Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Commons^™

Psychological Adaptation In Colorectal Cancer Survivors: Pilot Study Findings, Anuja L. Sarode, Emily M. Su, Amber Kerstetter-Fogle, Steve Paciorek, Erica L. Laipply

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

In this pilot study, we examined psychological impacts of colorectal cancer (CRC), focusing on cancer-related posttraumatic stress disorder (CR-PTSD) symptoms, posttraumatic growth (PTG), and their relationship with coping strategies in surgically treated CRC patients.

Methods

This prospective pre- and postoperative pilot study assessed CRC patients at 2 time points, pre- and postoperative. Psychological symptoms were evaluated using the PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (PCL-5) and the PTG Inventory Short Form (PTGI-SF). Coping strategies were assessed using the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) instrument. Changes in CR-PTSD, PTG, and coping …

Coping Beyond Cancer: Exploring Fear Of Recurrence In Colorectal Cancer Survivors—A Pilot Investigation, Emily M. Su, Steve Paciorek, Erica L. Laipply, Anuja L. Sarode

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Evidence is limited on the fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) among colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors in the US, especially regarding patterns and trends of post-recovery coping mechanisms. This pilot mixed-methods study quantified FCR, examined its associations with Brief COPE domains, and contextualized coping through qualitative analysis.

Methods

Twenty-three patients who successfully underwent CRC surgery were included in this pilot study. Fear of cancer recurrence was measured using the FCR Inventory (FCRI) Short Form, and coping strategies were assessed with the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) survey. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics, FCR, and COPE scores. Spearman correlation …

Evaluating Behavioral Intervention Strategies For Reducing Hyperactivity In Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Comorbid Adhd, Murtadha M. Abd Noor, Dunya Habeeb Shnain

Maaen Journal for Medical Sciences

One of the most difficult and complex symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is hyperactivity. This has a substantial negative impact on daily functioning, learning, and responsiveness to therapy interventions, as well as on intervention programs that aim to manage behavior in schools and clinical settings, thereby restricting children's engagement in these programs as management behaviors become more emphasized. Given marked heterogeneity in clinical presentations and a lack of consensus on the most effective behavioral strategies, there remains an imperative to systematically evaluate targeted, specific strategies for reducing hyperactivity in this …

Navigating Burnout: The Role Of Workplace Support For Social Work Clinicians, Melanie Fulton

Journal of Global Awareness

The shortage of mental health workers is a growing concern in the United States, and social workers a substantial portion of employees who work with individuals with mental health concerns. This shortage stresses the importance of studying factors that impact burnout for mental health clinicians, particularly social work clinicians. While burnout among social workers in some settings have been documented in the literature, less research has focused on independently licensed clinical social workers in private practice. This study had participants complete a survey to examine the relationship between workplace support, burnout, and professional fulfillment among this population (N = 57). …

Starting With Story, Not Symptom: Narrative Collapse And Cultural Repair In Appalachia, Wayne Coombs Ph.D.

Journal of Appalachian Health

Appalachia’s opioid crisis reflects uneven burdens, especially in distressed coalfield counties, and it cannot be solved by symptom tracking alone. This commentary argues for a narrative shift, starting with story and cultural repair alongside clinical care. Narrative collapse is defined here as the loss of shared, dependable public meaning across groups, not the absence of storytelling in families, churches, and recovery circles. Trauma science suggests that chronic threat reshapes nervous systems across generations, making safety a prerequisite for renewed trust. Drawing on narrative identity research, the piece proposes peer story work as infrastructure that can reduce shame, support treatment engagement, …

Chatbot Therapy - Help Or Hindrance, Kadi Rae Smith

Anthós

Introduction

Generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) chatbots are complex computer programs designed to mimic human conversations using programming that incorporates large language models (LLM) and natural language models (NLM) to simulate human interactions that are being rapidly integrated into everyday life across an increasing amount of online platforms. This article explores the applications and efficacy of chatbots for mental healthcare, from self-directed chatbot interactions to clinician-supervised implementation of chatbot-based therapeutic tools, weighing the benefits and limitations of this ever-expanding technology.

