Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Content Analysis On Hispanic Populations Across Marriage And Family Therapy Journals, Maya S. Iturra

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

There is ambiguity on what kind of coverage of Hispanic populations in counseling journals is often used by couple/marriage and family therapists (C/MFTs) and researchers. The aims of this study are to identify how these journals consider Hispanic populations and what advice is provided when working with Hispanic populations. An explanatory sequential mixed method content analysis study was conducted. The first quantitative stage used descriptive statistics to analyze 17 journals’ articles between 2011-2020 regarding the type of research designs used, the frequency of articles that fit the inclusion criteria for the study, and the use of psychosocial terms (i.e., acculturation, …

The Experiences Of Marriage And Family Therapists Balancing Relational Teletherapy And Self-Care During The Covid-19 Pandemic: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Elizabeth Dumayne

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many changes to the world of mental health, especially in the delivery that marriage and family therapists provide services to their clients and while balancing their own self-care. In order to provide therapists with a base from which to work through these changes, a thorough review of the literature is provided as well as an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Chapter one provides an introduction to the topic of relational teletherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic and self-care for therapists, defines the terms teletherapy and self-care, and clarifies the conceptual frameworks at use in the dissertation: ecological systems …

Exploring The Needs Of Black Single Mothers In Therapy, Nompelelo Boucher

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative study of 6 Black single mothers utilizes a focus group format to explore their experiences in mental health treatment. The specific barriers they face to seeking treatment are reviewed, given that this particular population is substantially underrepresented in mental health therapy. The study seeks to gain a better insight of what factors contribute to attracting and retaining them in therapy for positive outcomes. Six emergent themes surfaced highlighting the fact that these women overcome numerous historical and cultural barriers to present for treatment to address serious issues of stress, grief, and loss, that they have a desire to …

Beyond The Controversy: An Exploration Of Cultural Socialization Behaviors In Transracial Adoptive Families, Karmen Smith

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The voices of the families that have successfully raised transracially adopted children with a positive cultural identity are missing from the literature: “Further research is needed on adoption from the perspective of the adoptee” (Clark et al., 2006, p. 192). There are methodological shortcomings that inhibit our ability to definitively determine adjustment outcomes for this population. Such shortcomings, combined with a failure to address additional variables that influence outcomes, have left identified gaps in the research unaddressed. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to identify the cultural socialization behaviors that contributed to the development of the participant’s positive …

Structural Family Therapy For Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Single Case Experiment, Anthony George Pennant Jr.

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This research study is an exploratory single case experiment which was conceptualized through the concept of change as outlined in structural family therapy (SFT). This family reported increases in their levels of cohesion, flexibility, and satisfaction with their relationships. The family reported decreases in the levels of disengagement, rigidity, chaos, and communication. Lastly, levels of anxiety increased over time and were generally rated divergently by parents and the child with autism spectrum disorder. Given the outcome of the study, SFT shows promise in being an appropriate clinical model in providing family-based therapy for families who have a child(ren) with autism …

Developing The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Power, And Privilege Assessment In Cft/Mft: A Delphi Study, Carrie Hatch

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) and Couple and Family Therapists (CFTs) engage in clinical practice from a systemic framework. This framework positions MFTs to consider the impact of social systems on the MFT/CFT field and their clients. Issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, power, and privilege (DEIPP) impact all of the systems in which we operate. Currently, there is no consensus on a tool measuring training clinicians’ competencies related to DEIPP beyond self-report. There is a need for a DEIPP competency measure because, currently, the most widely used measure is self or observer report, which may not provide a complete …

It Takes Two: Professional Interconnections And Potential Collaborations Between Small-Town Family Attorneys And Couple/Family Therapists, Wendy Lenk Mcclary

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Attorneys who specialize in family practice may experience significant rates of mood disorders and substance reliance. Law schools typically do not provide supportive coursework or mentoring to help students learn to manage their feelings and those of crisis-impacted clients. Lawyers may well consider that understanding emotional needs and providing emotional support does not fall within their codes of practice. Societal stigma may prevent family attorneys and their clients from seeking therapy. Small-town attorneys may be particularly vulnerable to professional stress and safety concerns. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the lived experiences of family attorneys practicing …

How Long-Term, Non-Monogamous Romantic Relationships Maintain Sexual Satisfaction, Anna Kessler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Eroticism is an important element of couple's relationships. Sexual intimacy has the power to bring couples closer together, as higher levels of sexual intimacy results in higher relationship satisfaction, or hinder relationships if either or both partners aren’t sexually satisfied in their relationship. The current study’s purpose is to understand how long-term, non-monogamous relationships have successfully maintained “eroticism” throughout the course of their relationship. In this study, 24 couples who are in a committed, romantic relationship of at least 7 years were interviewed. The interviews were conducted individually over a video call platform, and each was completed withing approximately 60 …

