from internal dispositions and thoughts that facilitate the process of decision-making, in this case, for equitable NbS. This critical review seeks to (1) address the gap in literature on human development and behavioral dimensions of procedural justice for NbS by further defining process-based equity (PbE), and (2) present a framework of best practices for equitable NbS. This framework, along with a complementary conceptual model, was developed using the Preferred Reporting …

The Psychological Process Of Decolonizing The Colonized Self: A Grounded Theory Based On Hong Kongers’ Decisions After The 2019 Protests, Lai Kwan Shirley Lo

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Hong Kong, a British colony for over a century, was returned to China in 1997. In 2019, the proposal of an extradition bill sparked widespread outrage, leading to a year of unprecedented social unrest. The protests eventually dissipated with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Chinese central government’s tightening controls. Although the state characterized its interventions as decolonization, a significant wave of Hong Kongers responded by leaving their homeland to cultivate new lives in the “Western world,” including Britain. How does a colonized population willingly return to their colonizer after decolonization? This study sets out to search for …

Green Space: Investigation Into The Role Pocket Parks Play In Biodiversity And Human Well-Being, Jacalyn Speicher

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Natural communities and the birds that inhabit them are essential to the physical and emotional well-being of human residents in urban settings. The action research undertaken in this study addresses the social and environmental justice issues of equity, accessibility, and diversity afforded avian and human communities in the design of pocket parks within the urban landscape. As urbanization consumes the natural landscape, people and birds must adapt to the novel challenges of a changing environment. I studied 10 pocket parks identified in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between January and June 2026. This time frame spanned the seasons from winter to …

Exploring The Principles And Values Of Co-Operative Economics And Sustainability To Inform Positive Solutions With Communities Impacted By Incarceration, Mary A. Sutton

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The United States incarcerates more people than any other country. Each month, tens of thousands of people across the country are released from prison or jail. Most return to communities that are economically, socially, and environmentally disenfranchised. The cycling of targeted populations in and out of the carceral system has imposed devastating consequences and inequities on poor Black and Brown communities, consequences that will reverberate for generations. The literature indicates a need for a critical sustainability assessment tool to examine incarceration policies and measure their real impacts on individuals, families, and communities. There is a need for sustainable solutions to …

White Fear/Black Apprehension, Volume 2: An Analysis Of The Racialized Targeting Of African Americans In The Educational System, In The Southern U.S. States, Circa 1865–1965, Christopher Donell Gipson

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

For African Americans, the legacy of racial oppression extends across centuries, from the transatlantic slave trade and enslavement to the persistence of institutionalized racism, White supremacy, racial violence, and structural inequality within the United States. These racialized systems are reproduced intergenerationally through social institutions, education, media, political discourse, historical narratives, and cultural representations that repeatedly normalize negative constructions of Africans and African Americans. Such representations operate on conscious and subconscious levels, shaping social attitudes, institutional practices, and perceptions of racial difference. As argued in White Fear / Black Apprehension: An Analysis of White European American Racism and Mob Violence Through …

The Role Of Emotional Intelligence In Entrepreneurial Leadership: A Mixed-Methods Case Study On Fostering Resilience And Sustainable Performance In Chinese Tech Startups, Mei Wang

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence (EQ) and entrepreneurial leadership in Chinese tech startups through an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Guided by a primary research question—how EQ functions within the leadership team under sustained crisis—and a sub‑question examining the specific competencies to Navigate Emotions, Exercise Optimism, Increase Empathy, and Apply Consequential Thinking—the study uses the Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence (SEI) Assessment and semi‑structured interviews with five leaders within one company (identified by the pseudonym BTI), a Beijing‑based SaaS startup. The findings reveal that the abilities to manage emotional reactions and maintain a positive outlook serve as the “twin …

Understanding The Workplace Belonging Puzzle: An Ecosystem Approach To A Better Future Of Work, Surabhi Lal

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The need to belong is deeply human. Today’s workplaces advertise “cultures of belonging,” but what is workplace belonging? Could remote and hybrid workplaces provide an opportunity for connection and belonging? How are employees experiencing belonging at work, and what are the people around them doing to contribute to their experience of workplace belonging? Weaving together concepts from humanistic management, positive organizational scholarship, and critical theory, this phenomenological study examines how middle managers at B Corp organizations who are working in hybrid and remote arrangements experience belonging, and the actions and behaviors that contribute to workplace belonging. Belonging has been studied …

Women In Science: A Theoretical, Historical, And Creative Work, Stephen M. Devito

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This creative dissertation investigates the barriers that patriarchy has historically created for women scientists as they pursue scientific discovery. It also examines theater as a critical and creative practice for challenging the patriarchal system. To contextualize this inquiry, the study reviews literature on women scientists whose significant contributions were historically minimized, overlooked, or neglected. Additionally, multiple plays, movies, and creative theatrical works are discussed in the literature review, with particular emphasis on different styles of using theater to illuminate the achievements of women scientists. The creative component of this dissertation is an original musical play that explores Albert Einstein’s relationship …

American Loopholes: What Are They, And How Do We Close Them?, Tanner L. Martin

Wyoming Law Review

This Comment examines the existence and impact of alleged loopholes within American gun control laws and explores how these gaps may affect Constitutional rights, legal enforcement, and public safety. In addition to identifying trends in American gun ownership, including patterns of purchasing, possession, and regulatory compliance, this Comment analyzes the current legal standards that determine who is disqualified from owning or possessing a firearm under federal law. These categories include individuals with certain criminal convictions, domestic violence restrictions, or mental health adjudications, and how those legal standards are applied in practice.

Beyond the legal framework, this Comment also considers the …

The Flawed Criminalization Of Corner-Crossing In Wyoming, Ryan A. Semerad

Wyoming Law Review

No abstract provided.