Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Her Story Told Her Way: A Narrative Inquiry Into Black Women’S Perception Of The Strong Black Woman., Chulyndria Chanee Laye

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The narrative surrounding the meaning of being a Black woman has historically been dominated by stereotypes such as the mammy, jezebel, sapphire, and angry Black woman. Black women have attempted to control their own narrative through the internalization of these stereotypes, leading to the creation of the Strong Black Woman (SBW) construct. While the SBW is comprised of a sense of caretaker, independence, and emotional restraint, Black women’s attempts at embodying this construct in the face of societal oppression and familial responsibilities can and often does have negative effects on their mental health. Although the behaviors associated with the SBW …

Trauma Treatment For Youth In Foster Care: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Clinician Perspectives And Treatment Model Use, Allison Blake Smith

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Youth in foster care experience trauma exposure and subsequent trauma-related disorders at much higher rates than their peers, with prevalence rates comparable with veterans of war. Although youth in foster care appear to receive services at higher rates than their peers, little is known about what outpatient care consists of, particularly for trauma-related disorders. Furthermore, although several evidence-based treatments exist for the treatment of child and adolescent trauma, little is known about how appropriate and effective existing treatment approaches are for youth in foster care. The current study used a mixed methods approach to examine a) the range of evidence-based …

Something Like A Phenomenon: High Achieving Women Of Color And Experiences Of Mental Health Resource Utilization, Andrea Hampton Hall

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The purpose of this study was to examine, explore, and understand the lived experiences of high-achieving Black and Latina women who had utilized mental health services in the last 18 months. The impact of discrimination and stigma is present today and may manifest itself within communities of color when these individuals attempt to access mental health services. The counseling field and counselor education programs are ethically responsible for integrating social justice counseling into coursework and practice. This informs educators and counselors of barriers that may influence and impact best practices for providing mental health services to communities of color. A …

The Co-Regulatory Effects Of Emotionally Focused Therapy, Julia Conroy

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Mental health literature emphasizes the necessity of expanding emotional regulation to improve symptomology of a variety of mental health disorders. Coregulatory experiences have been shown to expand individual emotional regulation and are more likely in relationships with secure attachment. Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is focused on developing secure attachment between partners. This study examined the coregulatory effects of EFT with a single couple over the course of couples’ counseling. The participating couple received eight couples’ counseling sessions from a clinician who is a certified EFT trainer, supervisor, and therapist while having their heart rate, electrodermal activity, and skin temperature taken …

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

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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 …

Laughter As A Priming Agent For Change, Linnea M. Heintz

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The purpose of this study was to analyze the importance of laughter as a factor in influencing employee job satisfaction ratings. The Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1985, 1997) and pulses of laughter were used in this study. To explore the relationship between laughter and job satisfaction, results of the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1994) were collected quarterly (four times a year) for three consecutive years, beginning six months prior to the start of the two-year study and six months post. The study sample was composed of 545 employees (34% male, 66% female) operating out of 10 employee-owned retail chain locations …

A Descriptive Case Study Of The Challenges Of Drug And Alcohol Counselors, Ruben Herron

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Substance abuse is the number one public health problem in Oklahoma and nationally. Annual related expenses of substance abuse in Oklahoma are nearly $2 billion. This qualitative descriptive case study asks the question what are the challenges of substance-abuse counseling? The researcher will be describing in detail the history of drug and alcohol treatment and counseling in America. Using interviews, observations and document collection which will allow the interviews voices to be heard.

Evaluating School Counseling Site Supervisors’ Level Of Preparedness To Supervise, Amanda G. Stuckey

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The purpose of this study was to investigate school counseling site supervisors’ level of preparedness to provide adequate supervision to school counselors in training and determine if any variables could predict the level of preparedness. Professional School Counselors in the United States (N=86) were asked to complete a survey about how prepared they believed themselves to assist a supervisee in developing each ASCA (2019c) School Counselor Professional Standards and Competencies, as well as their training and experience with the supervisory process and supervision models.Results from this study indicate a clear need for continued training, as well as specialized training relevant …

The Adult Public’S Perception Of The Utility Of Play Therapy, Margaret L. Hindman

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Children communicate through symbolism and play as toys are children's words and play is their language (Landreth, 2012; Oaklander, 1988; Piaget, 1951; Ray, 2016). Play therapists facilitate developmentally appropriate support for children (Landreth, 2012). Often parents are unaware of the importance of play in children’s counseling (Brumfield & Christensen, 2011; Landreth, Bratton, Kellam, & Blackard, 2006).

