Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Editorial, H. Luis Vargas

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

Editor-in-Chief H. Luis Vargas' editorial for the latest issue of Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review.

Historical Trauma Response Scores As A Function Of Unresolved Grief And Substance Use Disorder In American Indian Populations, Andrew R. Saunders

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Abstract

Researchers are interested in the outcomes of interventions, specifically, measuring historical trauma (HT) among American Indian/Alaska Native communities and the long-term distress and substance abuse as a result of historical trauma response (HTR). Previous literature has implicated limitations in the clinical conceptualization of the relationship between intergenerational transfer of HTR and substance abuse. The aim of the current study is to examine treatment efficacy of 50 homosexual, American Indian males randomized to a culturally-adapted juxtaposition of (1) Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), (2) Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and (3) Historical Trauma and Unresolved Grief Intervention (HTUG), or (4) waitlisted on …

Wicked Problems: Depression, Sebastian Wendolowski

English Department: Research for Change - Wicked Problems in Our World

Depression is a disorder that can affect anybody and is the leading cause of disability and disorders in the United States. This year, due to COVID-19, it has hit an all time high, affecting many more people. Suicide rates have been steadily growing across all ages, and this year is at a record high too, showing correlation with depression. There are two types of depression, major depressive disorder and chronic depressive disorder. Diagnosis of depression is typically done physically or through a questionnaire, which is compared into a DSM-5. There are many risk factors for depression and other common mental …

Determining The Effectiveness Of A Peer Support Person In Individuals With Depression Symptoms, Donna K. Reeves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study’s aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of an existing peer support program as an adjunct treatment for patients with depression. This retrospective evaluation analyzed the total scores of 110 patients with depression on the PHQ-9 questionnaire at the initial assessment (Time 1), at 6-weeks (Time 2), and then at 12-weeks (Time 3). The participants were divided into two groups, those who enrolled in a peer support program (n = 55) and those without peer support (n = 55). PHQ-9 total scores for each time interval were compared for the two groups utilizing independent sample t-tests …

Comparison Study: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy And Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Trauma, Colleen Marie Kirsch Hiltz White

Dissertations

There is a need for more evidenced based treatments for adolescents with trauma related disorders. Currently, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF CBT) is the gold standard, but clients and clinician need the ability to choose between effective treatments. This study completed a direct comparison between six weeks of treatment in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Trauma and TF CBT via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Treatments were measured using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale and the Child PTSD Symptom Scale. Both treatments were found to be effective in reducing trauma related symptoms in two 12-year-old females.

The Experience Of Family Therapists Providing An In-Person Group Intervention, Responding To The Covid-19 Pandemic, And Attempting To Continue With A Comparable Intervention In A Virtual Setting, Miranda R. Gab

University Honors Theses

Group interventions are widely used in mental health and educational settings. Studies have shown that these groups can be conducted in either in-person or virtual settings with success, though there is limited research on the delivery of synchronous, online group interventions, particularly an in-person group intervention that abruptly transitioned to telehealth delivery due to the coronavirus. This observational research aims to tell the story of how two family therapists, who served as co-facilitators for an in-person parenting intervention, transitioned to deliver the same content virtually due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing upon previous and present research in …

Work Place Impact On Mental Wellbeing Of Frontline Doctors, Vishnupriya Veeraraghavan, Krishnan Srinivasan

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Background. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19, also known as 2019-nCoV), a cluster of acute respiratory illness with unknown causes, has occurred in India since January 2020. Over the past several months, the entire world is struggling to cope with and contain the virus spread. Several studies showed that mental health problems could occur in both healthcare workers and SARS survivors during the SARS epidemic. Considering the geographical variation, dense population, multi-strata health care structure, and rising COVID cases in South India, we have a reason to speculate that the burden on the frontline doctors is high and their psychological condition …

Indicators Of Psychological Distress And Body Image Disorders In Female Patients With Breast Cancer, Helena Van Oers, Lourens Schlebusch

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Breast cancer patients are vulnerable to elevated stress related to receiving the diagnosis, unfamiliar and invasive treatment, and coping with the side-effects of treatment, which may find various forms of expression. Another common feature of this patient population is body image dysphoria. Both the disease and treatment lead to impairments in physical appearance and general bodily functioning. This study aimed to explore the differential manifestations of stress and the nature of body image dysphoria within a sample of female breast cancer patients (n=80), compared to female patients with other sites of disease (n=80) in order to examine differences in the …

The Imagery Experience Of Korean Gim Therapists' Reactions Toward Their Clients' Resistance, Jung Pyo Moon

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to understand how Korean professional therapists who practice the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) understand their clients’ resistance through the imagery experience.