Methodology/Taxonomy

A literature review was conducted primarily using Web of Science, accessed through Portland State University, and Google Scholar, with specifications …

Art Therapy In Social Work Practice, Laura Gebur

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Art therapy is an emerging practice among mental health professionals looking for new ways to engage with their clients and encourage nonverbal communication. Creativity is a means of processing memories, improving relationships, and strengthening the mind-body connection across a variety of age groups and practice settings. The efficacy of art therapy has led to its integration into social work practice, benefitting a diverse range of client populations within the field. While a lack of macro-level research studies has prevented the implementation of standardized art therapy techniques in social work, clinical research trials have examined art therapy across several areas of …

Mindfulness Techniques And Practices In Islamic Psychotherapy: The Power Of Mu-Raqabah, Sehrish Haroon

Consensus

Isgandarova, N. (2025). Mindfulness techniques and practices in Islamic psychotherapy : the power of muraqabah. Routledge. ISBN: 9781032631387

Spiritual, Philosophical, And Psychotherapeutic Engagements Of Meaning And Service, Bradley Morrison

Consensus

Harper, K., O’Connor, T. S. J., & Maoz, D. (2024). Spiritual, philosophical, and psychotherapeutic engagements of meaning and service. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN: 9781036402822

Handbook Of Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapies, Thomas St. James O'Connor

Consensus

Richards, P. S., Allen, G. E. K., & Judd, D. K. (2023). Handbook of spiritually integrated psychotherapies. American Psychological Association. ISBN: 9781433835933

The Lasting Legacy Of Dr. Fritz Smith And Dr. Aminah Raheem: Founders Of Zero Balancing And Soul Lightening/Insight Acupressure, Deanna Waggy Otr

Journal of Transformative Touch

Dr. Fritz Smith and Dr. Aminah Raheem were pioneers in the field of holistic bodywork. Their innovative techniques, Zero Balancing (ZB) and Insight Acupressure (formerly Soul Lightening International), helped shape integrative medicine practitioners around the globe. Their marriage not only symbolized a personal union but also a professional synergy, with their complementary therapies offering a yin-yang approach to mind-body healing. Their legacy continues through the many practitioners trained in Zero Balancing and Soul Lightening/Insight Acupressure and the various organizations that uphold their commitment to research, education, and professional standards.

Contemporary Views Of Spiritual And Theological Reflection (2013-2023) Compared To Forty Years Ago: Analysis Of 32 Texts, Chris Brouillard-Coyle, Des Mcenaney, Joselin Zak, Thomas St. James O’Connor

Consensus

What are contemporary views on spiritual and theological reflection? We answer this question using a hermeneutical research method analyzing 32 texts from the current situation. The data indicate five themes: 1) experiences as sources for spiritual/theological reflection, 2) meaning making as key component for spiritual/theological reflection, 3) growth in spiritual reflection and overlap with theological reflection, 4. some flexible methods; many without explicit method, and 5) spiritual but not religious. Discussion, limitations, and areas for future research are provided.

Learning To Be An Autistic Therapist: Personal Steps Towards An Autism-Affirming Psychotherapy, Sasha D. Strong

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

How can Autistic therapists understand and support themselves, and how can this help them support their clients? In this paper, I recount my personal journey of healing and growth as an Autistic psychotherapist, 16 months after self-identification. Here is an overview of conceptual frameworks from #actuallyautistic authors, critical theory, queer theory, and social justice that I have found helpful. I also share some of the therapeutic and wellness approaches that have been important to me, including mindfulness and bodyfulness. Organic knowing has been pivotal for me in discerning between masking and aliveness, and regaining a choice around masking behaviors. This …

Benefits Of Meditation Practices In Alleviating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd) Symptoms For Individuals Already In Therapy, Jeanette G. Mann, Lindsay Gietzen

Pacific Journal of Health

Abstract

This study examines the impact of adding and incorporating a meditation practice into a treatment plan for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for three adult patients at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). The cases involved included patients with persistent PTSD symptoms who had experienced limited improvement with standard therapies. Data from Electronic Health Records and clinician notes showed that adding an eight-week meditation practice enhanced emotional regulation and reduced anxiety. In all three cases, the meditation practice increased the benefits of the traditional therapy. This helped the patients have greater control over their PTSD symptoms and improve their quality …

Psilocybin Utilization In Alcohol Use Disorder, Hannah Hall, Sarah Turske, Hannah Blake, Abigail Carter, Connor Dains, Haylee Whyde, Brianna Lu, Joshua Honaker, Lindsey Peters

Pharmacy and Wellness Review

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition that arises from the inability to control alcohol consumption regardless of negative consequences. Over 10% of the US population met the diagnostic criteria for having AUD in 2022.1 Each individual presents with symptoms of AUD differently and may therefore need more personalized treatment. Research has shown that using a combination of currently available pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options provides the best results for patients with AUD. However, there still remains a pressing need for the development of newer treatment options. Psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound, is currently under investigation due to …

Prevalence And Patterns Of Cardiovascular Risk Factors In Young Hypertensive Patients, *Raghu V S R Tanuku Dr., Major Venkata Shree Krishna Dr., Sreedhar Tanuku Dr