Since adults often make decisions for children, it is important to know adults’ perceptions of play therapy utility. There is little research on parents’ knowledge of mental health services especially research specific to play therapy (Gallo, Comer, & Barlow, 2013; O’Connor & Langer, 2018). …

Barriers To Integrated Primary Care And Specialty Mental Health Services: Perspectives From Latinx And Non-Latinx White Primary Care Patients, Elizabeth A. Anastasia

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High need, low access, and rising health care costs reveal the inadequacies of the current mental health system in the U.S. Racial/ethnic minorities, including Latinxs, face substantial disparities in accessing mental health treatment compared with non-Latinx Whites. Integrated primary care (IPC) offers an alternate model for meeting mental health needs by providing care in a way that is accessible to the general population. Though it has been suggested that IPC may reduce health disparities by decreasing barriers to mental health treatment, empirical data relevant to this question are limited. A series of three studies were conducted using a mixed methodology …

Doctoral-Level Students Experience Adopting Gatekeeping Roles And Responsibilities Within Counselor Education, Evan Smarinsky

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In counselor education and supervision, the term gatekeeping is used to describe the ongoing process of monitoring, evaluating, and remediating a student through their professional identity as a counselor. Gatekeeping is an ethical responsibility of counselor educators and supervisors, both faculty and doctoral-level students who supervise master’s-level students and is often identified as being one of their most difficult responsibilities. Doctoral-level supervisors play an important role in gatekeeping, although they are not involved in formal gatekeeping decisions and have not typically been the focus of research. Researchers have suggested there is a need to develop a better understanding of how …

Are Two Unmatched Minority Statuses Worse Than One? The Impact Of Social Status Similarities On Alliance In A Mock Clinical Interview, Roselee Jeannette Ledesma

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Strengthening therapeutic alliance through social identity matching has been a strategy used to reduce psychotherapy dropout among racial/ethnic and sexual minority clients. Limited research has examined social identity match by manipulating social identity (e.g., race/ethnicity, sexual orientation) in an analogue therapy setting. This study (1) assessed whether self-reported alliance was positively associated with theoretical proxies of alliance and (2) examined the effects of racial/ethnic and sexual orientation match on therapeutic alliance (self-reported) and proxies of alliance (perceived similarity, liking, blame, empathy, closeness, microaggression proxies, verbal validation, and open body language). Participants (N = 71) were heterosexual White women interested in …

Created For Connection: The Impact Of A Faith-Based Christian Marriage Enrichment Program, Chad N. Imhoff

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The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of Created for Connection (CFC), a faith based marriage enrichment program on relationship satisfaction, adult attachment style and adult attachment behavior. This study further adds to the existing knowledge base related to faith-based programs delivered in an intensive weekend format (Johnson & Sanderfer, 2016). Participants were volunteers from the local community who identified as Christian. To ascertain the effectiveness of CFC, three self-report measures were administered at three different intervals: two weeks before the program, two weeks following the program and a six-week follow-up. I measured attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, …

Tattoo Narratives And Counseling, Danny Lane Mccarty

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Much research has been done on tattoos and on those who acquire them, but most of the research has focused on negative correlations that might exist with people who have tattoos. This current research, however, showed that people’s tattoo narratives can relate to how they view self, others, and the world, and to how they approach life. A narrative approach to qualitative research was used, and ten people participated in the study. Participants’ views of self, others, and the world were discussed as these views emerged from the narratives. Their possible approaches to life were also addressed. Themes that emerged …

The Effect Of A Training Clinic On The Self-Efficacy Of Counselors In Training, Jihene Ayadi

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The primary focus of this study was to examine the differences between trainees’ perceived self-efficacy when they graduate from a counseling program that has a community based mental health training clinic versus a program without a training clinic. A web-based survey was developed with the questions from the Counseling Self-Efficacy Inventory (COSE) (Larson et al., 1992) and 45 (N = 45) participants took the survey online. Participants were students enrolled and taking a practicum or internship class in a counseling program with a training clinic (WTC) or in a counseling program without a clinic (WTTC). Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon test, a non-parametric …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Counseling Students In A Co-Facilitated Experiential Group, Alexandra Meyers