The Value Of Adapting Counseling To Client’S Spirituality And Religion: Evidence-Based Relationship Factors, Amelia L. Evans, Jennifer Koenig Nelson

Graduate School Faculty Publications

There is a strong tradition of attention to relationship factors in the field of counseling. The research on the importance of the relationship and adapting to client factors continues to grow, supporting the importance of professional multicultural competence. The field of counseling, specifically within the United States context, has focused on Multicultural Counseling Competencies with more recent emphasis on social justice through the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies. Within these competencies, spirituality and religion are mentioned as multicultural components to consider as potentially salient to clients. Yet, there has been less emphasis on ways to adapt counseling to a …

Effect Of Presence And Absence Of Parents On The Emotional Maturity And Perceived Loneliness In Adolescents, Sana Fatima, Momal Bashir, Kainat Khan, Sheeza Farooq, Sidra Shoaib, Sheeba Farhan

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

The present study was conducted to examine the Emotional Maturity and Perceived Loneliness of adolescents with respect to the presence and absence of parents. It was hypothesized that the absence or presence of parents of adolescents would affect the level of emotional maturity and perceived loneliness among adolescents. The adolescent participants N=250 (males n=125 and females n=125; age range= 13-18; M=16.63; SD=0.87) were approached through purposive convenient sampling technique. Measures included the Emotional Maturity Scale and the UCLA loneliness scale V-III. Results indicated that adolescent who lived with their guardians had greater perceived loneliness than those who lived with their …

Praktik Baik Pemberdayaan Difabel Oleh Kelompok Difabel Desa Makmur Jati Mandiri, Damiana Damiana Puspita, Eka Zuni Lusi Astuti

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

The participation of people with disabilities is a crucial issue in Indonesia that has emerged along with the development of the concept of social inclusion that encourages the involvement of people with disabilities in social life. Based on the 2015 SUPAS, the most people with disabilities in Indonesia are people who have a little difficulty seeing, which is 5.51%. Meanwhile, the least number of people with disabilities in Indonesia are residents who cannot hear at all, which is 0.09% (Central Bureau of Statistics, 2016). The problems faced by people with disabilities in Indonesia are varied, ranging from limited accessibility in …

Peran Kampung Kb Sendangsari Untuk Mencegah Stunting, Rahmisutar Rahmisutar, Eka Zuni Lusi Astuti

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

The 2020-2024 RPJMN places stunting as a priority issue in health development. The 2019 Study on the Nutritional Status of Toddlers in Indonesia (SSGBI) which was integrated with the March 2019 Susenas showed that the prevalence of stunting in Indonesia in 2019 was still high, at 26.67%. One of the efforts taken by the government is to focus the Quality Family Village Program (KB) on the issue of stunting prevention. KB Villages can mobilize participation and synergy of various institutions in the community to play a role in preventing stunting. This paper discusses the role of the Sendangsari KB Village …

An Exploratory Study Of Individuals’ Transition To Adoptive Parenthood, Emily Brandt, Karen Park, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this study was to explore individuals’ transition to adoptive parenthood through an occupational therapy lens. More specifically, this study aimed to investigate how individuals’ performance patterns and daily occupations change through this transition. Ultimately, the purpose of this study was to gain insight into this population’s lived experience to inform occupational therapy services in order to meet the specific needs of the adoptive parent population.

A mix-method study was created using both surveys and semi-structured interviews. The survey contained both open and closed ended questions, as well as Likert Scale questions. There were forty survey participants and …

Marriage And Family Therapy Education And Training: The Development Of A Competency-Based Model, Arpita Lal, Naveen Jonathan

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

The turn of the century saw a shift from input-based to outcome-based education in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) training. An attempt was also made to establish core competencies that practitioners of MFT should attain to provide effective client care. These developments had a significant impact on version 11.0 and 12.0 of the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) Accreditation Standards. Since then, MFT educators have used these standards and guidelines to transition their programs from input-based to competency-based education. The MFT program at a West Coast University was the first COAMFTE accredited program to propose …

Creating A Common Language: How Solution Focused Brief Therapy Reflects Current Principles Of Change And Common Factors, Beverley Kort, Adam Froerer, Cecil Walker

Journal of Solution Focused Practices

The common factors and mechanisms of change have been investigated across many disciplines and in many fields. This study applies the common factors to Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) through a modified content analysis of the BRIEFER Practice Manual. Seven common factors themes are identified and applied to SFBT. The study concludes with a consideration of how this common factors approach broadens the evidence-base of SFBT and provides suggestions for implementation and application of this common factors approach.

