Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Black Couples Filtering Their Love Stories Through The Use Of Social Media, Jeff Rocker

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Black couples' use of social media for expressing their emotions needs to be explored to help them develop their narratives without external pressure. Narrative therapy is used to understand the difficulties ofholding on to unique personal narratives and preferred futures in the context of a hostile dominant discourse. The Black community has a long history of oppression, which makes their stories significant. Thus, social media posts by successful Black couples can be helpful in developing a new theory explaining personal narratives of Black couples in an online environment. These narratives provide information regarding themost common problems faced by Black people …

Experiences Of Incarcerated Young Men In Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Cynthia Vanessa Penalva

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

In 2018, 14,000 young people between the ages of 11 and 18 were incarcerated in the United States (Fosler, 2018). Incarcerated are more likely than non-incarcerated youth to experience anxiety, depression, violence, and behavior issues. While mental health treatment facilities often provide resources such as continuing education, General Education Development, vocational training, and talk therapy services (Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, 2019), Equine-FacilitatedPsychotherapy (EFP) is a relatively unexplored intervention for this population. The increasing need for innovative mental health services tailored to specific client populations has inspired collaborations among community professionals seeking to deliver high-impact interventions. One such community effort …

Appreciative Inquiry Of A Non-Profit Organization Transitioning To Teletherapy, Claudia Herrera

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Mental health professionals have been required to make a transition to delivering services using technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. The non-profit agency participating in this study had already listed on its strategic plan the delivery of teletherapy. In 2020, due to the pandemic, the agency decided to expedite the delivery of teletherapy services. This study explored the experiences of the agency’s team, to determine what worked well while making this transition, as well as future dreams regarding the delivery of teletherapy. Appreciative inquiry was used as the method of data collection. Findings indicated the agency’s clinicians found keeping a positive …

Karl Tomm’S Internalized Other Interviewing: From Theory To Practice, Robin Akdeniz

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Over the last 40 years, the Canadian psychiatrist and family therapist Karl Tomm has been a key contributor to postmodern developments in family therapy (Collins & Tomm, 2009; Strong et al., 2008; Tomm, Hoyt, & Madigan, 2001). This dissertation traces the people, ideas, and practices that have influenced Tomm's approach, providing an in- depth examination of the method he developed for putting his ideas into practice: Internalized Other Interviewing (IOI). A systemic, relational approach to the practice of postmodern family therapy uses language as a means to create change. Family therapists routinely use different types of questions to ask clients …

Long-Term Sobriety From Opioid Use: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Claire C. Loucka

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Opioid addiction is a current health crisis in the United States. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse 1.7 million Americans were addicted to opioids in 2017 (NIH, 2020, para 2). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 130 Americans die every day due to an opioid overdose (CDC, 2019, para.1). Those in treatment are 60% more likely to relapse within the first 90 days post-treatment (Weich, 2010). Marriage and Family Therapists may often work in treatment settings addressing addiction and recovery. This study utilized a Solution Focused Brief Therapy lens to seek to understand the life …

Exploring The Acculturation Experiences Of Cuban Refugee Doctors And Their Families In Miami: A Phenomenological Study, Nelson Michel Perez

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Since 1961, the Cuban government has used its medical missions worldwide for diplomatic, ideological, financial, and humanitarian purposes (Huish, 2014; Solano, 2019). Since the collapse of the Socialist Bloc, thousands of Cuban health workers have found a means of economic subsistence and exit from the island through these missions. The U.S. Department of State (2020) declared these medical missions to be forced labor and human trafficking, a move that had multiple consequences for these professionals and their families. From 2006 to 2017, more than 9,000 Cuban health workers entered the Unites States as refugee immigrants, with many settling in South …

The Conundrum Of Both/And In A World Of Either/Or: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Resilience And Intersectional Identities In Queer Women Of Afro-Caribbean Descent, Stephane Louis

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Queer people of color are more at risk for bias and brutality than other sexual or racial minority groups (Follins, Walker, & Lewis, 2014). Homophobic violence is embedded in Afro-Caribbean culture and even substantiated by some of those countries’ laws (Calixte, 2005). While more research is being increasingly done on LGBTQ+ black lived experiences, studies have focused more on discriminatory trauma than everyday triumph. Movements like Black Girls Rock (Bond, 2018) and intersectional black feminism (Nash, 2018) celebrate women of color surviving and thriving the compound effects of racism and sexism. In addition to misogynoir, this research gave consideration to …

Exploring The Professional Development Of Mft Students Enrolled In Equine Assisted Family Therapy Coursework: An Experiential Learning Modality, Natalie Rothman