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Research in the fields of experiential learning, group psychotherapy, and neuroscience has supported the inclusion of the experiential group in counseling training programs due to the potential for positive impact on students’ personal and professional development (Badenoch & Cox, 2010; Denninger, 2010). Investigations exploring counseling students’ experiences of the experiential group have been primarily limited to quantitative studies, while in-depth qualitative inquiry has been minimal. Additionally, an extensive review of the literature has found there have been no qualitative studies examining experiential groups co-facilitated by a course instructor and a doctoral student. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to …

A Support Program For College Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Functioning Of Participants Versus Non-Participants And The Role Of Program-Sponsored Mentoring, Ayla Raven Mapes

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Increasingly more students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are attending college. In response, many colleges are now offering these students the extra support of an Autism Support Program (ASP), many of which include a mentoring component. This study is one of only a handful of attempts to examine these programs empirically. Using a small sample of college students who identified as having ASD, I compared participants and non-participants of a university ASP. An online survey was used to assess demographic characteristics and pre-college academic performance, as well as students’ functioning across the following domains: social, adaptive, academic, emotional, and having …

Counselors' Self-Discrepancy And Its Impact On Their Burnout And Wellness, Donghun Lee

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This study explores the relationships between counselors’ professional, personal, and reflected selves as well as between counselors’ self-discrepancies and their burnout and wellness. Moreover, an investigation on the impacts of counselors’ self-discrepancies on their burnout and wellness as a professional was conducted. The use of self has been emphasized in order for counselors to elicit meaningful outcome with clients. To demonstrate the use of self as an instrument of the counseling process, integrating professional, personal, and reflected selves is necessary for counselors. One hundred ninety five (N = 195) professional counselors in Mid-South States, who currently practice, supervise, educate, or …

Reconnection Group For Individuals Who Have Experienced Interpersonal Trauma: An Explanatory Case Study, Megan Little

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Interpersonal traumas are becoming more common to the general public and the need for services to assist the mental and emotional well-being of survivors is increasing. However, due to the complicated impacts of trauma on the mind, body, and spirit there can be a challenge in finding effective treatment options that are long lasting for trauma symptoms. The purpose of this study was to understand the elements of a trauma group treatment (Reconnection group) modality that utilizes psychodrama as the primary treatment option and incorporates mindfulness and yoga as adjunctive treatments with individuals who have experienced interpersonal trauma. Findings suggest …

Mental Health Counselors Working With Individuals With Developmental Disabilities: A Phenomenological Investigation, Syard G. Evans

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Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are often not included in traditional mental health treatment services due to beliefs that these individuals cannot benefit from mental health counseling and that mental health clinicians are not capable of treating this population. Some research exists that discusses techniques and interventions recommended to serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in mental health; however, there is little information on the specific counselors who are willing and able to support this population. A qualitative methodology was utilized to examine the phenomenon of mental health practitioners with experience serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. …

An Exploration Of The Experience Of Open Awareness Co-Meditation At The Beginning Of Therapy Sessions, Aneeqa Ishtiaq

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Mindfulness and meditation have been seen as beneficial for mental health and mindfulness-based therapies have proliferated alongside an increase in popular interest in mindfulness (Germer, Siegel, & Fulton, 2013). However, many therapists are unaware of how to add mindfulness-based interventions. It may seem especially ambiguous for therapists and clients unfamiliar with the concept. In this dissertation, the history and current research on mindfulness-based psychotherapy, and its benefits and contraindications, are reviewed, and the researcher’s relationship to the topic is explained. It is identified that one way to add mindfulness to psychotherapy is for the therapist and the client to co-meditate …

Attachment Styles And Trust Propensity In Females With Borderline Personality Disorder, Jacob Matthew White

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Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is one of the most frequently encountered and complex disorders in mental health care. Interpersonal impairment is a central issue for individuals with BPD. This complex disorder has received negative stigma along with historically more females than males receiving this diagnosis (Linehan, 1993). Therefore, this study examined a clinical sample of 30 females diagnosed with BPD. Through the collection of data this study used the following measures: a basic demographic questionnaire gathering specific age, ethnicity, current relationship status, parental relationship status, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR; Brennan, Clark & Shaver, 1998), and the Propensity …

Preparedness To Counsel Transgender College Students: Perceptions Of College Mental Health Clinicians, Valerie G. Couture

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The purpose of this study was to assess the perceived preparedness levels of college mental health clinicians to counsel transgender college students. Multicultural counseling competency is required of professional counselors and transgender individuals are considered to be part of the multicultural population. A survey was completed by college mental health counselors (N = 84) from across the United States. The results showed a moderate amount of preparedness overall with no significant differences based on years of counseling experience nor graduation from a CACREP accredited program. Results did show the participants believed they do have a professional duty to be knowledgeable …