Immigrant And U.S. Born Early Head Start Families: Exploring The Relationship Between Parenting Stress, Attachment Behaviors, Primary Caregiver Depressive Symptoms, And Parent-Child Attachment In A Nationally-Representative Sample, Shaelise Marie Tor

Dissertations - ALL

The current study sought to explore the relationship between parenting stress, attachment behaviors, primary caregiver depressive symptoms, and parent-child attachment in a nationally-representative Early Head Start sample of 2349 families. Additionally, the study explored whether there were differences between immigrant families and U.S. born families in terms of the main study variables. The study used a nationally representative secondary dataset, Baby FACES 2018 (Vogel et al., 2018). Data analysis was completed with PROCESS v. 3.3 (Hayes, 2018) in IBM SPSS v.26 (IBM, 2019). A series of mediation and moderated mediation models were tested aligning with each of the hypotheses. The …

Escaping The Escapism: A Grounded Theory Of The Addiction And Recovery Process In Online Video Gaming, Jayson Carmona, Jason Whiting Phd

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to describe the experience of people who struggled with self-described addiction to World of Warcraft™ (WoW). WoW is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), and many players have shared their stories of compulsive use and recovery efforts on two different websites: www.wowdetox.com, and a Reddit forum called /r/noWoW. We analyzed 140 unique posts on these sites to develop a process model describing how posters experienced addiction and recovery from WoW. We used grounded theory methods to create a model with categories including, time sink, impairment in work and relationships, and …

Child-Centered Play Therapy’S Impact On Externalized Behaviors Of Children Who Have Experienced Trauma: A Single-Case Research Design, Timothy "T.J." Schoonover

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are defined as exposure to emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect, loss of a parent, domestic violence, family member with addiction, family member with depression or mental illness, and family member incarcerated (Felitti et al., 1998). ACEs have been studied for many years and have shown to have long term negative health and social-emotional outcomes and costs the world over $1 trillion a year (Bellis et al., 2019; Felitti et al., 1998; Hughes et al., 2017). Due to the emotional, physical, and dollar amount cost to not addressing the impact of ACEs …

Telehealth Best Practice: A Call For Standards Of Care, Donna S. Sheperis, Arielle Smith

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

Teletherapy is an approach to working with clients that mental health providers have used in some form for years. However, the onset of COVID forced the provision of therapy into teletherapy almost exclusively for a period of time. Currently, mental health providers conducting therapy virtually are not required to be trained in telehealth and are operating without consistent uniform standards of practice. This manuscript pulls from the current literature and guidelines across counseling, psychology, psychiatry, family therapy, and social work to provide a Proposed Standards of Practice for Telehealth. Such standards benefit mental health counselor by grounding practice in common …

They Used Expressive Writing With Their Therapist, Lindsay Mccue

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

This study aims to explore the effect that expressive writing could have as an intervention for improving self-compassion, anxiety, depression, and stress associated with relational distress in a therapeutic environment. Participants will be split into two groups, and both will attend therapy with a focus on a relational problem in their life. The control group will receive 8 talk therapy sessions, while the intervention group will receive 5 talk therapy sessions and 3 sessions focusing on an expressive writing assignment. Participants will be screened for recent traumatic events, will need to be over the age of 18, and will need …

Narrative Therapy Effectiveness In Adult Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy Cancer Treatment, Gretchen Hoyum

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

It is very common for cancer patients to experience depression while undergoing treatment (Vega et al., 2014). Previous studies have tested the effectiveness of several types of therapeutic interventions for depression in cancer patients. However, few studies have focused on the use of narrative therapy specifically in this population. This study seeks to test the effectiveness of narrative therapy for cancer patients currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment using the PHQ-9 and White's maps of narrative therapy (Kroenke et al. 2001; 2007).

How Effective Is Polyvagal Theory On The Long-Term Reduction Of Ptsd Symptoms In Adolescents?, Kristyna Richards

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

This longitudinal study is focused on using the Polyvagal theory and identifying its efficiency in reducing PTSD symptoms in adolescents between the ages of 13-18. Launching into early adulthood with a dysregulated nervous system presents challenges for the client both physiologically and psychologically. While talk-therapy is effective in helping a client psychologically process the trauma, it often does not address the clients physiological state of the stored trauma. Without intervention to the clients physiological system, symptoms of the PTSD can persist and increase risk for psychological and physical comorbidities as well as increase the likelihood of intergenerational trauma within relational …

Exploring The Therapeutic Alliance In Eft When Addressing Race And Cultural Differences., Ashley Kortman, Deyja Kauffman