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Equine assisted activities have been utilized in various manners with multiple populations in therapeutic and educational environments. A graduate level marriage and family therapy program in South Florida is currently offering Equine Assisted Relational Learning (EARL) activities focused on teaching a specific sub-model of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP), known as Equine Assisted Family Therapy (EAFT). The experiential nature of EAP and EARL transforms abstract concepts such as thoughts and mannerisms into tangible experiences, as well as highlights behavioral patterns. The unique and innovative theoretical foundation of EAFT is being taught, demonstrated, and utilized to assist graduate level therapists with professional …

The Impact Of Grief Work On Hospice Mental Health Providers Through A Bowen Family Systems Lens, Joshua Hernandez

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Marriage and family therapists and other mental health professionals and clients can be thought of as their own, divine emotional unit, generating and distributing the anxiety of one to the other. In fact, Kerr and Bowen (1988) described anxiety as a driving force exchanged by every living organism, and the energy surrounded by every human relationship. Within a hospice setting, anxiety can be heightened due to catering to end-of-life care, which can potentially affect the emotional response and reactivity of the mental health professional, changing the course of treatment for the patient and their family. Emerging research within healthcare has …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Adults Who Have Experienced A Parental Divorce: Identifying Collaborative Divorce Aspects As They Adjusted To Adulthood, Arlene Brown

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Divorce itself is a traumatic experience for everyone involved, especially the children. Studies have been conducted to focus on the effects on children, and ways to help with adjustment. Furthermore, researchers have delved into the long-term effects parental divorce has on children. Collaborative divorce is an approach to divorce that utilizes a specially trained team of family law, financial, and mental health professionals (MHPs) working together with couples to resolve issues related to the dissolution of their marriage, the co-parenting of their children, and the restructuring of their lives–without involving the court system. Some of the aspects of a collaborative …

Sin Papeles: The Experiences Of Undocumented Central American Immigrants In The United States, Elizabeth Jarquin

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

In the United States, the topic of immigration represents a source of intense debate, which has escalated in recent years. Research indicates that Latinx immigrants are negatively impacted by current immigration policies— they are feeling afraid, angry, exhausted, defeated, overwhelmed, and concerned about themselves and their family (Castrellón, Rivarola, & López, 2017; Wray-Lake et al., 2018). This research, however, has largely neglected the Central American subgroup and the experiences of undocumented immigrants. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of undocumented Central American immigrants and their families within the current sociopolitical context. I utilized interpretative phenomenological analysis …

Therapeutic Autoethnography: From Epiphany To Catharsis, Kelsey Railsback

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

A large percentage of the U.S. population has been directly or indirectly affected by sexual violence. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (2020b) reported 433,648 victims annually, and Dillinger (2018) reported 747,408 registered sex offenders living in the United States. As a victim-survivor of sexual violence, I have a unique narrative in that I chose to work therapeutically with sexual offenders. Reactions from my family, friends, and colleagues have varied from surprise to alarm, but I hope this dissertation inspires readers to take a second look. Readers who are mental health professionals may consequently be motivated to work with …

Appreciative Inquiry Of An Exemplary Trauma Informed Wellness Center Created For The Community And Families Affected By A School Shooting, Halle Solomon

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Gun violence has flooded our society with human-caused disasters, making mass shootings an unfortunate new normal. In the wake of large- scale shootings, the United States Government and other agencies provide financial support and resources to the affected community in hopes of bringing solidarity to the fractured system. This financial reinforcement and other funding sources have been utilized to build resiliency centers within a certain distance of the unnerving events. Resiliency facilities play a pivotal role in helping communities recover from human-caused disasters such as mass shootings. These resources are becoming customary across the country, with resiliency centers in Newton, …

Exploratory Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Adoptees In The Caribbean, Kelley T. Knowles

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

This qualitative research study offers exploration into Caribbean adoptee experiences related to their adoptive parent-child relationships. Existing studies focus on adoptive parent perspectives. Few accounts focus on Caribbean adoptees' experiences with adoption (Caughman, 2007). The existing research serves a purpose by helping adopted parents discuss adoption with adoptees. However, this approach does not include thevoice of the adoptee and fails to encompass the totality of adoptee lived experiences. The research does not focus on the amplification of the adoptees' voice, which in turn, neglects the adoptees' role inunderstanding their family processes. Therefore, it is pertinent to include lived experiences of …

Happy Tears: An Evocative Autoethnography On An Adoptee’S Development Of Identity Through Reunification, Jessica Popham

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The story of adoption reunions is a story of many others. With the invention of the internet and DNA profiling websites, what was once impossible, or very difficult, is now as simple as submitting saliva to a DNA profiling company. This easier way to explore family backgrounds has created new experiences for adoptees. After a reunification, adoptees can reevaluate their identity with the new information to help develop a broader and deeper view of themselves (Henze-Pederson, 2019; Kiecolt & LoMascolo, 2003; Palmer, 2011; Schooler & Norris, 2002). In this study, I looked at how my adoptive identity changed after reunification …