Participants in this study were six Korean GIM therapists living and working in South Korea. Two more Korean GIM therapists were recruited to take charge of guiding a total of six participants to examine this inquiry. Each GIM guide helped three participants. All six participants and two GIM therapists were regular members of the Association for Music and Imagery and the Korean Association for Music and Imagery. The researcher …

Attachment, Exploration, And Internalized Homonegativity, Gregory J. Gagnon

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Internalized homonegativity (IH; a.k.a. internalized homophobia), has been implicated in health disparities between lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons (LGBs) and their heterosexual peers. Yet, little available research has explored factors that may increase or decrease IH.

Objective: This dissertation investigates relations between child and adult attachment and IH. It further examines the mediating and moderating roles of exploration and mentalization, respectively, in the attachment–IH relation.

Method: One hundred fifty cisgender LGB adults participated in two waves of an online survey. The first assessed recalled child–maternal and child–paternal attachment and current attachment to the romantic partner. The second, conducted two …

Clinical Work With Adult Male Incest Survivors: Therapeutic Themes And Perspectives, Kathryn B. Rosenberg

Doctoral Dissertations

For psychotherapists, encountering clients who have experienced sexual trauma or abuse is inevitable, whether or not the abuse is disclosed to the therapist; however, mental health professionals receive extremely limited (if any) training on how to identify or effectively support adult clients who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Many people who experienced CSA, especially those who identify as male, remain isolated and invisible in their suffering as adults even within therapeutic spaces, facing what feel like insurmountable barriers – both internal and external – to getting help. When sexual abuse is intrafamilial, these barriers are both amplified and …

The Multigenerational Transmission Process Of Healing Social Cultural Wounds Within The Black Community: A Comprehensive Analysis, Adeola Quintero

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

This article examines the multigenerational transmission process of healing social cultural wounds within the black community. A comprehensive research analysis of slavery, racial trauma and racism along with the events surrounding their existence in our contemporary society are explored. Revealed throughout this framework are the theories literature has posited as solutions to racial wounds such as the ‘black self-concept’, ‘Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome,’ ‘Bowen’s Multigenerational Transmission Process,’ ‘racialized disease narrative’ and the introduction of the “social cultural wounds’ concept. 15 recommendations are suggested for addressing the racial healing work within individual, institutional, and systemic healing. Current theory, models, scales assessment …

Gateways For Transformation, Amitice L. Saremi

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

Big life transitions, typically resulting from loss, can cause physical, emotional, and behavioral problems. Using a heuristic methodology, this article answers the question: Given polyvagal theory, how can yoga and depth psychology combine to support clients to make transitions more easily? Polyvagal theory hypothesizes that the vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve, impacts impact many parts of the body related to physical and mental health. Breathing helps the vagus nerve function properly along with self-regulation, homeostasis, and the social engagement system. Yoga and depth psychology recognize the continuous cycles of life that exist in nature, the constancy of change, the …

Changing The Narrative For Lgbtq Adolescents: A Literature Review And Call For Research Into Narrative Therapy To Improve Family Acceptance Of Lgbtq Teens, Felicia Jordan

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

A large body of existing research has demonstrated the importance of family acceptance as a protective factor for LGBTQ youth facing increased risks of low self-esteem, depression, suicidal ideation, and other mental-health problems. However, little research has been done on therapeutic interventions for families specifically to address stigma and discrimination against LGBTQ adolescents. In particular, narrative therapy, with its focus on deconstructing and re-storying oppressive cultural narratives, seems a natural fit, but little to no quantitative research has been done on family-based narrative therapy for LGBTQ adolescents, and only a handful of qualitative studies have been published. Therefore, the paper …

Exploring The Locker, Haley Bagley

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

This article is an effort to foster grace and to create genuine, humble community. A new sense of community, that is not conditional on our abilities to censor ourselves to be more palatable to those around us. Instead, the birth of a new way of relating that considers our deep inner selves that feel shame, remember traumas, and cower in fear of these experiences. Perhaps most of all, this article is an invitation to explore our deepest inner selves, and the cost of censoring this self. This exploration is not a leisurely dive into the corners of ourselves that lie …

An Essay Concerning The Possibility Of A Unified Theory Of Counseling, Lance Kair

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

The Object-Oriented Ontology of Graham Harman, also known as Object-Oriented Philosophy, presumes to describe an ontology of all objects, including human beings. This essay shows how the discipline of counseling can benefit from such an ontology of objects. To move into this particular case of an Object-Oriented Ontology of human beings, and to distinguish, initially, at least, between the object that we are now concerned with, or will be soon, and the universe of subjectivity, I propose that we refer to universal objects, which is to indicate objects that exist in the universe, however we might define it. In this …

The Role Of Practice-Based Evidence And Feedback Informed Treatment For Improving Therapy Outcomes, Daryl Mahon

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

Attrition rates and deterioration of counselling and psychotherapy clients are two major concerns for those delivering psychological therapies across differential modalities. While a variety of correlations are said to contribute to attrition and deterioration such as, client, therapist and clinical level, identifying and improving outcomes for this cohort of people in routine practice is difficult. Even with the addition of hundreds of empirically supported treatments added to the profession, outcomes have not improved in line with these new approaches. Methods to limit the extent of poor outcomes has been established in the extent literature, thus, practice-based evidence is put forward …

Introducing Feedback Informed Preference Accommodation (Fipa): A Case Study In Clinical Practice, Daryl Mahon

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

Psychotherapy is a successful modality for those who engage in and complete a course of treatment. However, attrition rates and negative outcomes make up a significant and under discussed proportion of clinicians’ case load in routine practice. Innovative and novel methods to address these issues have been identified within the extant literature. However, their uptake can be impacted by issues such as utility and brevity. The present paper seeks to establish a framework for integrating Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT) and the Cooper-Norcross Inventory of Preferences (C-NPI) in clinical practice. That is, using the C-NPI for initial preference accommodation and following …

Creatively Exploring Self: Applying Organic Inquiry, A Transpersonal And Intuitive Methodology, Larisa J. Bardsley Phd

The Qualitative Report

This article explores the merit of using Organic Inquiry, a qualitative research approach that is most effectively applied to areas of psychological and spiritual growth. Organic Inquiry is a research approach where the psyche of the researcher becomes the instrument of the research, working in partnership with the experiences of participants and guided by liminal and spiritual influences. Organic Inquiry is presented as a unique methodology that can incorporate other non-traditional research methods, including intuitive, autoethnographic and creative techniques. The validity and application of Organic Inquiry, as well as its strengths and limitations are discussed in the light of the …

Womanism & Wellbeing: A Manuscript Dissertation Exploring The Effects Of Shame, Loss And Gender Issues, Christy Angelle-Vidrine Bauman

Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the research on gender issues and psychological well-being across the adult lifespan utilizing qualitative research examining factors (e.g., societal influences, sexual objectification, shame, loss, meaning-making, and internal identity) in developing resilience and mitigating mental health issues. This paper discusses the importance of addressing well-being through expression of loss, meaning-making, and social impact. This manuscript style dissertation will review publications in such areas as sexuality, spirituality, grief, shame, intimacy, social, and interpersonal relationships. The exploration of biopsychosocial impacts as it relates to meaning-making, resilience, and communal involvement. The three publications will be …

Mental Associations And Music Therapy: Including The History Of Associationism And The Neurology Of Associations, Dianna Rose

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Associations are formed in our minds based upon three elements: sensory experience, emotions, and memories. These associations, unique to each individual, dictate thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and actions. Some are necessary and supportive, while others can be maladaptive. Established associations can be changed, and new associations can be formed, to align with a client’s goals. The literature presents a strong history of associationism, as well as a body of research that demonstrates the neurological processes of how mental associations are formed. There are also studies showing how music activates the brain. However, there is a lack of research which draws direct …

Impact Of Rational And Experiential Thinking Styles On Interpersonal Conflict Resolution Among Young Adults, Ayesha Rafique, Hania Habib, Fariha Abdul Rehman, Shabnam Arshi

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

This research aimed to find the relationship between thinking styles (rational or experiential) and interpersonal conflict resolution (ICR) in young adults. A sample of 99 females and 103 males, age range 18 to 40 years, was selected via convenient and snow-ball sampling. Thinking styles were assessed using Rational-Experiential Inventory-40, and ICR was measured using Conflict Resolution Questionnaire. Regression analysis was used to predict ICR based on thinking style covariates and several relevant demographic covariates, including gender and family birth order. Rational thinking style (RTS) was most prevalent among young adults and was the strongest predictor of ICR. In addition, gender …

Modern-Day Witch Hunts: How The Mental Health Industry Abuses Patients And The Judiciary While Committing Fraud, Joan L. Roberts Mrs.

Conspectus Borealis

No abstract provided.

From One Period To The Next... : Menstruation And The Psychoanalytic Process Of Working Through To The Feminine, Loryn L. Hatch

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation delves into the theoretical treatment and place of menstruation in psychoanalysis. Beginning in Chapter I with a broad and varied overview of menstruation with a primary focus on Western culture, some of the persistent ideas and themes, as well as their effects, are illustrated to help pose core questions about menstruation, including how to think about its simultaneous presence and absence within the social discourse and its relationship to psychoanalysis. Chapter II explores the appearances of menstruation in Freud’s body of work, including its relationship to the burgeoning field of psychoanalysis and the fixed place it holds in …

Insight Gains Of Narrative Case Studies, H. Luis Vargas

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

The Editor provides an Editorial for the new issue.

Translator Of Soliloquies: Fugues In The Key Of Dissociation, Seo-Young J. Chu

Publications and Research

Chu, Seo-Young. “Translator of Soliloquies: Fugues in the Key of Dissociation” (chapbook). Black Warrior Review 46.2, Spring 2020.

Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: Treating Depression And Anxiety With Mushrooms, Sofia Beck

Physician Assistant Studies | Student Articles

Depression and anxiety are debilitating mental health conditions that affect a large portion of the United States. Current pharmacological treatments for these disorders require daily administration, are associated with a number of side effects, and can be ineffective for some. Emerging evidence in novel treatment options may necessitate a shift toward how we treat these psychiatric disorders.

Studies involving the psychedelic serotonin agonist, psilocybin, are currently experiencing a resurgence as an alternative for patients who are unresponsive to traditional treatments. Clinical trials using psilocybin in combination with psychotherapy have demonstrated sustained reductions in depression and/or anxiety symptoms. When used in …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Client Experience Of The Psychotherapy Relationship, Mark D. Knutzen

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Meta-analyses have indicated that there are likely common factors across varied treatment modalities that account for the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Research has attempted to identify therapist and treatment relationship components that correlate with effective mental health treatment. Yet, there is a paucity of research directly addressing the qualitative experience of the relationship between psychotherapists and their clients.

Eight adult psychotherapy clients were interviewed regarding their experience of the psychotherapy relationship with their mental health therapist. The interviews were analyzed through the use of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Seven themes emerged. Three themes related to the formation, and overall foundation of …

Emotional Response To Climate Change Learning: An Existential Inquiry, Jennifer Hutchinson

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative study aims to explore and explain the existential underpinnings of learning about climate change and potential emotional responses to climate change learning. Undergraduate students in environmental sciences and studies classes at the University of Washingrounded theory on in Seattle, WA participated in semi-structured interviews. Participants were asked about their experiences learning about climate change and how they responded emotionally to the learning. This dissertation examines the responses from those interviews and builds a theory out of the data analyzed. Constructivist Grounded theory as outlined by Kathy Charmaz (2014) was used to analyze the interviews. Codes were created and …

The Efficacy Of Ketamine In Adult Patients With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder With Symptoms Refractory To Standard Of Care Treatment., Brooke Thornton

Capstone Showcase

First line pharmacologic treatments for adult patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involve selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSRI/SNRIs). These drug classes often fail to deliver timely relief of symptoms as well as maintain longevity of symptom recurrence. This research analyzed the use of ketamine in adult patients suffering with OCD for the purposes of more efficacious management of symptoms. Although ketamine demonstrated a timelier relief of symptoms in some small clinical studies, its effects were ultimately unable to be sustained long term. Additionally, a wide range of adverse effects including dissociation, and rebound symptoms were observed. As a result, large …