The Lived Experiences Of Emergency Department Personnel In Working With Individuals With Mental Health Needs, Sarah Wohlford-Neubauer

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Individuals who work in emergency departments and emergency services in the United States have daunting, overwhelming, and difficult tasks to perform. In addition to medical emergencies that include physical trauma and illnesses, emergency personnel treat individuals with psychiatric emergencies. This qualitative research study explored the lived experiences of ten emergency department personnel that had experienced working with individuals with mental health needs. The ultimate purpose of the study was to break down individuals’ experiences into a shared description of a universal phenomenon. The study utilized a phenomenological, qualitative research design to capture the essence of this phenomenon. Participants’ responses to …

Instilling Hope: Showing Individuals With New Disabilities Between The Ages Of 18 And 24 That Suicide Is Not The Answer, Christine Ann Whiting

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The purpose of this dissertation is to explore what can be done to mitigate the onset of a disability for young adults aged 18-24 in order to prevent suicidal thoughts or actions. Research suggests that many factors play into suicidal ideation for this young population, including lost hope, lack of coping mechanisms, lack of financial security and bullying. The goal of this research is to determine what rehabilitation professionals can do differently that will hopefully eradicate suicide for this group.

Developmental Traits And Patterns Emerging From Dependent Nurturing Individuals In Narcissistic Relationship, Gregory D. Roberts

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The concept of personality theories and personality disorders has developed in modern times from deep roots in philosophy and psychodynamic theory. This theory orientation has evolved to diagnostic and treatment application. Much of the literature has focused on personality disorders as independent and singular constructs. Phenomenological discussions and deeper understandings of dysfunctional relationships between the two specific disorders of dependent personality and narcissistic personality are lacking. Significant longsuffering, abusive, and pathological behaviors at times are observed among dependent personality types in bad relationships. The objective of this study was to gather data from a sample of dependent types to discover …

School Counselors Lived Experience Of A Rampage School Shooting, Carleton H. Brown

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Minimal research has been conducted to examine school counselors’ lived experiences of rampage school shootings. The purpose of this research is to increase school counselors’ knowledge and skills in responding effectively to such a crisis. A single-case qualitative dissertation study was completed at a rampage school shooting site, a middle school, and the immediate surrounding area in Bono, AR, located in the northeast part of Arkansas. School counselors’ decisions, perceived expertness, and lessons learned were investigated. Data collected included relevant research literature (including comparison research), archival records, direct observation, media reports, and interviews. Participants interviewed were individuals who lived through …

Community-Based Rehabilitation Supports For Social Inclusion And Work Participation Of Young Adults With Visual Impairment In Kenya: A Case Study, Philomena Jepkemboi Tanui

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Young adults with a visual impairment (VI) experience less interaction with the community that impacts the way they relate to the world as they transition to the larger society where they face significant barriers of adjustment, exclusion, and work participation. Young adults with VI contend with cultural stigma, inequality, poor self-esteem caused by marginalization, a low quality of life (QOL), and lack of Social support systems that exist beyond the home. The aim of this study was to understand the perceptions of young adults with VI in Elgeyo-Marakwet and Kisumu Counties of Kenya concerning the barriers to community inclusion and …

Basic Counseling Techniques Training: The Differential Effects Of Two Models On Skill Development And Fully Functioning, Christopher Loyd Carver

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The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of two models of basic counseling skill training on the development of fully functioning, and the frequency of basic skill utilization as assessed at the end of the course. Two groups of students were taught using the Carkhuff Human Resource Development model (1971) and Egan’s Skilled Helper model (2002). They were then given the Strathclyde inventory to assess fully functioning early and at the end of the semester, and skill frequency count was conducted on all participants. Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon tests were conducted to determine difference between groups in both measures. Additionally, …

A Comparison And Exploration Of Arkansas Professional School Counselor Activities Across Poverty, Angela Mccoy Harless

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This study is an exploration of the actual and preferred practices of Arkansas K-12 school counselors in low, mid, and high-poverty schools using the School Counselor Activity Rating Scale (Scarborough, 2005), follow-up questionnaires, and interviews. The qualitative component of this study brings to light the contextual factors that prevent school counselors from providing direct and indirect services to students outlined in the ASCA National Model. This research study examines the hidden dynamics of the counselor/principal relationship and how this relationship has a pivotal role in the realization of a fully comprehensive developmental school counseling program. This study contributes to the …