Portrait Of A Novice Medical Family Therapist, Working In A Medical Setting With Head And Neck Cancer Patients Observed Through A Bowen Family Systems Theory’S Lens, Venetia Bennett

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Each year, approximately 43,000 people in the United States, receive a diagnosis of cancer of the head and neck (American Cancer Society 2019). A diagnosis of cancer, regardless of its location can be overwhelming for patients, their caregivers, and their family system. Receiving such a diagnosis causes a reaction of heightened emotions and anxiety. With that, there is a growing need for medical familytherapists. Medical family therapy has been documented as an effective approach for aiding medical providers to increase the quality of care for patients. Traditionally, medical family therapy is associated withgeneral practitioners, pediatricians, and such medical environments. This …

White Marriage And Family Therapy Students’ Experiences In Diversity Courses: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Porshia Cunningham

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

American minority racial groups are on the rise and the majority racial group (White) will decrease in size (Vespa, Medina, & Armstrong, 2018). The U.S. population is becoming progressively diverse and projections indicate that by 2050, the elderly population will be 42% minority for the first time in history (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002). Racial minority experiences and needs are uniquely influenced by race due to systematic structures historically constructed in the United States (Cole, 2019; Sue, 2019). For many marriage and family therapy (MFT) students, particularly White students, the culture and diversity course is the primary mechanism for exposure to …

Awareness Of The Use Of Self In Therapy: An Autoethnographic Inquiry Into The Training Experiences Of A Black, Single, Female Mft Doctoral Student, Phyllis Days

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The "self" of the therapist is an essential factor in the therapeutic process (Baldwin, 2000) and is impacted by intersections of identities and prejudicial treatment, which creates unjust conditions for Black women in society and academia. Nonmembers of the predominant culture can find difficulties in navigating the "self" of the therapist, which reflects personal and social experiences. In academia, the Black woman's identity continues to face problems of exclusion and oppressive related situations, which can complicate the learning process (Ong, Wright, Espinosa, & Orfield, 2011). Several studies have explored the challenges ofAfrican-American students and faculty, in MFT graduate programs, who …

The Experience Of Sexual Abuse Of Afro Caribbean Women: The Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of The Particularities Attached To Disclosure, Angela Hood

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Sexual abuse is often associated with long-term distressing effects. The experience of sexual abuse differs between survivors and the disclosure of the abuse is a complicated process that may have many particularities attached. For this study, I conducted an interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand how Afro-Caribbean women who experienced sexual abuse understand and make meaning of their experiences and the particularities attached to disclosure. Although prior research regarding sexual abuse has been conducted, research amongst Afro-Caribbean women has been minimal. Further absent from the sexual abuse literature is the lived experience of this population and the meaning they ascribe to …

An Exploration Of The Lived Experience Of Women Who Had Abortions And The Effects Of The Abortion Secret On Their Relationships: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Marckdaline Johnson

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The United States Supreme Court decision in the Roe v. Wade (1973) case provides women with a right to privacy and the liberty to make decisions concerning their reproductive lives. With this, women who become pregnant are offered the right to choose between keeping their pregnancy and terminating the pregnancy by way of abortion. Since Roe v. Wade (1973), many women have exercised their reproductive liberties, as evidenced by the termination of over 60 million pregnancies via legal abortion in the United States. Still, secrecy among women with a history of abortion remains a common phenomenon. Studies conducted on abortion …

Clinical Director Perspectives On Decision Making Of Family Involvement With Clients At Inpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Centers, Lauren Amber Serdencuk

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Literature supports that family members of individuals who abuse substances are significantly influential, whether it be positive or negative (Liddle et al., 2001). Evidence-based family therapy decreases substance use by adolescents (Slesnick et al., 2006). The purpose of this study was to gain the perspectives of clinical directors regarding decision making of family involvement at inpatient substance abuse treatment centers. Clinical directors were the focus of this study due to their experience, credentials, and their ability to oversee all clients and programs in a substance abuse treatment center. Purposeful sampling was utilized to obtain participants. Saturation was reached at three …

A Phenomenological Study Of Black Fathers In Child Welfare, Tamaru N. Phillips

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Each year thousands of children are removed from their homes and placed in foster care where they lose connections with their family, community, and friends. Coakley (2007) points out that children of color are overly represented within the child welfare system, and there is a lack of research on Black fathers and their involvement when their children become a part of the system. Studies have suggested that most families that encounter the child welfare system have adult males who are actively involved with their families, however, child welfare workers do not engage these men (Coady, Hoy, & Cameron, 2013). The …

Cooking With Couples: A Grounded Theory Study On The Relational Aspects Found In The Cooking Interactions Of Couples, Nicole R. Gordon