Digital Journal of Clinical Medicine

Hypertension ranks among the top ten causes of mortality, with around 4% attributed to hypertensive complications. High salt intake, Type 2 diabetes, smoking, elevated serum lipids, a sedentary lifestyle, a diet heavy in saturated fat, genetic predisposition, as well as stress are among the factors that contribute to hypertension. Hypertension affects about 1 billion people worldwide, with considerable differences between populations and ethnic groups [2]. The Framingham Heart Study indicates that a person's lifetime risk of developing hypertension is 90% if they are normotensive at age 55. According to the NHANES IV (4th National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), the …

Applying The Self-Determined Learning Model Of Instruction To The Psychotherapeutic Context For People With Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, Richard Chapman, Jessica Schuttler, Karrie Shogren, Sydney Walls, Hannah Adams, Aderonke O. Oyetunji

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

The Self Determined Learning Model of Instruction is an evidence-based intervention for supporting self-directed goal setting and problem solving. Traditionally, the SDLMI has not been applied in the psychotherapeutic context, however we propose that the SDLMI is an approach that could be integrated into such a context to support self-determination, goal setting, and goal attainment. In this paper, we specifically focus on connections between the SDLMI and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and how the approaches can be used jointly, during psychotherapy to support teens and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to set, work towards, and reach goals. Implications …

“Too Many Meanings”: Reading “Piro Designs”, Paolo Fortis, Margherita Margiotti

Tipití: Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

This paper explores the notion of painting as meaningful action (Gow 1999) and highlights the productivity of the idea as emerging from, and dovetailing, different strands of thought on the nature of symbols and actions. Bringing together Lévi-Strauss’ intuition on the dynamism and generativity of graphic systems, phenomenological studies on meaning making, and ethnographic analyses of Amazonian theories of corporeality and sociality, Gow has shown how Yine (Piro) designs provide a developmental model that combines ontogenesis and social change. This paper argues for the productivity of this approach in Amerindian studies, in anthropology, and in a dialogue with psychoanalytic theory …

Forged In The Fires Of Covid-19: The Evolution Of Systemic Therapy For Online Practice And Beyond, Lauren Skuba M.A., Mftc, Lindsay Edwards , Ph.D.

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

There has been a swift uptake in the use of teletherapy since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has corresponded with an increase in clinical scholarship focused on conducting systemic therapy in an online format. A majority of this scholarship offers ideas for adapting therapeutic tasks developed around in-person contact for a remote format. The current article moves beyond adapting and offers ideas for remote systemic therapy that are born from our experiences of evolving through teletherapy. We begin by noting some of the significant differences between in-person therapy and teletherapy before describing how these differences can influence client …

Bowen Informed Therapy Integrated With Gene Keys, Kristen Oliver M.A.

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

The mental health professions require innovation in order to advance theory and practice. This article presents reimagined therapeutic work that joins the metaphysical element of Gene Keys with the largely accepted theoretical approach of Bowen Family Systems Theory. We propose the integration of metaphysics as a way to facilitate higher levels of differentiation – particularly in clients who have an expanded worldview inclusive of metaphysics. The reader is asked to stretch their beliefs and perspective as they read through this paper.

Mft Trainee Experiences Of Shame, Self-Criticism, And Self-Compassion In Their First Practicum, Mark Karris , Ph.D., Angela B. Kim Ph.D.

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of MFT trainee shame, self-criticism, and self-compassion. Additionally, this study also sought to understand how those experiences may affect a trainee’s clinical work as a first-time practicum student. Interviews were conducted with 15 trainees in a graduate program who were performing therapy at a practicum site. Utilizing Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenology, six essential themes emerged: (1) shame and self-criticism are interrelated and can affect therapeutic presence; (2) self-criticism can have a positive impact on clinical work; (3) trainees use metaphors to describe shame and self-criticism (4) self-compassion …

Using Stories With Families: A Scoping Review, Sam Hadji Cyrous Ph.D. (Candidate), Sofia Valadares Nishiyama Cordeiro, Ana Caroline De Caldas

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

This article is the fruit of a systematic scoping review, according to PRISMA precepts. Its objective was to explore the use of stories and other symbolic genre on family therapy settings. Thus, it explains how the researchers made the selection of articles in phases or steps, in a total of six, having a final result of 11 articles, in a time-lapse of 28 years. By the one hand, it was observed a relationship between different techniques that are usually grouped separately and, by the other hand, the disparate way in which the same concepts are confused among researchers, where each …

Notes On Language In The Clinic In A Lacanian Key, Sean J. Carroll

Counseling and Family Therapy Scholarship Review

There is no shortage of therapeutic modalities and interventions at the therapist’s disposal. Psychotherapy, because it claims to treat the individual, is necessarily multifaceted and complex. The dimension of language which structures much of our experience should be considered as a starting point for a psychotherapeutic technique. French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan developed a theory and technique of the talking cure beginning from this assumption: that language structures our experience. In the early 1950s he sought to recover a linguistic Freud: to re-center psychoanalytic psychotherapy on language itself. In this paper, I sketch the theoretical reasons for this turn in Lacan …

Eating Disorders In Men: A Comprehensive Summary, Connor James Spratt, Liam Alexander Mackenzie Myles, Emanuele Maria Merlo

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Eating disorders (EDs) have detrimental effects on an individual’s physical and mental health, along with significant interpersonal, social and economic effects. Furthermore, men who are suffering with an ED face unique challenges with this. Men suffering with EDs have historically received little attention within ED research, diagnosis and intervention. However, the number of men suffering with these issues is significant and growing. Understanding of EDs tend to ignore male experiences, meaning many are left to suffer in silence until the ED has developed to a critical point. However, many now recognize the need to understand the issues facing men suffering …

Limb Amputations; Etiopathogenesis, Diagnosis And The Multidisciplinary Therapeutic Approach, Vlad Denis Constantin, Bogdan Socea, Bogdan Severus Gaspar, Dragos Epistatu, Ioana Paunica, Anca Silvia Dumitriu, Stana Paunica, Adrian Silaghi

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Despite remarkable advances in medicine, limb amputations remain a therapeutic measure that saves the lives of many patients. Given the varied etiopathogenesis, such operations are performed both as an emergency and as an elective procedure. Such interventions address either only the distal segments of a limb, or even the entire limb, having a great psychological, functional and social impact on the patient. Due to these multiple implications, limb amputations must be performed by specialized teams, in order to achieve the best possible functional and aesthetic results to be compatible with the correction of the remaining deficit with a prosthesis. The …

Internalized Homophobia: A Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapeutic Approach Using The Principles Of Complex Thinking, Daniel Rzondzinski

Consensus

This article describes the construction and application of a complex spiritually integrated psychotherapeutic model for assessment and treatment of internalized homophobia. Homophobia is a complex phenomenon because it includes multiple dimensions: personal, interpersonal, institutional, cultural, political, social, and historical. Internalized homophobia is a mental health problem that affects the subjectivity of 2SLGBTQ+ people. The model explained in this article is a product of the integration of principles from psychoanalytic psychotherapy, 2SLGBTQ+ affirmative framework, narrative therapy, and spiritually integrated psychotherapy. The integration is facilitated by the principles of complex thinking. This article emphasizes the problem of internalized homophobia and the coming …

The Need For Queer Education In Graduate Psychotherapy Programs, Rachel Warner

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Solution Focused Brief Therapy And Vicarious Resilience In Bolivian Protective Family Services Workers, Marcos Pérez Lamadrid, Adam S. Froerer

Journal of Solution Focused Practices

Vicarious resilience (VR) is defined as the positive effects caregivers experience within their personal lives, their work lives, and within their worldview as a whole, that come from witnessing the resilience that clients demonstrate in facing their traumatic experiences. This research study is a quasi-experimental pilot study about how solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) influences the vicarious resilience of family protective system (SLIM) workers in Bolivia. The Vicarious Resilience Inventory (VRI) was administered in a pretest/posttest design for an experimental group (applying SFBT) and a control group (training as usual). Both groups experienced an increase in vicarious resilience, but the …

An Examination Of Sexist Roots Of The Psychiatric Diagnosis Of Nymphomania In 19th Century America, Madeline W. Reese

The Purdue Historian

During the mid to late nineteenth century, psychiatrists increasingly focused on women’s sexual deviance. Nymphomania was a diagnosis that emerged from existing scientific and popular understandings of sex and gender differences, sexual appropriateness, and morality of domestic relationships. Medical journals and popular conceptions of female sexuality are indicators of how this diagnosis was prejudiced and used exclusively for women. The nymphomaniac diagnosis was rooted in the patriarchal desire to keep women oppressed.

Protocol For An Ehub As An Systemic Intervention For Homeless Shelter Staff And Resident Psychosocial And Behavioral Needs, Celeste Sangiorgio, Cory Crane, Cassandra Berbery, Caroline Easton

Frameless

Homeless shelter performance is presently operationalized as shelter success in linking homeless individuals to housing; however, there is a cluster of individuals with co-occurring serious mental health issues who engage in chronic and episodic re-entry into homeless shelters. Persistent and chronically mentally ill individuals who re-enter shelters increase demands on staff, who are inadequately trained to de- escalate, manage their internal distress, and connect these homeless residents to appropriate services. This protocol outlines an alternative intervention mechanism for shelters that targets a key, untreated pathway where staff and resident symptoms and skills are linked to shelter performance. We propose that …