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

This study aims to explore the therapeutic alliance in EFT when addressing race and cultural difference between a non-white client and a white therapist. This quantitative study will survey 100 non-white clients receiving therapy from a white therapist. Subjects will participate in 10 sessions of therapy with a white therapist practicing EFT. Half of the clients will see a traditional EFT therapist, while the other half will see an EFT therapist who has gone through specialized training in cultural attunement. Using a modified Helping Alliance Questionnaire (Luborsky, et al. 1996), with additional questions concerning race and culture, we will measure …

Implications Of Cultural Awareness On Healthcare Access In Marginalized Communities, Allison Davis, Diana Melman

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

While the Covid-19 pandemic has had global effects, community inequalities have led to a diversity of specific impacts. Covid-19 has specifically impacted marginalized communities at a higher rate, and a common theme has emerged highlighting a disparity in healthcare access, leading to these communities being left behind. As current literature is being released during the pandemic, data has uncovered some technical details of new challenges in healthcare access. In addition, individuals from marginalized communities may place a higher importance of cultural competency in their health care. This proposal aims to identify the ways in which access to telehealth has impacted …

Integration Of Systemic Family Therapy And Attachment-Focused Approach With Adoptive Families: Impacts On Attachment In Child-Parent Interactions, Julianne Park

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

Attachment deficits are prevalent among adoptive children especially after their first year in adoption (van den Dries, 2009). While treatment with the focus on the attachment needs of adopted children and adoptive parents’ attunement has been increasingly discussed, not much has been researched on the effectiveness of the family systems approach, including the exploration of the parents’ emotional experiences around adoption. In addition, more studies that strictly focus on treating adoptive children’s attachment issues after their first year of adoption are needed. By incorporating the Taking Care of Adoption (TCA) model, which is based on the integration of a family …

Assessing Effectiveness Of Minecraft-Based Interventions To Improve Interpersonal Skills Of Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Linh Truong, Susan Dorn

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

Teenagers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience bullying and social exclusion more than typically developing teens which can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety. These consequences are related to significant impairments in social reciprocity, a core feature of ASD. Face-to-face social skills training (SST) like the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) for Adolescents (PEERS) has been found to increase social skills for youth with ASD. Can these SSTs be brought online? Minecraft, a versatile online platform and a shared language among teenagers across the globe has been used therapeutically to increase social skills (i.e. social …

Cultural Values And Sexual Satisfaction In Interracial Relationships, Alisha Le Beau, Sierra Phelps

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

This research aims to investigate cultural values in interracial couples and its impact on sexual satisfaction. Participants will be recruited to volunteer from interracial couple support groups in Washington state. Based on self-report, we will gather demographic information about our participants’ gender, race, age, relationship status, identified cultures, and faith background. We predict that the greater the differences between cultural value sets and expectations within an interracial couple, the more communication and potential compromise will be needed in order to achieve sexual satisfaction. Therefore, we hypothesize that increased differences in cultural values will decrease sexual satisfaction within interracial couples.

Impact Of Racism On The Use Of Intrusive Interventions, Marissa Mackey

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

The American law enforcement’s disproportionate maltreatment and violence against the BIPOC community has become a mainstream social issue. Since racism and discrimination have been interwoven into American society since the country’s origin it is negligent to think that differential and unfair treatment starts and ends with police. Using the data from this study we will examine the relationship between racial minority status and the rate of use of intensive interventions such as restraints and seclusion in inpatient mental health facilities. The results of this study can be used to inspire future research into how to create equity within inpatient organizations, …

Measuring Countertransference And Self-Care For Therapists During Covid-19 And Telehealth, Elliott Duea

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

The sudden onset of a global pandemic put therapists in a unique position; therapists that have always practiced in an office found themselves providing therapy from their homes. With this change, this study seeks to measure two things: the first goal of this study is to determine if therapists have encountered more instances of countertransference since practicing in their homes. And the second goal of the study is to determine if it has been more difficult to practice self-care since seeing clients at home over telehealth.

Effectiveness Of Telehealth In Treating Eating Disorders, Kylee Hellstern, Julia Robison

School of Psychology, Family, and Community Research Conference

Eating disorders have been increasing in severity and frequency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals are experiencing lockdown, isolation, increased fear of exposure and contraction, and disruption in regular routine. Clients and clinicians are being encouraged to conduct therapy virtually and through a screen. While almost all treatment has been moved online, little to no research has been done on telehealth’s effectiveness on treatment of eating disorders. The purpose of this proposed study is to collect quantitative data on the effectiveness of telehealth as a means of treatment for eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic.