Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Integrating Psychedelic Experiences Through Touch, James Salomons

Journal of Transformative Touch

No abstract provided.

The Validity Of Studies That Test The Effectiveness Of Psychotherapy, Ian K. Isaacs

Masters Theses

This thesis is a review of the validity of studies on the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Ten randomly selected studies are examined to determine if the validity of the study was affected by threats to statistical conclusion, internal, construct, and external validity. All of the studies examined were published after 1985. The results indicate that validity of the research on the effectiveness of psychotherapy is affected by some threats to validity: History, Testing, and Selection bias, (ie. internal validity). In addition, external validity was affected by the lack of use of appropriate control group, lack of a description of the therapy …

Effectiveness Of A Video Recorded Ocean Scene Technique As A Relaxation Therapy, David M. Ford

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a video recorded ocean scene as a relaxation technique by comparing it with an established method, progressive relaxation training (Jacobson, 1938) on their ability to affect the following physiological measurements: systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse, and respiration.

Thirty female elementary school teachers participated in this study and were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: Video Recorded Ocean Scene Group, Progressive Relaxation Training Group, and Self Directed Relaxation Group (used as control). The general protocol for each treatment group consisted of a forty minute session with …

Assertiveness Training With Mildly Mentally Retarded Institutionalized Persons, David Larry Bokor

Masters Theses

Assertiveness training is a psychological intervention strategy designed to develop the skills of individuals who fail to defend and express their rights, feelings, or beliefs in a straightfoward manner.

Currently there is no set procedure regarding the composition of assertiveness training when modified to suit the needs of various populations. However a vast majority of professionals do employ effective basic techniques, i.e. behavior rehearsal, coaching, feedback, and social reinforcement to shape assertive request and refusal behavior.

Low intelligence limits the mentally retarded person's ability to cope with emotional difficulties. Individuals that recognize their limitations often experience feelings of inadequacy, frustration, …

Analogic Communication As A Method Of Facilitating Change, Patricia Ann Tennery-Williams

Masters Theses

This thesis focused on nonverbal communication and the ways in which it may be employed to facilitate change in the context of psychotherapy. The anthropological, psychological, and medical literature was reviewed, and an overview presented of the relevant research on nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication forms a critical dimension in the overall communication in the psychotherapeutic interaction. The importance of the therapist’s recognition of nonverbal behaviors characteristic of particular personality structures as well as the functions of nonverbal messages was examined. The utilization of meaningful nonverbal behavior by the therapist can greatly facilitate the client's change into more healthy and constructive …

A Study Of The Gallows Transaction, Sandra S. Maxedon

Masters Theses

The purpose of this paper was to study what effects the gallows transaction has on performance. The gallows laugh or the gallows smile occurs after a special kind of stimulus and response called the gallows transaction, Berne (1972). Gallows transactions include laughs or smiles directly following statements which are actually painful to the individual. The distinguishing mark of humor in the gallows transaction is that it isn't funny. To date, there has been little scientific research on the gallows transaction.

Subjects were 96 psychology undergraduate students. Subjects were divided into four groups, 24 subjects with confronted gallows transactions, 24 subjects …

Interpersonal Communication As A Function Of Subject Representational Mode, Joseph Adrian Williams

Masters Theses

The study investigated aspects of a communications model of psychotherapy advanced by Grinder and Bandler. Subjects were thirty male and female undergraduate introductory psychology students at Eastern Illinois University during the summer of 1977. The subjects ranked a set of tape recorded statements for "understandability". These statements were presented in visual, auditory, and kinesthetic representational modes. Subject ratings provided a measure of which representational modes communicated most effectively to them. Three independent judges rated transcripts of recorded samples of the subject's actual language usage to determine the representational modes utilized by the subjects. Analysis of the ratings resulted in a …

Irrationalism In Affective And Cognitive Personality Types, Steven F. Mcarthur

Masters Theses

Psychologists generally consider personality to be a collection of characteristics and traits. These characteristics are manifested through two domains: affect (emotion) and cognition (thinking). Evidence has shown affect and cognition to be closely related.

Psychotherapy modalities can be categorized along a continuum, from highly rational and logical (cognitive) on one end, to highly affective on the other.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between cognitively and affectively oriented persons and irrational thoughts or ideas as defined by a highly rational therapy modality (Rational-Emotive Therapy) in an effort to determine a treatment of choice for these persons. …

A Comparison Of Self Ratings Of Change Done Dependently And Independently, Pamela P. Irwin

Masters Theses

A total of 243 Mental Hygiene and Introductory Psychology students completed ratings of adjustment in January of 1976. In May of the same year, 65 of the original Mental Hygiene students and 110 of the Introductory students completed the post-testing under one of four procedures. The post-testing procedures were: 1) dependent testing (defined as post-testing with awareness of pre-testing results) with an option to change their original test; 2) independent post-tesing which was the traditional method; then completion of dependent rating; 3) testing of their recall of original ratings, then dependent testing; and 4) dependent testing without the option to …

Videotape Feedback And Its Effects On Two Communicational Modalities, John Joseph Benda

Masters Theses

The present study was concerned with the applicability of various videotape feedback procedures on two communication modalities. The communication modalities studied dealt with the visual and auditory orientation of 80 college students.

The vast and, for the most part, positive findings associated with videotape feedback have fascinated therapists for the last couple of years. However, for the most part, videotape feedback has been used with individuals without taking into consideration the different ways these individuals communicate and/or learn. The purpose of the present experiment was to analyze the various aspects in which individuals communicate. Once their communicational modality was established …

Help Line Of Coles County, Illinois: A Crisis Intervention Telephone Service, Rebecca Block

Masters Theses

"Help Line of Coles County, Illinois: a crisis intervention telephone service" begins with a review of literature regarding the growth and development of hotlines in the United States. Additionally, an in-depth study is offered of a specific hotline, the Help Line of Coles County, Illinois.

There is discussion of the procedures used for screening and training volunteers, as well as discussion of comparative statistics about calls received by other hotlines.

Five forms were devised for collecting data specifically relating to the Help Line: Feedback from Volunteers, Profile of Volunteers, Profile of Calls, Feedback from Agencies, and Community Canvassing. These were …

Reliability And Validity Of The Transactional Analysis Freehand Script Maze, Mark William Hardy

Masters Theses

In 1976, Buryska constructed an instrument called the Transactional Analysis Freehand Script Maze to explore the possible injunctions a client may have in certain areas. These areas are body, senses, feelings, head, needing, sex, family and culture, others, doing, and being. The purpose of this study was to find the reliability and validity of the freehand script maze.

Before the maze could be discussed, introduction was given about the history and components of Transactional Analysis.

The subjects used for the reliability test of the study were 134 Eastern Illinois University students chosen from classes that were willing to participate. The …

A Didactic Method Of Preparation For Encounter Group Participants, Lawrence H. Bergmann

Masters Theses

The utilization of group procedures has mushroomed in the past ten years. While developing in part from group psychotherapy, involvement in groups has become a movement in its own right. Encounter groups, marathons or other intensive group experiences are no longer seen as a "second-best" treatment but a useful technique to be added to the tools of the psychotherapist. However, the rapid development of these treatments have often exceeded a strong theoretical rationale and the negative consequences have become increasingly evident. Preparation for individual therapies has been shown to be one method for improving outcomes and avoiding undesirable consequences. However, …

A Didactic Group Therapy Program For The Treatment Of Depression, John J. Hansen

Masters Theses

A study was conducted to examine the pretest - posttest change scores on the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale between an experimental group and control group of geriatric subjects. From a total of 22 subjects tested, eleven were randomly chosen for the experimental group and eleven were randomly chosen for the control group. All subjects were residents of a self-care unit of a nursing home. The subjects used in the experimental group were involved in ten sixty-minute didactic group therapy sessions, while the control group subjects were not treated. A t - test was used to determine the differences between the …

The Social History Questionnaire As A Predictor Of Therapeutic Outcome, Susan E. Suter

Masters Theses

One of the most critical problems encountered in clinical practice concerns the outcome criteria used for predicting therapeutic improvement. At present, there is no single outcome criteria that is universally accepted as evidence of improvement. Representative studies by Lubarsky et al (1971) have emphasized the magnitude of this problem by citing the many patient variables that may effect the outcome of a therapeutic relationship.

The importance of this therapeutic relationship in terms of time and committment on the part of both the therapist and the client, necessitates some objective means for first, the development of an instrument that can measure …

The Social History Questionnaire As Related To Length Of Stay In Psychotherapy: A Cross-Validation, Robert Crowley

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to cross-validate the Terminator-Remainer subscale of the Social History Questionnaire (Jachim, 1972). The subjects were 72 clients from a mental health clinic. Two groups were used in the study (N = 72 and N = 36). Both groups were divided into Terminators and Remainers.

A point biserial correlation between the score on the Terminator-Remainer subscale and the criterion groups was significant (N = 72: rpb = .24, p < .05; N = 36: rpb = .38, p < .05). Predictive validity was established.

No relationship was found between being a Terminator or a Remainer and sex (x² = 0.07, N …

The Social History Of Therapists And Their Clients, As Related To Outcome Of Therapy, Howard A. Bernstein

Masters Theses

The present study was concerned with the concept of therapist-patient pairing or similarity-dissimilarity. From previous research, it appears that certain therapist types work better with certain client types.

In the current study, three therapists and twenty-four clients were used to develop the concept of pairing further using social history as a basis. The results indicate that global similarity generally leads to more positive outcome. However, we are unable to draw any firm conclusions, primarily due to the small sample size. It does appear that social history may be a useful area to continue investigations in the area of pairing.

The Social History Questionnaire As Related To Length Of Stay In Psychotherapy, David P. Jachim

Masters Theses

A serious problem encountered in clinical practice concerns the large proportion of clients who begin therapy but for various reasons terminate treatment after only a few interviews and without the consent of the therapist. Representative studies by Kurland (1956), Haddock and Mensch (1957), and Rosenthal and Frank (1958) have emphasized the severity of this problem by indicating that most mental health clinics face the possibility of losing half of their therapy clients prematurely.

This problem necessitates some objective means for identifying potential terminators and remainers prior to their entering therapy. Such a technique would permit a more efficient utilization of …