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Cooking is a universal activity which all humans can relate to on some level. Historically, cooking has continued to connect people across cultures and time, simultaneously providing nutritive sustenance as well as socio- and psychological benefits. Medical and mental health practitioners only in recent years have utilized cooking in a therapeutic process, and most of those cooking activities available tend to focus on cooking from an occupational and nutrition-education stance. A gap in the literature pertaining to cooking and its therapeutic applications exists around the relational nature underlying the cooking process, especially as it pertains to couples. While marriage and …

Transgender Parent Differentiation: A Heuristic Phenomenological Study, Eva Smidova

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Transgender individuals go through their intrapersonal differentiation between covert “I” (expressed gender) and overt “I” (assigned gender), often unnoticed by family members before their coming out. Consequently, their coming out rockets anxiety in the family system and the process of differentiation of transgender parents seem to go through its unique path to search for equilibrium. Recent social and clinical studies about transgender parents have paid attention to the experience and challenges of the gender transition process, social pressure, acceptance of transgender individuals in a parenting role, and readiness of families to cope with the transition of a parent (Bischof, Warnaar, …

Vwa: Hearing The Courageous Voices Of Extraordinary Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence In Haiti, An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Michaelle Darley Pierre

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a huge epidemic in Haiti. It is estimated that 273,200 women suffer from instances of IPV yearly in Haiti. This is in line with the finding that 9.4% of the population of 14-49 year old Haitian women are affected by IPV (Gage, Honoré, & Deleon, 2016; Hindin, Kishor, & Ansara, 2008). It is critical to incorporate the voices of courageous women who have lived through partner violence into our understanding of this phenomenon. This qualitative study aimed to hear the VWA (Voice in Creole) of women in Haiti based on their lived experiences of IPV …

Marriage And Family Therapists’ Clinical Impressions Of Romantic Relationship Dissolution Heartbreak: A Modified Delphi Study, Isibel C. Moreno

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2018) defines heartbreak as “crushing grief, anguish or distress.” Heartbreak can lead to biological, psychological and social responses and consequences. Heartbreak from the dissolution of a romantic relationship is a form of disenfranchised grief, which is defined as the griever’s belief that society does not recognize their source of grief as legitimate (Doka, 1989). The literature shows that talking about grief helps those who experience it (Fisher & Archer, 2008). Hence, the present study sought to provide a consensus of the best practices that marriage and family therapists have utilized to help broken-hearted clients. I employed a …

An Autoethnography Of A Bilingual Therapist Working With Haitian Clients: Reconnecting To Home, Marie Philomise Joseph

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

This evocative autoethnographic study is a very personalized account of my life as a Haitian American and a bilingual family therapist working with Haitian refugee earthquake survivors. The study focused on the lived experiences and challenges encountered as a family therapist trained in systemic techniques, linguistic terminology, and the Westernized psychotherapy approach to engaging Creole-speaking clients in therapy. Other challenges that existed were uncovered during the integration of the use of Haitian Creole language and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) tenets as the preferred model. It explored this therapist’s narrative in the process of providing psychotherapy to these clients, emerged a …

From Horse Walk To Therapy Talk: Exploring The Effects Of Equine Assisted Family Therapy Coursework On Self Of The Therapist Development Of Mft Student Therapists, Tiffany De Leon

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The Introduction and Advanced Equine Assisted Family Therapy (EAFT) courses offered at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) provide graduate Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) student therapists the space to learn about collaborating with horses for therapeutic and educational purposes. However, these courses also offer the potential for a unique dimension to self of the therapist development. Through these courses, student therapists are able to learn theory and application of an innovative experiential model for clients, but also utilize the activities to get to know themselves better as emerging therapists.

The purpose of this study was to explore if and how the …

A Grounded Theory Investigation Of Adaptations To Adverse Childhood Experiences, Jeffrey Michael Friedman

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, and household dysfunction. Much has been reported about the detrimental outcomes associated with these experiences. The associated negative outcomes of ACEs can include addiction, suicide, disability, teenage pregnancy, and early death. However, it is well known that many people experience ACEs and do very well. Rather than viewing negative outcomes only as symptoms of trauma and positive outcomes only as signs of resilience, it is possible to consider adaptations. This study focused on how adults adapted to their adverse childhood experiences. Data were collected …

The Systemic Multigenerational Implications Of Education: Second-Generation Haitian- American College Graduates’ Perspectives, Daphney Farah Lundi

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Similar to other immigrant populations in the United States, Haitians have a migratory history of escaping from political turmoil, natural disasters, and extreme poverty (Zephir, 2004). However, Haitian Americans remain one of the underserved populations in the United States. Marginalized yet resilient, Haitian families in the U.S. continue to display strength in the face of adversity. Second-generation Haitian-American college graduates are the evidence of such strengths. There is very little research focused on second-generation Haitian-American college graduates’ perspective on the possible familial influences pertaining to education. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) design and Bowen’s Family Systems Theory as a …